TN: Dos Vinos Pequeños (March 4, 2019)

O. Riviere 2017 Rioja "Rayos Uva" - Olivier Riviere now makes (at least) ten different wines from approx. 25 hectares; I've had the "Gabacho" (Gabaxo) in a few vintages but not lately so when I stumbled over this wine, I grabbed it. I found out later that this is the young vines cuvee, half tempranillo and half graciano. It is perfectly nice wine but I think, blind, I'd never say it was Rioja. I should find the better cuvees, preferably "Pozo Alto" with its high graciano content, and try some more.

Baron Edmond de Rothschild 2016 Malbec "Aguaribay" - Ah, teh intertubez, so much to say and yet so little conveyed... yup, that's a nice unspoofy malbec, not going to change your life if you already like malbec and not going to change your mind if you don't. It was OK with some very rare, very thick lamb chops.

I am reminded of a New Yorker cartoon:

better your sister working in a cahor house than your brother making maibec in argentina.

Graciano is pretty special, I gotta say

originally posted by Steve Edmunds:
Graciano is pretty special, I gotta say

Click to expand...

What's good about it? Not trolling here, it's a genuine question. I have tasted probably about 10 pure or mostly Graciano wines, mostly California but several Spanish. Unlike the traditional descriptions of its role in Rioja ("adds aroma and complexity", "ripens too late for some areas"), the majority tended towards over-ripeness, rather heavy and slightly flabby fruit with a roasted-confected tone, not a lot of complexity or aromatic interest. But it's entirely possible mine has been a misleading sample, or they were experiments, untended side projects or declassified lots.

I am no specialist but, of the few I have had, I would say they do have aroma and complexity, somewhat rose-like. Perhaps I have not had from a maker that let them hang so long.

originally posted by Christian Miller (CMM):

originally posted by Steve Edmunds:
Graciano is pretty special, I gotta say

Click to expand...

What's good about it? Not trolling here, it's a genuine question. I have tasted probably about 10 pure or mostly Graciano wines, mostly California but several Spanish. Unlike the traditional descriptions of its role in Rioja ("adds aroma and complexity", "ripens too late for some areas"), the majority tended towards over-ripeness, rather heavy and slightly flabby fruit with a roasted-confected tone, not a lot of complexity or aromatic interest. But it's entirely possible mine has been a misleading sample, or they were experiments, untended side projects or declassified lots.

Click to expand...

Christian, I'm working with 4 grape varieties grown at Shake Ridge Ranch in the Sierra Foothills: Grenache, Mourvedre, Tempranillo, and Graciano. The wine I'm producing from these grapes is a blend, and I've only made it for three years now (It's called El Jaléo), so the learning curve is still a bit steep. And, I'm not making wine from any of the varieties as a stand alone. But of the four, the Graciano has tremendous acidity, very suave tannins, great expressiveness, and a stunning ability to improve the other parts of the blend, and to pull the blend together into a cohesive, harmonious whole. Shake Ridge is a fairly warm site, and the Graciano is, in such a site, especially working with Tempranillo (which is an early ripener), a saving grace!

I'd venture to say that if a Graciano wine tastes the way you have described it's almost certainly not growing in an appropriate place, or not being handled properly, perhaps both.

Very interesting, your experience sounds more like the classic description. I suspect bad luck and too much hangtime in my sampling. One of the better ones was from Boeger, also Sierra Foothills (warmth + altitude?)

Presuming (and I hope not incorrectly) that you are fermenting the varieties separately and then blending, have you bottled and stashed a cache of the individual fermentations to see where the Graciano goes over time, Steve?

That would be a luxury, Ken; there's so little Graciano at Shake Ridge. I ask for more every year, but I'm not the only voice in the choir.
And my interest here, really, is the blend; I don't think the Graciano is as interesting without the other varieties; it's not the only voice in the choir, either.

Forgive my ignorance then, but that's where my real question arises. If the varieties ripen at different times, how do you accomplish a blend during the ferment?

the blending is done, generally, after the fermentations are complete, so there's a good chance to taste each variety through primary fermentations. Each year thus far, the ripening sequences have varied such that, at pressing, we've pressed two or three separate lots that have included combinations of two to three varieties. Final blend is accomplished at racking, usually in December, after malos have completed.