Something about Elena

I first noticed it during an extensive tasting of rieslings from Terry Theise portfolio. Most of the wines (grower champagnes included) were either organic or biodynamic and there was a similarity among all of them...vibrance, lift and a clear presence of high tones. There was just something "lively" about them.

One of the most recent wines in the Row 95 portfolio to go Organic is the Campos de Risca. Though from the "Campos" group, the wine is from a small family estate in Jumilla run by the third generation, Elena Pacheco.

Risca are large broken limestone rocks of which their vineyard is entirely comprised. These suckers aren't the smooth rounded boulders of Chateauneuf, they are rough cut, jagged and virtually impossible to walk on. Nothing else lives there,...weeds, bugs, and frankly I don't know why anything would want to. Mourvedre, however, loves it...the heat, those stones, no competition from pesky weeds, as Goldilocks would say it's jussst right.

It's no surprise that the grapes have always been farmed organically. Thanks to the EU they are just now officially so. The wine, 90% Mourvedre and 10% Syrah has that special something about it... in addition to the framboise-drenched, herb and redfruit flavors, there is an inherent freshness, purity and high tone quality. These are traits one wouldn't typically use to describe Jumilla wines. But they exist in the Campos de Risca. Perhaps there is a hidden "soul" to the fruit which is preserved when grown in an organic or biodynamic way.

Whatever it is, this wine has that special something. And the really good news it can be had for under 15 bucks a bottle.

Comments

The Soils of St. Nicolas de Bourgueil

Whether they come from Chinon, Samur or Bourgueil, Cabernet Franc based reds from the Loire conjure Laphroaig-esque impressions to knowing wine drinkers. They are often pungent, herbaceous, wildly complex wines with a small cult-like well-read fan-base. Not in the mainstream for sure. Just as Laphroaig is not indicative of all single malts, reds from the Loire region don't all share these same outsized traits. The wines from Xavier Amirault are just such an exception and it's not by accident that Vineyard Brands, an importer with deep roots in burgundy would be the kind of company to bring these wines into the United States. Land close to the banks of the Loire river is quite fertile and is reserved for cereals and pasture. Things begin to get interesting as one moves upwards from lower valley. Lower parcels in the Clos de Quarterons, the Amirault family's estate, have deep (up to 25 feet) gravelly soils which drain well and where generous ra...

Meditations on Humanity and the Vine with Movia

Time spent with Ales Kristancic, owner of Movia is always special. Despite the fact that english is not his first language, his ability to articulate the essence of winegrowing remains unmatched. According to Ales, wine happens only when the passions of the plant kingdom meet the passions of the animal kingdom. By contrast, he states that water was already present on earth when man arrived, it was a given. Wine is only here because vines need animals to proliferate and animals need the fruit of the vine in order to survive. The magic truly happens when the fungi living on the skins of the fruit are introduced to the sugars within thanks to the "passions" of man. Too often, this "Botany of Desire" as Michael Pollan calls it, or "Divine Gift" as Ales calls it, goes completely unnoticed and unappreciated. For Ales, hailing from the family that has owned Movia for over 6 generations, it is a way of daily conversation, reflection, philos...

Atlantic Wine Project

Search This Blog