A Small Misnomer

Petit Syrah or Shiraz ?

Sometime ago, my former college roommate had stopped into the Warehouse to pick up a few sundries. Naturally, we talked at length about times past and the otherwise bothersome nature of wine culture, but I remember one aphorism in particular. “You know, Petite Syrah is going to be the next Zinfandel,” he said. Funny. . .but with that, came a noetic revelation. Imagine if you will, a story about hoards of malcontents making way through California’s wine valleys, uprooting centenary Red Zin vines and replacing the once vital rootstocks with nothing but Petite Syrah. Take into consideration, state senators lobbying for all its producers, to subsidize the imminently popular cash crop. In tandem, a textile bearing the grape’s likeness, is commissioned to be sewn onto the state flag; where already present, patchwork depictions of Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon varietals are poorly affixed. Hoards of Brooklyn hipsters then surmise the lack of irony in their enjoyment and tumultuously pour gallons of it into rooftop storm drains. Before you can say, “Vendange!” news anchors act like the concomitants between its function in pop-couture, but with the usual sense of smarminess that exists in daytime broadcasting. Call it strange if you will, but with the right prompt, it’s possible.

But it’s “Petite Syrah,” or “Petit Sirah” and never called ‘Petite Shiraz’ oddly enough. It is however, rarely referred to as the “Durif,” or “Peloursin” grapes which are DNA match-ups according to recent studies in Ampelography. Considered to be a nonconforming fruit, French vintners discarded the theory that, despite its name, it could produce something worthwhile. However, as winemaking history has shown us, unsuccessful varieties are inadvertently promising. Estates in California have simultaneously built-up, or simply permitted its vines to cohabitate with Grenache, Syrah, Mouvedre, Alicante Bouschet and the ubiquitous Zinfandel. “Ok, that’s fine, but how does a varietal with such a conceptual upbringing imply that it’s Syrah on a much smaller scale ?”

Like the ‘Big S,’ it can be youthfully tannic and show characteristics of milled pepper and dark berry fruits.

Wooden Nickel '05

Also, a full body is a generally acceptable trait, but personally, I am not going to accept any of it. I remember sitting down to a meal with Wooden Nickel’s 2004 vintage, and thinking: “Heh-heh, spiced cookie, very nice. Wow! Pie crust, berry jam and what’s that . . . kirshwasser ?” Compared to 2005, which could be
considered a more exalted and exemplary Petite, the previous vintage was lighter and bounding with cherry notes. I still wonder about the ‘05 though, because it was actually a brighter entry. Firm yes, but its collection of fruit, tea and earth notes reminded me of dining next to a Bureau de Tabac. . . incredible.

The upcoming prestige of the wine itself is more variable than what it appears to be. I’m thinking lately, that among other varietals, Petite Syrah is, and will remain the least definitive. As I recall, the last piece of satire it ever enjoyed was in the early nineties, when it was a peremptory object in the film adaptation of “Richie Rich” starring, Macaulay Culkin. Though keeping mindful, I earnestly hope the grape absorbs more publicity than what other entities are privileged to.

Perhaps Mr. Culkin should think about expanding a little . . .but I addressed this issue in a previous post.

Cheers !

-Brian K. Maniotis
 
Westchester Wine Warehouse Team

Visit us online @: westchesterwine.com   

Vineyard Dogs: Friend or Fertilizer ?

Dogue De Bordeaux

Call me animal-centric, but at some point during the Westminster Dog Show earlier this week, I experienced one of those introspective mindscapes that tend to lead me away from reality. I envisioned an Orwellian world teeming with anthropomorphic creatures ambling through sun-lit greenery, where on inland hills, patchworks of vine plantations were suffused. Dogs, sheep, pigs, horses and cats were picking, sorting and processing cartloads of purple, ovoid fruit in the most imitable way. I recalled that one of the hogs preferred “demi-muids,” as opposed to barrels that held more of an anatomical, if not baleful, significance to him. Ok, give me a break, it was 11p.m. and I was funneling raw cacao into my system to remain focused. It turns out that “Hickory,” a 5-year-old Scottish Deerhound had just won “Best In Show” and I was reeling from a sleep-deprived, chocolate-induced epiphany: “Dogs will someday hold dominion over the earth and claim winemaking as their own.”

