Posts Tagged ‘black cherries’

This biodynamic wine comes from a very dynamic Bordeaux wine producer, Olivier Decelle who started out in frozen foods. His first day’s revenue was 10 francs (about $2.50). By the time he got into wine he owned some 400 frozen food outlets. This particular bottle carries the Appelation Fronsac Controlee, grown in a not very prestigious zone of Bordeaux. The Fronsac area may have hosted the first vineyards in Bordeaux. A long time ago its wines ranked better than those of neighboring Pomerol that are now quite pricey. Fronsac is considered an up-and-coming region. If you’re willing to spend more, check out neighboring Cotes-Canon-Fronsac AOC wines. This particular wine is made from Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Malbec grapes.

OUR WINE REVIEW POLICY All wines that we taste and review are purchased at the full retail price.

Wine Reviewed
Chateau Bellevue 2005 13.5% alcohol about $19

Let’s start by quoting the marketing materials. Description: Chateau Bellevue lies just outside of Saint-Michel de Fronsac in the heart of the Right Bank. Olivier Decelle purchased the estate in 2000 and his commitment to quality is plain to see, investing heavily in the vineyard and winery as well as introducing biodynamic methods of viticulture. Well structured, with ripe tannins, and beautiful ripe, red fruit, this wine is clearly part of the new wave of classically made, affordable Bordeaux coming out of minor appellations. And now for my review.

At the first sips the wine was powerful and mouth filling, well balanced, and very slightly sweet. The first pairing was with barbecued beef ribs, potatoes roasted in chicken fat, and broccoli and cauliflower in tomato sauce with basil, onion, cumin, and garlic. With the meat, this Bordeaux blend was round and presented a fine balance between its acidity and tannins. It was subtle. It washed the potatoes’ grease away. The veggies brought out the wine’s black cherries and its darkness.

The next meal consisted of chicken legs, chickpeas, and potatoes in broth with some tomato and onion. This was an old French-style bouillon meal although I’m not sure how much they knew about chickpeas then and there. The Cab was quite long and tasted of dark grapes mixed with tobacco.

My final meal was a boxed Eggplant Parmiagana slathered with grated Parmesan cheese. The wine was long and mouth filling; the dominant tastes were tobacco and menthol.

I finished this tasting bottle with two local cheeses. When paired with an Emmenthaler (Swiss) the wine was mouth filling and dark, but its tannins were of the melt-in-your mouth variety. It had great balance. With an Asiago cheese the wine was weaker than in the previous pairing but it was still fine.

Final verdict. I would buy this wine again. I definitely was worth the price, ever more so if you are looking for a biodynamic wine. I think both the producer and the region are worth watching.

Author: Levi Reiss
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Several generations ago the Skalli family was making wine in Algeria, at that time a major wine-producing nation, one supplying France with much of its table wine. Conditions changed and they left for France after Algerian independence. In the late 1970s Robert Skalli studied winemaking in California. He returned to France with the idea of making varietal wines, those based on a single grape rather than a blend. Skalli was among those who revolutionized the wine industry in the Languedoc-Roussillon region of south central France, bordering the Mediterranean; the highest-volume wine producing region in the country.

Today’s wine is kosher. The producer’s website (go for Fortant rather than Skalli and then click Wines and Kosher) includes detailed list of the measures needed for a wine to be kosher. The company produces other wine in Corsica, the Rhone Valley of France, and California’s Napa Valley but most if not all of these wines are neither kosher nor $10 wines.

OUR WINE REVIEW POLICY All wines that we taste and review are purchased at the full retail price.

Wine Reviewed
Skalli Fortant Merlot (V) 2007 France 13.5% alcohol about $10

Let’s start with the marketing materials. Description: Look for blueberry preserves, sour cherry, raspberry, and tobacco aromas and flavors. Dry, savory, ripe, and round. Mature and ready to drink with grilled hamburgers. And now for my review.

With the first sips the wine was thick and tasted of tar, tobacco, and plums. The initial meal consisted of slow-cooked beef stew. The wine maintained its qualities and added chocolate. When I enhanced the stew with green jalapeno sauce the wine became more powerful.

The second meal included roast chicken with potatoes, onions, and carrots. The wine’s fruit, acidity, and tannins were well balanced. I found black cherries, some oak, and even tobacco, and there was a touch of sweetness. This Merlot had lots of taste but was not thick.

The final meal centered around a boxed Eggplant Parmigiana slathered with grated Parmesan Cheese. The Merlot was smoky and nicely balanced. It was moderately persistent and palate cleansing.

Before the cheese pairings I tasted this drink with Matjes herring. The wine retained its power, but the two didn’t mesh. Most wine doesn’t mesh with herring. Next came the Gouda cheese. The Merlot was partially gutted, but I did get the taste of cherry juice. Not black cherry juice, just cherry juice. Then I tasted a Swiss cheese; it’s a different Swiss than in the past and does not carry the term Emmenthaler but only Swiss. The wine was persistent but seemed short-changed.

Final verdict. This wine is worth buying again, even more so if you want a kosher wine that, for the reasons detailed on the Fortant web site, is more expensive to produce. And it even comes from France. Unfortunately none of this producer’s more upscale products are available in my region.

Author: Levi Reiss
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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