Crisp, bright white wines become a necessity in the spring, and the need only increases in the hot, humid days of summer. They match all the beautiful veggies bursting forth from the ground, and they cool you down as the temperatures go up. As far as I’m concerned, they’re 100% required. 

I know a lot of you feel the same because when I was working in a wine shop, people would ask for ‘crisp white wines’ left and right in the spring and summer. I absolutely feel you. My one lament is that sometimes people get stuck on just one or two styles or grapes, and yet, there are SOOO many wonderful options out there to try. Better yet, there are lots of incredibly affordable options. Italy in particular offers seemingly endless options of delicious ‘crisp white wines.’ To help you avoid getting stuck in a rut, today we’re going to look for a new candidate for your rotation of crisp whites – Orvieto. 

Once get to know this Italian region a little bit, we’ll explore two bottles paired with easy, quick dinners, because let’s face it, as temperatures go up, we all want to spend less and less time in front of the stove.

A Snapshot of Orvieto

Map borrowed from WineFolly.com

Orvieto is a region in central Italy located predominantly in Umbria, but also spills over into neighboring Lazio. It’s named for a hilltop town of the same name. Orvieto has a rich cultural history. It was an important artistic center in the late Middle Ages and Renaissance. In addition, it’s the home of a Papal Palace, one of only three outside of Rome and its surrounding areas. 

Image borrowed from Wikipedia.

The region’s cultural and winemaking history goes back even further to the time of the Etruscans who dug caves into tuffaceous soils and created an elaborate infrastructure for winemaking on three levels, as described by the Consorzio's website:

“In the 1st level the grapes were pressed and transformed into must and it flowed, through earthenware pipes, into the second level, where the fermentation and subsequent racking took place; the wine was thus ready for maturation and storage in the III level. The result was an aromatic, very fragrant drink with a slightly sweet taste and a golden yellow color, testifying to the territory's vocation for white wines.”

The wines continued to be incredibly popular through the Middle Ages and Renaissance. They were a favorite of the Popes that resided in the Palace, and apparently, the wines were used to help pay for the works of art that adorn the Orvieto Cathedral.

Styles 

Orvieto’s wines are always white. (There is a separate appellation for reds –– Orvietano Rosso DOC.) As mentioned above, the region was known for wines with sweetness at varying levels, but as tastes have changed in more modern times, so have the styles of the wine produced, and now the grand majority in dry (secco) and made in a clean, crisp style. However, sweeter styles do still exist: medium dry (abboccato), medium sweet (amabile), late harvest (vendemmia tardiva), and botrytized (muffa nobile) sweet versions.

The dry versions can have quite a mix of fruit notes including peaches, green apple, citrus, melon, and pears. There are also often hints of white flowers, nuts, as well as minerality, and, at times, a pleasant bitter note as well.

Grapes 

The wines of Orvieto are traditional blends, with Grechetto and Procanico (the local name for Trebbiano) playing the leading roles – they must make up 60% of the blend minimum. Grechetto is considered to be the more interesting of the two grapes by far, with notes of citrus, white flowers, chamomile, and even nuttiness at times. It tends to produce small bunches with grapes of concentrated flavor. It also adds structure and body to the blend. High-quality Orvieto blends will tend to have a high proportion of Grechetto, and you will now even find varietal bottlings.

Procanico/Trebbiano is far more neutral in flavor, but it has a couple of things going for it. First, it typically has more acidity than Grechetto, so brings a lift and brightness to the blend. It’s also far more productive, but blends with too much of it risk becoming bland. Its neutral character combined with its high acidity makes it ideal for the production of brandy.

In addition to these two, you might also find Verdello (Verdelho), Drupeggio (Canaiolo Bianco) and/or Malvasia Bianca. International varieties are also grown in the region, which you will find in the Orvieto DOC wines but tend to be used in higher levels in the IGT-level wines. 

Terroir 

The area is known for its tufa soils, a type of limestone that’s desirable for growing grapes and for carving out caves to make cellars in which to store the wines. The tufa soils are volcanic in origin, and you will find other volcanic soils as well, including areas of alluvial soils, clay, and sand with marine fossils mixed in – so eventhough this is a landlocked region, you can bet these wines work beautifully with seafood.

Umbria in general enjoys a Mediterranean climate with dry, hot summers and cold winters. However, this is one of the few areas in Italy that can regularly expect to see botrytis, aka noble rot, which is ideal for the sweeter wines. 