Perhaps it will take some time for them to make paw prints, but one can see why every vineyard has a dog. Their capacity runs pretty deep in places where lush, bucolic settings imply something wild, or which simply reveal to us, a world teeming with ecology and animism. Innumerable animals scamper through vine lots    everyday, but dogs appear to be the most pervasive. So much indeed, that a photographic show of these well

2007 Ella's Blend

beloved creatures appear in books like “Winery Dogs,” which provide readers with a profile of the influential canines in Napa and Sonoma Valley. Names like Kendall Jackson, Vincent Arroyo and Darioush all seem to show their interest in animals earnestly poking out their tongues, or sleeping on wet grass.  

Granted, a playful companion adds dimension, but what pertinent ideal allows any dog in question, to be the secondary element behind fantastic juice ? I doubt that we will see nuances of Bichon Frise and Rottweiler in a glass of Burgundy or Riesling anytime soon, but I  know there are dogs who act as the tribunals behind great wine. Bruce Wayne Winery named its fantastic Bordeaux style entry: “Ella’s Blend” after their Alaskan Malamute, whereas, Warwick Valley in upstate New York, owes the success of its “Baco Noir” Port to their imposing Great Dane, “Winston.” Personally, I wouldn’t mind sharing a steak with Ella, or mulling over the past with a giant dog while holding an aperitif in my hand.

Warwick Port

Far as I see, our four-legged compatriots sometimes help us eschew human constraints such as money and fame, but I begin to wonder about the cats that chase the field mice, or rather, the orangutan who so famously helped pick grapes for a cause much more philanthropic than his own. I do love dogs, but they seem to be marking their territory too much in part with vintners who haven’t quite decided what “woof !” means in their tasting notes.

I always wanted a Dogue De Bordeaux, but I intermittently wonder if he would be homesick in my apartment. 







Cheers !

-Brian Maniotis

Westchester Wine Warehouse Team

Visit us online @: westchesterwine.com    

Celebrities Continue To Worship The Same Fruit

Is it a zeitgeist, or a cultural phenomenon? I am not entirely certain, but there’s a paste-up of celebrities and other personages who appear to have jumped on the barrel wagon when it comes to wine production. It appears relatively easy enough for anyone who has basked in any lustrous career, since most of the time, all you have to do is sing, act, drive, or make the quintessential field goal. Maybe I should be impressed by the desire of many notables to do something that is considerably purposeful, but I am uncertain if this is all about immutable fame, or just practical diversification

Gerard Depardieu, sound familiar ? Perhaps not, but are Emilio Estevez, Dave Matthews, Lil’ John and Drew Bledsoe invited to memory? Yes, because we cannot avoid the sinewy pop-culture framework that surrounds American ideology; besides, all of them have stakes in the wine industry. It would appear nonsensical to say that our focus on fermented juice has not increased in tandem with our predisposed knowledge of celebrity, but hold on…are any of their products approachable?

Yes, because not all superstars like Madonna are knee-deep in the soil, pruning vines and sipping from the wine thief. No, there’s usually a pen name on every bottle to indicate the actual winemaker‘s efforts. “Arizona Stronghold,” the child of “TOOL” stage man, Maynard James Keenan, is a monument to artesian development, especially for those with remote, or cult successes in other disciplines. Director, Eric Glomski is actually the Vigneron at-large, who fashioned the full-bodied “Nachise” red. Enticingly multi-layered, with accents of ripe plum and scintillating earthiness, you would almost forget the oftentimes, kirsch-laden Petite Sirah that’s blended into a familial trinity of Grenache, Syrah and Mouvedre. Unlike other producers, the $23 price tag is comparatively generous

Naming every star currently at the helm of fermentation or distillation would be monotonous, but what’s interesting about their products, are the awards that have been won. Regardless, the appeal seems marginal in comparison to a life of constant publicity. When I tell most people that figureheads like Antonio Banderas and Nancy Pelosi own vineyards, they titter or snort derisively at the fact. Maybe I am naming the wrong people here, but enthusiasts such as Socrates, Plato and Aristotle were purveyors of the most rare and sought-after vintage years.

If recollection serves me, the harvest period ran sometime between 470-322 B.C.

-Brian Maniotis

Westchester Wine Warehouse Team 

Visit us online @: westchesterwine.com

It's Cab, Frankly . . .

