Archive for category 0-50
L’Orval – 2007 Pinot Noir
Posted by Jeff in 0-50, Pinot Noir, Red, Wine on 9 January 2010
Where do I begin? Let’s start with the basics. This is a wine that should not be purchased, and really not even produced. It has a lot of things going against it: it claims to be a Pinot Noir even though it’s from France, and it sells for less than $5, which all the way around should warn any sensible person away. The exact circumstances of the purchase went like this: my sister and I were standing in World Market and I was ranting about “French” wine companies putting the varietal rather than the Appellation on the bottle, when we saw this fantastic example. “How can that possibly be good?” I asked. “Maybe it’s not too bad,” Lisa said. Oh was she ever wrong.
Even at $4, this wine is extremely overpriced. It doesn’t smell so bad, and doesn’t appear watered down, but the taste, in Lisa’s words, is “like a glass of water that something died in.” I’ll admit that this isn’t far from the truth. Bland, pallid, tasting of the cheapest of cheap wines, there is really nothing positive either of us can think to say about this wine.
Lisa summed it up best when she said, “you just can’t really drink this wine without making a face.” Truth. Truth. You may be tempted, but please don’t be. You may say, “Oh, look at this wine from France – it’s even inexpensive.” I’m considering going back to the store and checking to see if misread the display – I think they should have paid me to take this one off their hands. If not, at least I know a good lawyer for pain and suffering. Now to find the address to Lorval’s legal department…
Score: Not even worth putting a number down.
2008 Salvenal Albarino
The iconic wine of Spain is certainly red. We’ve seen the earthy Tempranillo and fruit forward Garnacha grapes find their way onto menus as Spanish food and wine take their place among urban foodies. And, of course, there is the ubiquitous red wine Sangria cocktail at summer barbeques and Jerry Jeff Walker concerts.
Though red dominates as the Spanish wine, the Iberian Peninsula also gives us respectable whites. The Basques, in Spain’s Northeast province, produce Txakoli, a light, fizzy white that matches perfectly with the region’s seafood tapas. But perhaps a more approachable and versatile Spanish white comes from the Albariño grape. These green pearls grow in Galicia, along Spain’s damp Northwest coast. The wine is known to be aromatic with flavors of almond paste, apple, peach, citrus and flower.
After hearing some chatter about the wine, I picked up a 2008 Salvenal Albariño at World Market. It was under $10 and right by the register. Who can resist? Before trying, I made sure the wine was ice cold, keeping it in the refrigerator for a few weeks.
First impressions matter and I like a real cork, not the synthetic plastic kind or a screw top. I’m not opposed to the burgeoning fine wine in a box culture but why not bring in some old world charm when you’re drinking by yourself on a cold and dreary fall night. Luckily, the Salvenal passes the test: real cork. Next, the pour: the wine has that unfortunate shade of yellow—almost lemon, but not quite. The smell was much more appealing. I could pick up the acidic zip right away, along with a grassy freshness and a slight tart note.
And now for the real test: the taste. This albariño is initially easy on the mouth and then opens up to a peach, supported by melon. So far, the wine is right in line with what to expect with peach and flower dominating. Yet, the flavor fades too quickly on a wave of acidic freshness. Read: flavorless. As the wine breathes, the peaches and melon evaporate and the flower begins to yield a taste evoking a hillside scene. The imagery of green hills, blue skies and open wilderness is outstanding but the flavor is much less so.
I’m not much of a pairing snob so I went ahead and paired the wine with dinner: a turkey chili. The high acidity helped to cut through the food yet not eliminate its flavor from the tongue. However, by the end of dinner, I didn’t want to drink the wine because it spoiled the food taste, turning into a kind of harsh lemon water.
Unfortunately, this albariño suffers the worst kind of wine fate: not good enough to pair with food or drink on its own. It seems as if this bottle is destined for refrigerator exile.
Score: 42