The rise of proprietary wine labels, which sell the product without using the name of either the grape or the winery as the predominant feature, has brought some interesting use of words, phrases and designs to the wine industry.
Talented marketers are everywhere these days, glutting the market in the same way as the heavy production of grapes and winemakers. Sometimes it’s interesting, and fun, and even educational, as in the arrival of the brand known only as (oops), and no, I’m not kidding. Beneath the four letters and two parentheses, the label explains, "Some mistakes were meant to happen."
Whether the mistakes were made accidentally in the Chilean vineyards, as the label copy indicates, of whether they were made deliberately by the copy writers of Schwartz Olcott Imports, LLC, is not very important. The tales are entertaining, and the Schwartz Olcott group includes Norman Schwartz, whose marketing helped Australia’s Yellow Tail wines become extremely successful; Terry Wheatley, a long-time "brand builder" with Gallo; and Tim McDonald, who also logged many years as a Gallo p.r. type.
Their story – and they're sticking to it – is that the Carmenere grape, a long-time Bordeaux stanout along with Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Malbec and Petit Verdot, was transplantred to Chile in the 19th century while the phylloxera louse devastated French vines. In Chile, however, the Carmenere was mistakenly labeled Merlot. That's where the "oops" came in. Some years later, with the marketing gurus in charge, it shifted from oops the mistake to (oops), the wine.Now, with DNA into the ball game (maybe this is a pilot for CSI: Chile) and a new importer and marketer in the mix, we’re back with Carmenere, and four wines – Carmenere, White Carmenere (a dry rose), Carmenere-Merlot and Cabernet Franc-Carmenere. The first-named grape is the major ingredient, just as food ingredient labels are printed in descending order of the amount of ingredient.
The whole thing makes for labels that offer as much entertainment as knowledge, and a wonderful story. As a writer, I think the labels are superb, because they’re covered with words. I don’t know what artists or designers would say. But at the same time, I wish the wines were as good as the story.
They’re inexpensive, at $12 each, and they’re all from the 2005 vintage. The grapes came from various vineyards, some in the central valley, which is the heart of the Chilean wine country, some from the Colchagua area,, some from the foothills of the Andes Mountains.
My favorite was the Carmenere, 100 percent of the grape. It had good spicy notes, a pleasant berry aroma and a smoothness that the others lacked. Splendid with a steak or lamb chops on the grill. The rose, on the other hand, which also is 100 percent Carmenere, had a lovely salmon color, but a bitter undertone that was disturbing.
The other (oops) offerings were passable, but not memorable, though the price improves their flavor. The Carmenere-Merlot, a 70-30 blend, respectively, showed more tannin than was necessary and enough to be rather unpleasant. The Cabernet Franc-Carmenere blend, an 84-16 ration, was passable but a rather wimpy wine, with little flavor.
Still, as the old saying goes, never let the facts get in the way of a good story.
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The week was a good one; any week with good wine to drink becomes a good one, during and after dinner and, in my case, another round of happiness that comes forward when I think about the wines again while writing this.
A quiet night with a good French-style daube, or beef stew, was an occasion to bring out a few Zinfandels, one of my favorites. I like the traces of tannin in the wine, adding some hardness to the body, and I like the berry forwardness of the flavor. I like the long finish of a well-made Zin, too. These also were in a modest price range.
Comparisons may be odious, but in comparing the five Zins I tasted the other night, my favorite was the least expensive – $11 -- came from Bogle Vineyards in Clarksburg, a town on the Sacramento River in the county of the same name. The ‘04 old vines Zinfandel, from grapes sourced throughout the state, was dazzling. It was bright and crisp, with a lovely deep garnet color, and it practically sparkled on the tongue. The rich flavor of the mid-palate carried through to a long, smooth finish. A sheer delight.
And one of my favorite Zinfandel producers, Rosenblum, displayed a 2005 from San Francisco Bay that had many of the same qualities, but slightly too much tannin. Another 6-8 months in the bottle should smooth that out, and the wine will be elegant and a fine value at $18.
Dancing Bull offers a 2004 ($12) California Zin that was a little on the light side, but still displayed good flavor.
Dashe, an Oakland-based winemaker that brings in grapes from a variety of vineyards, showed a very nice 2004 Zin ($22) from Sonoma County’s Dry Creek Valley that was a little young and hard, but showed real promise for a Thanksgiving or Christmas tasting.. The berry flavor was strong, and the aroma had hints of clove. An excellent finish for a wine that should mature into something excellent.
Sebastiani, the long-time Sonoma County winery, had a 2005 Zin made from old vine grapes grown in the county ($15). The wine displayed an elegant balance, with hints of oak and a powerful flavor. First-rate wine.
-Joe
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