The Wallis valley of Switzerland

We just returned from spending 4 days with one of my aunts in this valley, and everywhere you look there are vineyards on the slopes below the mountains. Depending on exposure to the sun, some are on one side or the other of the valley. There are a few vineyards on the valley floor, but the best wines come from sites on the hillsides.

We were in Chandolin, a small village adjacent to Saviese. I have included a photo of the view from the balcony of her apartment, I can see why she chose this spot. To wake up, or watch the sun go down in the evening over the high mountains, and be surrounded by vineyards is really special.

We were treated to some very good cooking, and some nice wines from this area. I tried some wines from this region that are a few of the 52 varieties grown in this valley. We enjoyed a Johannisberg (white) from St. Jodern Kellerei in Visperterminen, grown in the highest vineyards in Europe at between 2100ft and 3700ft. It was perfect with the Raclette we had for dinner that night....

I also enjoyed a Cornalin (red grape) from Robert Gilliard, it's an old variety from this valley which produces a nice soft red wine with good blue and black fruit flavors balanced by just right acidity. A very good comanion to the Fondue Chinoise we had on another evening meal.

Fondue Chinoise is a hot vegetable boullion into which you can put thinly sliced beef, calf's meat, chicken, small meatballs of pork, or shrimp, scallops, on a normal fondue fork until it's just cooked through and served with assorted sauces of your choice to dip the meat into. Delicious!

The sad part for us in America is that 95% of all Swiss wines are consumed within the country, or a small distance into the surroundind countries.... very little is imported into the USA, and probably only the major cities.

Joe, given our discussions about wine, you would love it here! You've got to convince the company you work for to somehow send you to a neighboring country for business, then take a few days to wander around doing "research" on the many varieties grown in this valley.

Cheers, Sante!

Ed

Weingut Umbricht Untersiggenthal Switzerland

I was introduced to this winery 2 years ago during a visit to family here in Switzerland, it's located 5 minutes from one of my cousins. We were at restaurant Steinenbuhl that serves wines from the surrounding area, and my wife was having fondue. My wife saw that there were local wines on the menu and asked my cousin for his recommendation. 

Vik suggested the Sauvignon blanc from this winery, it was a good match for the fondue, nice nose of melon, citrus, similar flavors on the tongue, not sweet but not completely dry either, good mouthfeel with enough acidity to cleanse the palate from the cheese.

The Sauvignon blanc is very popular locally, enough so that when we stopped today to purchase the wines you see in the picture, the bin for it was empty.... I have tried their regular Pinot, and the Cabernet/Malbec blend and would highly recommend them to anyone. The Chardonnay just won a gold medal at an international competiton, and I'm sampling the Spatlese Pinot Noir now.

The grapes for the Spatlese (later picked) must have been in great condition, spot on old world color, beautiful nose of cherry, cola, a spicy note, with matching flavors in the mouth. Just right mouthfeel with a deft touch of oak barrel aging, nice lingering finish of fruit and spice.... this is good by itself or with food, very well made.

Their wines come in either 500ml or 750ml bottles, priced between 10Chf and 19Chf depending on bottle size and variety of grape. I can see why 95% of Swiss wines never make it out of the country, good to great wine at good prices. If only I had a wine cellar here.... well, then I'd be broke...

The picture is one of Umbricht's vineyards in Untersiggenthal.

Cheers!

Ed

2012  Beringer  Knights Valley  Cabernet Sauvignon

I first tried a Knights Valley bottling 6 or 7 years ago at a tasting event in NH, it was quite nice, and I was intrigued by the potential I thought it had for cellaring between 5 to 10 years. I didn't buy much of it each year as the cost in the NH Liquor system was and is $35.00 per bottle, but there are now other retail options available to all of us that are much less. We'll get to that later....

The vineyard is located in Knights Valley, northwest of Napa, in Sonoma County and composes about 600 acres. It's planted with Cab Sauvignon, Malbec, Petite Verdot, Merlot, and Cab Franc, all of which enjoy the warm growing conditions there. It's a fairly rustic area with rocky, well draining alluvial soils which pushes the vines to produce great fruit.

