Wine with Leslie: Reign of terroir - including a dark, spicy French for €9
Terroir covers not just the specific geography of where the grapes are grown, but includes the sun, the rain the soil and even the humans that interacted with the grapes
Some thoughts on ‘Terroir’ this week — the most debated subject in wine. Terroir is a French concept and the basis of French wine Appellations: it loosely translates as ‘a sense of place’. Terroir covers not just the specific geography of where the grapes are grown, but includes the sun, the rain the soil and even the humans that interacted with the grapes.
Wine writers talk a lot about soil — whether limestone, granite or clay — but grapes are greedy and also suck in light and air and the mineral content of the soil is much less important than its ability to retain or disperse moisture and even this varies in a vineyard.
Having said that, when you taste a Pommard next to a Volnay the latter really is more floral and seductive, while a Meursault is almost always 'fatter' and richer than a wine from next door Puligny Montrachet which tends to have a touch more poise and elegance. Of course, I’m generalising but these differences really do manifest themselves more often than you would expect.
And what of barley? Waterford Whiskey has enthusiastically embraced the Terroir concept and is making batches from barley grown on specific farms. The results are fascinating and as the whiskey is barley forward, you really do get different flavours beyond the oak influence.
Oak barrels play a significant role in the taste of whiskey but what if you finish in a barrel made from native Irish oak trees as in the Midleton Very Rare Dair Ghaelach series? I tasted my way through the seven trees recently and the honey-caramel flavours in Tree 7 are noticeably different to the spice and vanilla notes in Tree 2 to the cocoa and cooked honey notes I found in Tree 4 — and yet they all hark back to basic Midleton Very Rare whose 2022 release came out last week (featured here).
The Shed Distillery in Leitrim is about to release Galánta, Connacht’s first single Malt in decades — will it taste of the west? O'Connell's Pub in Eyre Square in Galway meanwhile tasted their way through various casks of 12-Year-Old Powers last year and bottles from the First Fill Bourbon cask they chose are available from the pub (Instagram: @oconnellsgalway). It is a different but equally rewarding experience from Midleton with aromas of Golden Syrup and toasted oak aromas and pepper and spice mixed with toffee on the palate.
Wine selections this week are all nicely typical of their ‘Terroir’ and their region.
This is reduced from €13.45 and is well worth a try. Monastrell is better known as Mourvèdre in France where it sometimes struggles to ripen, even in the Southern Rhône. Monastrell thrives in the vineyards around Alicante in Eastern Spain however and is often excellent value. This is spicy and dark fruited with a hint of spicy oak and has pleasing depth for such a low price.
This is reduced from €15 this month. Godello is mostly found in Galicia and nearby Bierzo and likes the damp warm climate but needs a dry, well-drained site. This is another grape that offers fine complexity for its low price — ripe cooked pear and apple fruit aromas with a hint of bitter lemon: creamy and layered on the palate with stony mineral freshness and a bitter lemon zing on the finish.
This is on offer in Dunnes Stores at the moment (it is normally around €18). This was the first ripasso-style wine where the Valpolicella from last Autumn is re-fermented on Amarone lees to add depth and concentration. Bright juicy cherry aromas with raisin edges, soft fleshy red fruits and juicy plums on the palate with pleasing concentration. A mix of classic Valpolicella terroir and some human innovation.
Fritz Haag has 17.5ha of Riesling on the steep slopes of the Mosel where slate soils, South facing hills and even the reflection of the river all contribute to the flavours. This is dry, taut and layered with notes of lemon barley water, lime and washed stones: tactile acidity bristles on the tongue crisp citrus-apple flavours linger and linger.
From the pretty hillsides of Verona looking towards Lake Garda from Garganega grapes trained on Pergola and grown on Basalt and Volcanic soils. This is a world away from inexpensive Co-Op Soave and bristles with floral, lively lemon and creamy almond aromas. Layered and complex with soft lemon-tinged white fruits and a nutty finish.
The different Beaujolais Cru are a fascinating place to study Terroir and there are lots of nuances to grapple with beyond the basic description of granite soils. Morgon is usually nicely concentrated and spicy and this is a fine example from one of the region’s stars — rich dark cherry and strawberry flavours and a smoke and graphite-edged depth.
This is the 9th edition of Midleton Very Rare and it will sell out quickly so don’t delay. Yes the 40% ABV puts off some connoisseurs but the abv makes it admirably sippable: this will not linger in your drinks cabinet. From a blend of single pot still, single grain whiskies aged from 12 to 33 years old and from first fill and refill Bourbon casks.
Bright red fruit aromas with hints of coffee and caramel plus dried apricot and honey. Smooth on the palate with butter-caramel creaminess and light spice and a long long orange peel and toffee finish. Note: More Dair Ghaelach bottles are supposed to be released soon — stay sharp!