Tiers and Labeling Terms

There are a few quality tiers and labeling terms that you might see on a label to be aware of. 

• Orvieto DOC –  This is the basic/general Orvieto tier. Although the history of the region goes back further, it was originally delineated in 1931 and established as a DOC in 1971.
• Superiore – Wines in the Superiore category (established in 1997) must adhere to higher quality standards with lower production yields and must have a minimum alcohol content of 12%.
• Classico – As is the case with other regions like Chianti or Soave, the term classico indicates the wine comes from the most historic sub-area in the region. Orvieto Classico” sub-area. In this case, it’s the area closest to the city of Orvieto, by the Paglia river valley. 

I received several bottles of Orvieto as samples to try, and we’ll be taking a look at two of those bottles paired with simple dinners – both of which came together in about half an hour. As always,  all opinions are my own, and no other compensation was received. 

Decugnano dei Barbi Mare Antico Orvieto Classico Superiore 2019 with Salmon and a Tomato, Avocado, and Goat Cheese Salad

Blend: 55% Grechetto, 20% Vermentino, 20% Chardonnay, 5% Procanico | Average Price: $16 | Find additional information here. 

Wine has been made at Decugnano since at least 1212, when the lands belonged to the church of Santa Maria of Decugnano and the vineyard produced wines for the Mass as well as for local consumption. The present owner, Claudio Barbi purchased the property in 1973, after falling in love with the property. His son Enzo has since joined him in the project. 

The 30-hectare property sits at an altitude of over 300 meters (1,000 feet), has sand and clay soils that were part of an ocean floor from the Pliocene period, and contains fossilized shells of sea shells and oysters. In terms of farming, they do not utilize insecticides, fungicides, chemical fertilizers, or weed killers. They try to keep treatments to a minimum through careful attention to the vines. 

The grapes for the Mare Antico are a blend from their estate vineyards, from 25-year-old vines. 

Tasting Notes: Salted lemons and white flowers hit on the nose. On the palate, the wine was refreshing and bright, but with a little fleshy fruit on the mid-palate. Lots of citrus flavors continue on the palate, along with hints of white peach, lots of salinity, a hint of cheese rind, almond flesh, and light touches of fresh green herbs.

Pairing: We enjoyed this wine with salmon that was seared in olive oil along with a salad with tomatoes, avocado, greens, goat cheese, sunflower seeds, and a few croutons. Very simple, no recipe needed. Just toss the salad greens lightly in your favorite dressing or oil and vinegar. The wine was an easy match with the salmon and really matched the fresh flavors in the salad. The bit of texture on the mid-palate resonated with the creamier textures from the avocado and cheese. 

Argillae Orvieto Superiore 2021 with Cheesy Lemon Pasta with Shrimp and Broccolini 

Blend: Grechetto, Procanico, Malvasia, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. | Average Price: $15 | Find additional information here. 

Argillae was started by the Bonollo family, who were already well known in Italy for having started one of the country’s major spirits companies. Then in the 80s, Giuseppe Bonollo began purchasing land in Orvieto with the intent to make quality wines as well. They now have 260 hectares, 70 of which are under vine. Argillae sells quite a bit of the wine it produces in bulk to bottling companies, but they keep the best of the best to be bottled under their own label. 

They put a large emphasis on sustainability, which has informed many aspects of their operations from the architecture of the winery, the production systems, agricultural methods, and packaging. As two examples, they use a biomass boiler to produce thermal energy to heat the cellar and surrounding buildings and recycle wastewater for their uses as well. For a more detailed look at their sustainability practices, see here.

Tasting Notes: Lots of lemon and lime on the nose, along with green apples, and flowers. Notes of white peach, pear, lemon zest, and hints of herbs join in on the palate. The zippy fruit notes became more fleshy on the mid-palate, leading into an almost spritzy minerality on the finish.

Pairing: This was the second bottle from the set that I opened and a simple pasta dish formed in my brain to match the flavors we’d been experiencing from the Orvieto wines in general. I flavored the pasta with garlic,  lemon juice and zest and tossed it with a blend of cheeses, shrimp, and sautéed broccolini. The broccolini stems were cut up and started cooking in advance of the florets, and Greg wanted me to mention that he found this extra move to be particularly key to his enjoyment of the texture since otherwise, the stems can be too tough. I loved this pairing! Both the flavors and textures in the wine and food matched beautifully making it as delightful a match as I’d hoped!

