Oswaldo Costa
Oswaldo Costa
So, a week in Albuqueque, with not so much to do, led to three winery visits.
Gruet
The chardonnays were sold out, so we tasted two satisfactory bubblies and three unsatisfactory still reds. Without tasting the chardonnays I couldn’t tell if the “problem” was stillness or redness.
2006 Blanc de Blancs
100% chardonnay. Slight but lovely white flower and lemon aromas. Minerally, with light yeastiness. Good acidity, wee bitter finish, pleasing.
2001 Grande Reserve
Leesy, waxy aromas. Good acidity, but a bit thin, ending with a light bitterness. More going on here than in the previous, but I found it less satisfying; Marcia preferred it.
2007 Pinot Noir 13.5%
14 months in new French oak. A bit jammy, but nice nose, with violets and stems. In the mouth, strangely soft, not oaky as expected, but much more acid than sweet. Does not undergo malos (relatively uncommon with reds), explaining the rather harsh acidity. But where’s the fruit? I have seldom tasted wine with so little fruit. An odd bird, to be sure.
2007 Pinot Noir Barrel Select 13.5%
Same, from better grapes, with 18 months in new French oak. Reduced. Equally jammy, with a smoky note and, yes, the intended oak vanilla. Tastes less acidic, but the fruit is also nowhere to be found.
2007 Syrah 13.5%
12 months in new French oak. Closed and reduced. Finally, no jamminess. Mild acidity and unattractive fruit. But less unattractive than the others.
Casa Rondeña
I liked the reds here better than at Gruet, but they still leave something to be desired. At least the wines had some fruit, and might work better with food.
2010 Viognier 12.5%
Naphthalene (blows off quickly), peaches and white flower aromas. Off-dry, very fruity, with appealing mouth feel. Needs more acidity and the sweetness is cloyingly candied, otherwise not a bad effort. Same approach with a more ascetic grape might have been a contender.
2008 Sangiovese 13.5%
12 months in American oak. Light color. A bit jammy, with light tannins, weedy fruit, and a smoky edge. Good acidity, a bit thin, light bitter finish. Might go well with food.
2008 Cabernet Franc 13.0%
Thankfully not jammy, with cherry and twigs. Astringent, the acidity and tannins combining rather harshly. Fruit quite reticent. Needs more unjammy sweetness.
2007 Meritage 13.5%
50% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Franc, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon. 14 months in oak and 12 months in steel. Their biggest seller. Ripe aromas, just short of jammy. Smoky ripe cherry. Smooth, with good acidity, and an astringent finish. Didn’t find the fruit attractive. Might be another one for the food.
2007 Founder’s Reserve 13.5%
From their best cabernet sauvignon grapes, aged 2 years in French oak and 2 years in bottle. Attractive plum and blackberry aromas, ripe and just short of jammy. Quite tannic, with oak vanilla and smooth body. Has much more fruit sweetness than all the other reds, making this more complete. But the sweetness tastes separate from the rest, as if added. Agave?
Corrales Winery
In Corrales, our calls to Matheson and Milagro encountered voice mail and they didn’t call us back. Unprofessional. So our third and final visit was to Corrales Winery, the only one in which were received by the owner, the genial Keith Johnstone. He was sold out of Muscat and Riesling, so we were only able to try two reds.
2007 Cabernet Sauvignon 14.8%
Spends 18/19 months in Minnesota oak. Ripe plum/cherry aromas. Nice acidity, nice tannins and mouth feel, wears its high alcohol well, with minimal burn, and wood well integrated. My favorite of the New Mexico reds we tasted.
N.V. Rojo Blendido 13.4%
A blend of merlot and sangiovese, off-dry, meant to pair with spicy Mexican food. Plums and spices. Nice tannins and fruit, decent acidity, but, for a red, too weirdly sweet for me.
In conversation, we learned several things about local methods and practices:
Wintertime temperatures fall below zero F and desiccate the vines; in 2008, Corrales lost all its Muscat vines because of the extreme cold. Only a few white varietals, those used to cold climates, like Riesling, can be planted in the region. Traditional European red viniferous grapes are planted further south, at lower altitudes, and have to be purchased by most local wineries (Gruet has its own vineyard further south).
Vines are ungrafted; no phylloxera with this altitude and weather. But Keith had no sense that ungrafted vines might make for smaller berries than grafted.
All wines are acidified. Keith aims for a pH of 3.5/3.6. I suggested that the acidity seemed relatively well integrated; he said that’s because they do it very early during the fermentation.
The off-dry red retained rs because fermentation was interrupted by cold temperature and sterile filtration (not sulfur). I asked him if sterile filtration didn’t kill the flavors; he said they compare filtered and unfiltered batches and guess which is which half the time, so difference statistically not significant.
Grapes in New Mexico must be picked at a ripeness level that will generate at least 13.5% or else there will be no fruit.
There is a conscious attempt by New Mexico wineries to differentiate themselves from the riper California style.
All soils are calcareous. All vineyards are irrigated. Pesticides are little used because there are few pests.
Forgot to ask him about yeasts, but one can guess.
In conclusion, my sense was that even artisanal scale wineries in NM have to use industrial methods because conditions simply won’t permit natural winemaking.