Perhaps I daydream too much about wine; that is to say, I often times imagine myself thinking about what it would be like if I ever had a chance meeting with the late Franciscan Monk, Rabelais. What would the end result be? Gratuitous hours of discussion about wine from Chinon ? Would Bourgeuil and Touraine come into our conversational focus ? Maybe so, but the real thing that tends to elude me is a desire for something archaic, possibly obscure in contemporary winemaking. I once thought about making good on an attempt to bolster a piece of viticultural heritage, but I seem to only imagine myself moving to upstate New York; you know, to start my own vineyard and create a hybrid of Cabernet Franc and Pinot Noir. I could very well name it: “Film Noir” and use it to launch proprietary vintages ineffably labeled, “Cab Frankie.” Step two would be inlaying the bottle with a checkered city taxi and the likeness of Francois Rabelais himself, appearing sallow and disgruntled. Ridiculous as it is, I admit being a lobbyist for Cab Franc is only one indication that I thrive on many bygone eras, despite whether or not it applies to gritty melodramas or winemaking.   
                                                                                            

A well-known, but often times forgotten entity, needs a powerful resurgence in popularity. Why? Because enthusiasts seem to have lost all cerebral attachment to wine unless Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot or Zinfandel is mentioned. Cabernet Franc, a much more adaptable grape, is something worth lending a little extrication to. Its tendency to show finesse and a touch of the burlesque on an equal scale, is really noteworthy. This sort of potable indulgence as I recall, came standard in a Chinon from Domaine De Pallus. Between the 2006-08 vintages, underlying notes of melted chocolate and framboise fostered the appeal. Nuances of sweet black olives and rose petal endured to compliment the usual cravings for tapas or meze. I would think so, especially when these niceties are built into a frame that, I would personally say, cannot be typically defined as light, medium, or full-bodied.          

Vintners in the Loire Valley surely understood these qualities and the potential of the grape during the Middle Ages when it reached a peak in popularity. Wine from Chinon and Bourgueil were actually prized more so than what is still willfully churned-out from Bordeaux and its variety of sub-regions. I would think this was particularly so, because I have found that Margaux is the only appellation that suits me when I think about bringing a bottle to convivial feasts. Maybe this is why I have consistently mustered up feelings that Mr. Franc is only invited to the Bordeaux harvests to blend in with the other grapes.  

I agree that there’s a lot of bad Franc out there at times. Unfortunately, little attention to a fiscally unpopular grape can lead to flat, unappealing reds that imply traces of powder box and nut oil. Equally, the varietal has a bad reputation for being somewhat vegetal in expression and can be somewhat of a frumpy centerpiece on the kitchen table. Although integral to many staple items, it seems to have not let go of the stigma of being the third party, or the pet grape in a gorgeous family of French and American wine.

There is no disregard for the success of Franc in any realm. Thirty-five thousand planted acres in France and a little over two-thousand in California alone could prove to be the catalyst for a much-needed upheaval. Vineyards in New York are also paying heed as some of the best wine in recent years is dedicated to a very candid sphere of fruit.

However, scores of producers are in need of some humble retrospection; especially so, because a market that has created an international hallmark for Cabernet Sauvignon, is virtually placing consumers in a deluge of forgettable wine. Consistent notes of pencil shavings and spicy currant fruit are nice, but appear manufactured in some way. Producers of assembly-line style Cab leave us begging at times, for offbeat, old-world craftsmanship. These traditions may have been too far indulged or faded, but I find myself pointedly acting like an old didactic grandfather when I start tracing back the roots of the Californian cash crop. “Let’s not forget your parents Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc, because if it were not for them, you would simply be nonexistent.”  

Rather than rehash some old feelings, let’s exchange some power and de-robe ‘King Cab’ so we can place the gleaming crown on a much more patriarchal grape. Honestly, I am not here to unceremoniously bash something that will always be a symbol of honest winemaking, but I am willing to take it off the mantle piece for awhile.

-Brian Maniotis

Westchester Wine Warehouse Team

Visit us online @: westchesterwine.com

We're Blogging! WELCOME

Finally, a long awaited place to share our queries and qualms about wine. For however long our perceptions will endure, you’ll hear everything from Brouhaha to Brick-a-Brak from us. We want to ask the questions that simply go beyond the drinking glass. Let’s see whether or not we can examine something incarnate, or suggestively libertine. Regardless,  this is going to be too much fun. 

Imagine a place where you have unalienable access to a forum that debates, chronicles and all-out throws the bottle into the middle of the table. You’ll know our interests and partake in our grumpiness on an unfathomable scale. At any point, we see ourselves going as far to interrogate the vintners, or even the grapes themselves. 

Every post will be a milestone and any of our opinions will suffice here. We’re laying claim to a medium that will be exciting as it is provocative. Although, we would like to warn you that it’s going to be very interesting in here, so check back with us regularly for a variety of pointed criticisms and comical introspections.     

We’re taking the tour, drinking the wine and filling you in. 

Cheers! 

-Brian Maniotis

Westchester Wine Warehouse Team


visit us online @: westchesterwine.com