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For more posts on Umbria, see these posts:

• Cooking to the Wine: Còlpetrone Montefalco Sagrantino and Pasta with Red Pesto & Truffle Meat Sauce
  
• Memories of an Arnaldo Caprai Winemaker Lunch

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The rest of the Italian Food, Wine, Travel blogging group (#ItalianFWT) is also exploring Orvieto this month. Be sure to check out their posts:

• Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm shares Umbrian Red Wine Spaghetti and a Book Review.
• Liz at What‘s In That Bottle wonders Why Aren’t we all Drinking more Orvieto?
• Robin at Crushed Grape Chronicles writes about Orvieto - the multifaceted white wine of Umbria.
• Lynn at Savor the Harvest focuses on Appreciating an Ancient Italian Wine Made For Today’s Palate.
• Camilla at The Culinary Adventures of Camilla is Celebrating Spring with Vignole + 2020 Barberani Castagnolo Orvieto Classico Superiore.
• Lisa at The Wine Chef posts Umbria’s Famous White Wine, Paired With Spiced Pork Tenderloin.
• Pinny at Chinese Food & Wine Pairings uncovers Orvieto White Wines - Hidden Treasures From Umbria.
• Linda at My Full Wine Glass shares White wines from the heart of Central Italy.
• Susannah at Avvinare will be Getting reacquainted with an old friend: Orvieto Wines.
• Rupal at Syrah Queen shares The Soulful and Unique Wines of Orvieto.
• Gwendolyn at Wine Predator...Gwendolyn Alley aims to Discover the Green Heart of Italy: Orvieto DOC in Umbria Paired with Chicken Cacciatore.
• Terri at Our Good Life pairs Slow Cooker Short Ribs and Elicius Orvietano Rosso: A Match Made in the Heavenly Stars.
• Jen at Vino Travels highlights Orvieto, Italy’s Classic White Wine.

Please note, that while the wines were provided as samples as part of this collaboration, no other compensation was received and all opinions are my own. This post also contains Amazon Affiliate links, from which I might earn a commission at no cost to you.

It’s rare that one gets the chance to really get to know a winery’s (or really any company’s) product line thoughtfully and over time. Last year, I had the unique opportunity to get to better know the wines of L’Ecole No. 41 through an ambassadorship program. Each month, I’d receive a wine, or sometimes, more, and would then join in a zoom call with the other participants and the team at L’Ecole to learn more about that month’s topic. I, along with the rest of the participants would then share a post about the wine(s) on social media. For my part, I shared my pairings on my @nibblinggypsy Instagram feed. Via this process, I not only got to taste a wide range of their offerings but also got to know a few members of their team and learned about their operations. 

I was already fairly familiar with L’Ecole going into this. I believe I first tried one of their wines years ago while taking my first sommelier course where they were presented as an example of Washington’s wines. I’ve also had the chance to try their wines over the years as part of #MerlotMe month, but this experience certainly widened my appreciation.

I became a bigger fan with each wine I tasted. I’m happy to say there wasn’t a bad wine in the whole year’s worth of wine. Of course, I had my favorites, but every single one was well-made, and they tended to be elegant and balanced with lots of freshness. They were also very fairly priced. Pretty much every time the price of a wine was shared, there’d be rumblings of amazement and approval throughout the group of participating wine bloggers and influencers. They make wines at a range of price points, but the wines always seemed to be a great value for whatever the price point was – usually they over-delivered. I got the sense that this was a point of pride. They want to make delicious wines at good prices.

I’m sure many of us want to feel that we’re supporting good, conscientious companies with the dollars we spend. This is another area in which L’Ecole wins points thanks to their commitment to sustainability, which we will look at more closely in a moment. 

In addition, their wines are fairly easy to find. Since I often focus on small wineries, I know that’s not always the case, but that shouldn’t be a problem with L’Ecole’s wines, at least within the US. They’re a medium-sized producer and they have good distribution. I can also often find their wines on Wine.com, and of course, you also find them via their website. 

Today, I thought I’d share my experience with L’Ecole No. 41 via a month-by-month look at the wines I tasted along with their pairings. 

A Brief  Intro to L’Ecole No. 41 

L’Ecole has been a pioneering winery in Washington State from the start. It was the third winery in Walla Walla and the 20th in the state. Their first vintage was released in 1983. It’s owned by Marty and Megan Clubb, and was founded by Megan’s parents, Jean and Baker Ferguson. The winery gets its name from the historic Frenchtown School building in which the winery is located. 

