France – Domaine Monts et Merveilles Page Blanche 2013

Domaine and vineyard

 

The domaine Monts et Merveilles is above all the story of Laure and Julien. She manager of wine cellar, sommelier him, they decide to settle in the Minervois, in the Languedoc region, to undertake an activity that is not simply a winery but also an environmental education center where retrieve a direct contact with nature.

The first vintage is 2012, lived as a big party with the joint participation of relatives, friends and neighbors winemakers. Winegrowers who dispense advice, lend tools, provide parts of their cellars to this pair of dreamers to help them realize their project. After the first harvest the "solidarity" of local producers has not failed to help Laure and Julien create their wines.

The vineyard covers a total area of ​​4.20 hectares divided into 5 parcels. The grape varieties are Syrah, Grenache Noir, Carignan Noir, Marsanne and Roussanne. The work in the vineyard is oriented to the maximum respect for nature and the overall conduct of the vineyard is organic and biodynamic.

The wine

The Domaine Monts et Merveilles Page Blanche 2013 is a 100% Marsanne. The grapes, once harvested, ferment and mature during 13 months on their lees, partly in amphoras, partly in old barrels to reduce the impact of the wood on the final taste. This wine has been produced only once and in very limited quantities (500 bottles) so it is not available on the market but it can be tasted at the domaine.

Tasting Note

Date	23 February 2016
Wine name	PAGE BLANCHE	Vintage	2013
Nation	France	Region	Languedoc
AOC-DOC	//	Grape Varieties	100 % Marsanne
Serving temperature	10-12° C	Alcohol	13
Price (in euro)	22	SO2 (in mg/l)	Nd

Visual Examination		Taste analysis
Limpidity	Quite  Limpid	Body	Full
Color	Straw yellow	Balance	Balanced
Consistency	Quite consistent	Soft sensations	Quite Warm – Quiet Soft
Effervescence	//	Hard sensations	Quite Fresh – Quite tasty
		Flavors intensity	Intense
Olfactory analysis		Flavours	Pear, Ginger, Lemon
Aroma intensity	Intense
Complexity	Complex	Finish/Persistence	Persistent
Quality	Fine	Overall evaluations
Aromas	Ginseng, Ginger, Pear	Development	Ready
	Citrus	Harmony	Harmonious

Food and wine pairing

Rich dishes made with fish or white meat, even better if prepared with curry or other oriental spices. Good pairing with young cheese.

I had it with a codfish fillet in coconut’s milk and curry sauce … wonderful. 

A really uncommon wine. What you pour in your glass it’s not just a wonderful nectar but also the story and the dreams of a couple of wine makers. Amphora, old barrels, long maceration on the lees: many little arrangements to create a unique taste, without denaturizing the grape itself.

The wine is not filtered and that light veil in the glass reminds it to us. The evolution of aromas is really pleasant: the sweetness of the pear, the exotic of ginseng, the spicy of the ginger. In the mouth the taste is delightful, a wise mix of sweet and dry at the same time. The finish is spicy with notes of ginger and lemon and the back taste persistent and very nice. The pairing with oriental style, lightly spiced, dishes has made the wine even better.

The Page Blanche 2013 is not on the market anymore but when I contacted the winemakers they agreed to sell me 2 of the last 18 bottles they had in their cellar. Really a unique experience.

Official website: www.domainemontsetmerveilles.com

Bulgaria – Sintica Conomladi Melnik 2013

Domaine and vineyard

Wine Cellar SINTICA is the new face of the Complex Experimental Station established in mid-20th century in the town of Sandanski. The Experimental Agricultural Centre of the Bulgarian South West gave the country’s agriculture a great deal of new branches, variations and sorts of different cultures, but it stopped functioning as such in the first years of the Democracy (after the Events of 1989). In 2006 - 2007 3 enthusiasts charged with the ambition to develop the wine industry in this favourable region recreated the Experimental Station, building the SINTICA Winery on its premises. It’s a brand new, modern Winery Complex with the capacity of producing about 500 000 litres of wine. Sintica winery has 325 acres. own vineyards (175 acres of which are created now) of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Syrah, Petit Verdot and Early Melnik grape using the French elite planting material. Vineyards are located in the territory of the ancient city of Heraclea Sintica. This is Sintica’s reference to history-it existed in the third century BC, and very close to the picturesque and magnificent area of Rupite. 2008 is the first year of the new history of the Winery Sintica. From the previous winery the only thing preserved is the unique underground cellar for storage and aging of wines, with a constant natural temperature of 14 º C and natural ventilation of air.

