by Fredric Koeppel
The Commercial Appeal One of New York's many attractions is the proliferation of European wines (many inexpensive) that don't seem to make their ways inland from the coast. Whenever we spend time in the city we sample as many of these often very interesting if not gemlike wines as we can, whether for meals we prepare ourselves or in restaurants. This year's foray was particularly successful.
Among white wines, for example, there was the tasty Macon-Uchizy "Les Maranches" 1999, a Macon-Villages from R. et G. Sallet. Nothing profound, just ripe lemon-lime flavors, nice touches of earthiness, pleasing texture and prominent stones and bones, all for about $10.
Then there was the delightful Mercurey "Les Champs Martin" Premier Cru 1998, Domaine de Charmy, a wine bursting with honeysuckle and hazelnuts, lemon curd and limestone and moderately lush pineapple-grapefruit flavors. That's a lot of character for about $17.
A few dollars more bought the Pouilly-Vincelles "Les Quarts" 1999 , Verget, scintillating with a camellia, lemon-lime and limestone bouquet, a dense and chewy texture and lively acid and stony elements that made a great package. About $19.
A terrific restaurant white wine was the Domaine de la Perriere Sancerre 1999 from P. Archambault at The Red Cat, a year-old "New American" restaurant on 10th Avenue in Chelsea. Like drinking chalk, cold chisels and citrus zest, this wine exemplified the lively, steely qualities of Loire Valley sauvignon blanc. About $26 from the wine list.
And look at these reds.
A bright, vivid Cahors 1999, from Georges Vigouroux, with penetrating strawberry -raspberry scents and flavors and a nice slightly ashy tannic edge, may have been simple and direct but was well worth about $9.
The attractive Le Mas des Collines Cotes du Rhone 1998 offered an enticing bouquet of roses, violets and potpourri with vibrant cranberry, blueberry and currant fruit and a bit of underbrush for support. About $10.
The Riparosso 1999, Montepulciano d'Abruzzo, from Illuminati, displayed moderately intense black raspberry and cherry scents and flavors, hints of dried flowers and minerals and a touch of exotic spice that tended toward the smoky and raisiny. A more than decent quaff for about $10.
Also more than decent was the straightforward Bourgogne 1998, Fornerol Didier. Light in color and middleweight in body, this pinot noir displayed pretty strawberry-plum fruit and winsome violets, lavender and licorice. Irresistible at about $12.
Excellent with a roasted chicken was the Domaine du Clos du Fief Julienas 1999 , from Michel Tete, a rich, full-bodied cru beaujolais offering tasty black currant and raspberry flavors with a touch of spicy cranberry. About $17.
Outside the inexpensive category but rating a "wow!" was the Marsannay 1998 from Domaine Philippe Charlopin-Parizot. Marsannay is the first village south of Dijon, hence the northernmost appellation in Burgundy. Though the wines have a reputation for being light and pleasant, this example was incredibly dense and muscular and rich with cassis and plum flavors laced with clean earth and minerals. It picked up tannin in the glass, leaning toward an austere finish that might require one to three years' aging to soften. About $20.
At bustling Balthazar one night, in SoHo, a group of us drank the Montlouis "Les Batisses" 1999, Domaine Deletang, a clean, fresh and delectable chenin blanc wine bursting with honeysuckle, almond blossom, citrus and limestone cushioned in a lovely texture, and the unabashedly fruity Moulin a Vent "Terres Dorees" 1998, Jean-Paul Brun, a cru beaujolais dense with exotic spice and fleshy, smoky black cherry-currant-cranberry flavors. Each about $35 from the wine list. Montlouis is a neglected appellation in the Loire Valley's Touraine region.
A large group ate at the new Spanish restaurant Meigas (350 Hudson) and indulged in several excellent and intriguing bottles. For white, we tried Terras Gauda Rias Baixes 1999, O Rosal, a resolutely dry, phenomenally stony wine imbued with summery dried floral and meadow elements. About $45 from the list. The red was the ravishing Muriel Rioja Reserva 1995, seductive with lavender, licorice, mint and minerals wrapped in a lovely, velvety texture drenched with flavors of bitter chocolate, raspberries and plums. About $50 from the wine list.
Most of these wines must be labeled Worth a Search because they're not widely available outside of large markets. To compensate, here are 6 easy-(or easier)-to-find examples.
- Sokol Blosser Evolution, Oregon (nonvintage). A rather goofy blend of nine white grapes turns out to be delicious. Honeysuckle and acacia, mixed citrus, mango or papaya, a mildly sweet entry, crisp dry midpalate and a silky yet stony finish. Very good+. About $12.
- Chateau Mont Redon Cotes du Rhone 1998. Fresh and intense, blessed with potpourri -drenched black currant and black cherry fruit and a pleasing texture, dense with underbrush on the finish. Very good. About $13.
- Bourgogne Hautes-Cotes de Beaune "Les Prieures" 1998, Bouchard Aine et fils. Rustic, simple and tasty, displaying a limpid cranberry-magenta color, a fresh, young grapey bouquet and spicy, brambly raspberry-currant flavors. Very good. About $14.
- William Hill Chardonnay 1999, Napa Valley. Vibrant and resonant, luscious pineapple -grapefruit flavors with a stony edge, a golden mouthful that's almost blond with oak but deftly balanced. Excellent and a giveaway at about $15.
- Rancho Zabaco Sauvignon Blanc 1999, Russian River Valley. Very pretty. Celery, dill, fennel, lemon-lime wrapped around a core of intense honeysuckle and almond blossom; crisp and lively, very dry but juicy with citrus and leafy currant flavors . Very good+. About $16.
- La Chablisienne Petit Chablis 1998. A direct but pure expression of the Chablis style of chardonnay, scintillating with lemon-lime and limestone, vibrant with acid , juicy with citrus flavors touched with honeysuckle and almond blossom and bracingly dry. Excellent. About $17.
Koeppel's Pick of the Week
Now. Crisp and delicate, yet lively and boldly herbaceous, the Beaulieu Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc 1999, Napa Valley, features snappy citrus, gooseberry and currant flavors leading to a dry, spicy finish. About $11.
Later. The Alter Ego de Chateau Palmer 1998, Margaux - clever name for a second wine of a great property - is big, firm and tannic, dusty and minerally but deeply imbued with intense black currant and black cherry flavors. Three to five years' aging will smooth out the edges. About $47.
(E-mail koeppel@gomemphis.com or write The Commercial Appeal, PO Box 134, Memphis , TN 38101.)
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