When first opened, notes of black cherry first, followed by subtle hints of black raspberry, plum, blackberry, and an intriguing spicy note in the nose. The palate has the black cherry with the other fruits in the background, the spice on the finish with balanced tannins and a pleasant lingering fruit note.

Day 2 brings the black cherry with more of the black raspberry, and a deep note of mixed berry pie, very interesting nose.... all the fruit flavors are more blended together on the finish with fine tannins and a beautiful lingering berry note. Delicious...

This would be very nice with a juicy Delmonico steak grilled medium, I could see this with bacon wrapped tenderloin filets from the grill, or equally at home with a Sunday roast chicken dinner and fixings...I'm going to try it later today with a home made bacon cheeseburger and grilled veggies.

I bought 3 bottles of this vintage with the idea of leaving them in the cellar for a while, I opened a bottle last year about this time to see how it was developing. It was good, but wasn't quite ready yet.
Now it's in the sweet spot for me, which matches what some of the reviews out there are saying. I think after 5 years past the vintage year is when this wine really starts to shine.

Available at most NH Liquor outlets for $34.99, Total wine in Natick has it for $23.00, and if you're in the Boston area try a Wegmans grocery store... I bought my 3 bottles there for $20.00 each! That's quite a savings over the NH price.... this wine seems to be fairly consistant each vintage but look for the 2015, I'm reading some good things about that year....

Cheers!

Ed

Shannon Ridge  2015 Cabernet Sauvignon  High Elevation Collection  Lake County CA

I remember trying a bottle from this winery a few years ago somewhere, it was okay and interesting but not available locally at the time. I found this bottle in the powerbuy section at the West Leb Liquor outlet store. There is also another offering from this winery in the same section, a reserve bottling that I haven't tried yet...

The '15 Cabernet High Elevation bottling sources grapes from 3 different vineyards that are between 1200' and 2400'   the areas are; High Valley, Red Hills, and Big Valley. The wine is aged 12 months in French and American oak.

When first opened, notes of blackberry and cranberry, a hint of black plum, and there is something in the nose that reminds me of other wines i've tried from the Lodi area.... I can't quite put my finger on what it is, but it's interesting. I taste blackberry, cranberry, cherry, the tannins are slightly chalky in texture but not overly so. The finish is pleasant and lingers nicely...

Day 2 the nose has become more balanced between the 3 berries, I think the cherry is more noticable. The chalky texture in the mouth has smoothed out, and the palate has a nice, slightly thick mouth feel with the cherry flavor first, then the blackberry and plum follow. Pleasantly tart on the finish with nice tannins.

Right now at not quite 3 years of age, this wine would be nice with food that has some fat in it, grilled sausages, steak tips, a nice Demonico steak, boneless chicken thighs marinated in olive oil, fresh garlic and sea salt.... bbq chicken from the grill would be okay too.

I am intrigued enough by this wine to consider buying 6 bottles and lay them down in the cellar to see what evolves over the next 4 to 5 years, I don't think I'll be disappointed... in the meantime the pricepoint in the powerbuy section is $9.99 per bottle (half price), and until July 1st you get an additional 15% off if you buy a case or more... are you kidding me?!  go try a bottle and tell me what you think.

Cheers!

Ed

 

2010 Rodney Strong Rockaway Vineyard Alexander Valley CA

When I first tried this wine 4 years ago upon its release, it had very vibrant blackberry notes in the nose and palate along with hints of blackcherry. The tannins were surprisingly smooth for a young wine of this caliber, but the winemaking team there is top notch and have the added benefit of Dave Ramey as a consulting winemaker. Dave is a master at making wines of power and grace that are accessible early in their life, but can also age very well.

At almost 8 years of age the blackberry is still dominant, but the  blackcherry has come forward more in both the nose and taste, and possibly a hint of blueberry as well. There are the telltale herbal notes that good Alexander Valley Cabs have, the tannins are still smooth, with a nice balance of fruit and barrel notes on the lingering finish. I believe this bottle had the ability to hold in the cellar for 10 or more years from the vintage date.