The unique terroir of the Southern part of the Valley of the Struma River is surrounded by the high mountains of Pirin, Belasitsa, Ograjden. The climate is transitional Mediterranean. The average annual temperature in Sandanski is 14.1 º C and average relative humidity is the lowest in the country - 66%. The average number of days with precipitation above 1 mm is only 69-70. The duration of sunshine in Sandanski is the largest in the country - 2506 hours. In connection with considerable sunshine in the winter months, the snow cover in the region remains just a few days, the winter is very mild. The region is characterized by a relatively small number of days with fog - only 5 days per year only during winter months. The temperature and sum of the vegetative period is 4385 degrees Celsius, the relative humidity in July-August is 61%. The altitude of 200 meters graces these climatic conditions and this fact together with the highly eroded clay-sandy soils favour the cultivation of vines to provide the grapes with very good performance.

The wine

Sintica Conomladi 2013 comes from grapes harvested on September the 22^nd 2013 from different vineyards in the selected region of Melnik, with controlled yield, maturity and quality of fruit.

The selection of the grapes is done twice, at the vineyard and in the cellar, using a double sorting table. On the first table, the selection of the whole grapes was made and they were mechanically separated from the hard particles. On the second table, all the damaged and green berries as well as the remaining of the particles from the clusters were removed.

The maceration lasts 18 days and the fermentation is conducted in stainless steel tanks at 28 - 30 °С. The wine then matures 2 months in French barriques before bottling.

Melnik comes from an hybrid; at the origin of this laboratory created grape there is the autochthone SHIROKA MELNISHKA LOZA which, due to its own nature and characteristics, used to give wines too much dry and acids, as he could never reach the optimal point of maturation before the arrival of the autumn cold temperature. Therefore it has been mixed with the main international and French grapes, producing many different hybrids among which the Melnik 55 (or Melnik or RANNA MELNISHKA LOZA) has been selected.

Tasting Note

Date	21 February 2016
Wine name	CONOMLADI	Vintage	2013
Nation	Bulgaria	Region	Struma Valley
AOC-DOC	//	Grape Varieties	Melnik
Serving temperature	17-18° C	Alcohol	14,1
Price (in euro)	15	SO2 (in mg/l)	Nd

 

Visual Examination		Taste analysis
Limpidity	Limpid	Body	Full
Color	Ruby Red	Balance	Balanced
Consistency	Quiet Consistent	Soft sensations	Warm
Effervescence	//	Hard sensations	Quite Tannic
		Flavors intensity	Quite intense
Olfactory analysis		Flavors	Red fruits, Nuts
Aroma intensity	Quiet Intense
Complexity	Quiet complex	Finish/Persistence	Quiet persistent
Quality	Fine	Overall evaluations
Aromas	Red fruits, Mulberries,	Development	Ready
	Spices	Harmony	Harmonious

Food and wine pairing

Platters of red meat, dried spiced delicacies, wild-animal meats, spicy cheeses, and also by itself.  

CONOMLADI is a nice wine. Young vines and a brief passage in oak barrels create a pleasant balance between the strength and softness. The wine has a good structure that is enriched by aromas of red fruits, nuts, spices and little balsamic hints. All these aromas become nice flavours during the tasting. I really liked the wine. I would be curious to taste a non-oak aged version of this wine, in order to really understand all the characteristics of this grape variety.

Official website: www.sinticawinery.com