Gruet
The chardonnays were sold out, so we tasted two satisfactory bubblies and three unsatisfactory still reds. Without tasting the chardonnays I couldn’t tell if the “problem” was stillness or redness.
2006 Blanc de Blancs
100% chardonnay. Slight but lovely white flower and lemon aromas. Minerally, with light yeastiness. Good acidity, wee bitter finish, pleasing.
2001 Grande Reserve
Leesy, waxy aromas. Good acidity, but a bit thin, ending with a light bitterness. More going on here than in the previous, but I found it less satisfying; Marcia preferred it.
2007 Pinot Noir 13.5%
14 months in new French oak. A bit jammy, but nice nose, with violets and stems. In the mouth, strangely soft, not oaky as expected, but much more acid than sweet. Does not undergo malos (relatively uncommon with reds), explaining the rather harsh acidity. But where’s the fruit? I have seldom tasted wine with so little fruit. An odd bird, to be sure.
2007 Pinot Noir Barrel Select 13.5%
Same, from better grapes, with 18 months in new French oak. Reduced. Equally jammy, with a smoky note and, yes, the intended oak vanilla. Tastes less acidic, but the fruit is also nowhere to be found.
2007 Syrah 13.5%
12 months in new French oak. Closed and reduced. Finally, no jamminess. Mild acidity and unattractive fruit. But less unattractive than the others.
Casa Rondeña
I liked the reds here better than at Gruet, but they still leave something to be desired. At least the wines had some fruit, and might work better with food.
2010 Viognier 12.5%
Naphthalene (blows off quickly), peaches and white flower aromas. Off-dry, very fruity, with appealing mouth feel. Needs more acidity and the sweetness is cloyingly candied, otherwise not a bad effort. Same approach with a more ascetic grape might have been a contender.
2008 Sangiovese 13.5%
12 months in American oak. Light color. A bit jammy, with light tannins, weedy fruit, and a smoky edge. Good acidity, a bit thin, light bitter finish. Might go well with food.
2008 Cabernet Franc 13.0%
Thankfully not jammy, with cherry and twigs. Astringent, the acidity and tannins combining rather harshly. Fruit quite reticent. Needs more unjammy sweetness.
2007 Meritage 13.5%
50% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Franc, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon. 14 months in oak and 12 months in steel. Their biggest seller. Ripe aromas, just short of jammy. Smoky ripe cherry. Smooth, with good acidity, and an astringent finish. Didn’t find the fruit attractive. Might be another one for the food.
2007 Founder’s Reserve 13.5%
From their best cabernet sauvignon grapes, aged 2 years in French oak and 2 years in bottle. Attractive plum and blackberry aromas, ripe and just short of jammy. Quite tannic, with oak vanilla and smooth body. Has much more fruit sweetness than all the other reds, making this more complete. But the sweetness tastes separate from the rest, as if added. Agave?
Corrales Winery
In Corrales, our calls to Matheson and Milagro encountered voice mail and they didn’t call us back. Unprofessional. So our third and final visit was to Corrales Winery, the only one in which were received by the owner, the genial Keith Johnstone. He was sold out of Muscat and Riesling, so we were only able to try two reds.
2007 Cabernet Sauvignon 14.8%
Spends 18/19 months in Minnesota oak. Ripe plum/cherry aromas. Nice acidity, nice tannins and mouth feel, wears its high alcohol well, with minimal burn, and wood well integrated. My favorite of the New Mexico reds we tasted.
N.V. Rojo Blendido 13.4%
A blend of merlot and sangiovese, off-dry, meant to pair with spicy Mexican food. Plums and spices. Nice tannins and fruit, decent acidity, but, for a red, too weirdly sweet for me.
In conversation, we learned several things about local methods and practices:
Wintertime temperatures fall below zero F and desiccate the vines; in 2008, Corrales lost all its Muscat vines because of the extreme cold. Only a few white varietals, those used to cold climates, like Riesling, can be planted in the region. Traditional European red viniferous grapes are planted further south, at lower altitudes, and have to be purchased by most local wineries (Gruet has its own vineyard further south).
Vines are ungrafted; no phylloxera with this altitude and weather. But Keith had no sense that ungrafted vines might make for smaller berries than grafted.
All wines are acidified. Keith aims for a pH of 3.5/3.6. I suggested that the acidity seemed relatively well integrated; he said that’s because they do it very early during the fermentation.
The off-dry red retained rs because fermentation was interrupted by cold temperature and sterile filtration (not sulfur). I asked him if sterile filtration didn’t kill the flavors; he said they compare filtered and unfiltered batches and guess which is which half the time, so difference statistically not significant.
Grapes in New Mexico must be picked at a ripeness level that will generate at least 13.5% or else there will be no fruit.
There is a conscious attempt by New Mexico wineries to differentiate themselves from the riper California style.
All soils are calcareous. All vineyards are irrigated. Pesticides are little used because there are few pests.
Forgot to ask him about yeasts, but one can guess.
In conclusion, my sense was that even artisanal scale wineries in NM have to use industrial methods because conditions simply won’t permit natural winemaking.