 Just a delight to savor, and now more of a match for a piece of bacon wrapped beef tenderloin grilled medium, lamb chops from the grill, or herb crusted pork roast done on a rotisserie. Sides of marinated grilled zucchini, portobello mushrooms, or summer squash would be nice as well I think.

This is not an everyday wine, more of a special occasion treat. I thought Father's day was a good reason to enjoy a bottle of it.... (Mothers day next year also qualifies) I hope all of you Dads out there had a great day, and you or your kids made a special day of it.

Available from the Rodney Strong winery for $75.00 per bottle, also at Total wine in Natick MA for $64.00 per bottle, or $58.00 per bottle if you buy 6 or more "pick 6" qualifying wines... ie; 5 more bottles at $8 to $10 each gets you the discount....

Cheers!

Ed

2016 Fossil Point Rose' Cenral Coast California

I do enjoy a good Rose wine during the summer months, for me it's lighter than a red wine but still gives me the impression I'm drinking more than a white. A good one can stand up to various meats from the grill, and pairs nicely with grilled veggies including grilled Portobello mushrooms.

Fossil Point sources their grapes from various Central Coast vineyards which have soils that are composed of old oyster shells and Calcareous shale and coarse sand. They get breezes from the Pacific ocean which keeps the temps moderate and allows the fruit to mature slowly and evenly.

When I first opened the bottle it had distinct notes of citrus and red berries in the nose, the palate had the citrus with a slight bitterness I wasn't in love with. The bitterness fades after 20 minutes or so and the wine fills out more. I decided to put the cork back in and try it the next day, as it seemed out of sync.

What a difference waiting has made, the nose is a delight to smell with the citrus, a raspberry/strawberry note and a hint of rhubarb. The palate has the citrus (sweet mandarin orange, ruby grapefruit) a hint of peach, and finishes with a pleasant crispness from balanced acidity. It also has a nice slightly thick mouthfeel that begs another sip...

I enjoyed this with some leftover chicken schnitzel, red cabbage and sauerkraut from the Von Trapp brew pub, my wife had a smoked turkey and Cabot cheddar sandwich with her glass. The wine tasted good with both dishes, and l can't wait to try it with some slow cooked ribs, or bbq chicken.

62% Grenache, 38% Syrah, both red grapes that can make a Rose full of flavor....this is one non-red wine that would benefit from opening the bottle an hour ahead of time, or pour the bottle into a carafe or decanter and keep it chilled until serving.

Available at the NH Liquor outlets for $8.99, and it qualifies for an additional 15% off during the American wine sale if you buy a case or more. That drops the price to $7.64 per bottle... can it get any better?

Cheers!

Ed

Vigilance  Cabernet Sauvignon  Red Hills Lake County  California

I have tried some wines from Lake County in the past, this AVA growing area is not as well known as Napa or Sonoma but produces some good wines. It's kind of flying under the radar at the moment but as prices continue to rise for the more popular regions I think you'll see more of the wines show up on shelves.

When first opened, notes of cherry, spice, bell pepper, black currants, and hints of chocolate in the nose. The palate has matching flavors from the nose, with additional dark berry/plum flavors. The tannins are not excessive, with just enough acidity to keep things balanced.

After 30 minutes the wine comes together nicely in both the nose and palate, with a bit more of the dark berry flavors in the mouth. I found myself taking another sniff of the glass as the nose evolved, trying to identify the notes in there...

I think this wine would be best enjoyed with food at the moment, but I have a feeling this will be quite good on its own in 12 to 18 months. Try some herb crusted grilled pork, garlic/rosemary lamb chops, beef stew, a peppercorn crusted sirloin steak....

Available at NH Liquor outlets for $9.99 in the powerbuy section, it's a good value at that price and it qualifies for an additional 15% case discount if you buy 12 or more American wines. That drops the price to $8.49 per bottle, at that price buy a case and drink well during the summer bbq season!

Cheers!

Ed