Here are a few more quick facts to introduce them:

• I mentioned that they’re a medium-sized operation – they make between 40 and 46k cases per year – and they like it that way. They find they’re in a sweet spot that allows them the control of a smaller winery but are also able to have good distribution and reach. 
• L'Ecole 41 has long made being earth-friendly a big priority and they are certified sustainable as well as Salmon-Safe. They've also recently revamped the part of their website that explains all of their sustainability practices, which you can find here. 
• Black Label vs. White Label: 
• Wines with the black label are their “heritage line” and they're their regional wines representing Columbia Valley.
• Wines with a white label are from their estate vineyards in Walla Walla. 

Now let’s get to the wines and pairings. Where possible, I’ve included extra tidbits and extra pairings recommended by their team members. I occasionally joined the calls from the road or other places where I wasn’t able to take notes, so the level of detail varies.

Cab and Steak for the Holidays X 2

Before the collaboration had officially begun, I was sent a couple of sample bottles as a sort of invitation to the program. We enjoyed one of those bottles, the Cabernet Sauvignon Walla Walla Valley 2017 ($41, current vintage), with Greg’s parents over the holidays in December of 2020.  Since the program didn't officially start until February, will count this as an early start.

We had a simple steak night with roasted cauliflower seasoned with harissa and smoked paprika. The steak was prepared sous vide then seared. The wine was fresh and bright, but also had lots of dark fruit notes. It made for an easy and delicious dinner.

Tasting Notes: Blackberry and black cherry on the nose, along with cocoa and a light sprinkling of herbs. There was a nice balance of fruit and structure on the palate (I generally found that to be the case with their wines), with bright acidity and tannin that were firm but not overpowering. Warm spice notes and white pepper joined the fruit on the palate, along with stony notes on the finish. 

Skip ahead to Valentine’s Day 2021. I went in a similar direction with their Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley 2017 ($30, current vintage) and prepared a London Broil and topped it with a smoky mushroom sauce with hasselback potatoes on the side. I shared that recipe on NibblingGypsy.com here.  

I’m not going to lie, if you give me a big red, my tendency is to put it with meat of some kind. Very often it’s a steak as we’ll see several times here. 

Tasting Notes: There were enticing notes of black cherry, plums, chocolate, and spice on the nose. These all continued on the palate, but the chocolate was dark and mixed with espresso. It was an elegant wine with lots of brightness and smooth tannins. 

This wine is built for aging, and Marcus Rafanelli, their winemaker, recommended decanting this wine for 20 to 30 minutes in advance of drinking, and I would agree, although it was already starting to show nicely within a few minutes of opening.

Additional Pairings: Other pairing suggestions from the team included osso bucco, braised meats, pot roast, and lentils. 

March: Cabernet Franc - Merlot Walla Walla Valley 2018 with Sausage Mac and Cheese

I brought a bottle of their Estate Grown Cabernet Franc - Merlot Walla Walla 2018 ($39) with us on one of our trips to the Culinary Cabin in Tahoe. It was cold and snowy outside, so comfort food was needed and it's hard to imagine any food more comforting than mac and cheese! This was a baked, casserole-style version flavored with sausage and topped with crunchy bacon on top. 

The wine was fruity enough to handle the light spice from the sausages and had a lush silky texture that matched the creaminess of the cheesy pasta. Super yummy!

April: Syrah Estate Seven Hills Vineyard Walla Walla Valley 2018 with Carne Asada Stuffed Arepas 

Greg and I headed to the Santa Cruz Mountains for a hiking weekend getaway. Our original plan had been to camp, but then we found a cabin via AirBnB. Since camping had been the original intent, the cabin was pretty no-frills. It had a small kitchen, but I tried to make life easy on myself by buying things to cook that had done some of the work for me and didn’t require too many ingredients, like Trader Joe’s pre-seasoned carne asada. I also roasted some bell pepper and onion strips in olive oil, salt, and pepper. All of these goodies were used to stuff arepas, which only requires adding water and salt to the Harina PAN (cornmeal) to make the dough. You’d be surprised at how easy arepas are to make! One of Trader Joe’s pre-packaged salad kits completed the meal. 

This paired sooo well with the Syrah Esate Seven Hills Vineyard 2018 ($39, current vintage). The meat had a lot of citrus in the flavoring which matched perfectly with the wine's super bright acidity. At the same time, char on the meat and on the arepas sang with smoky notes in the wine. The combo was even better than I'd expected and I couldn't get enough of the two together. It was one of my favorite combos of the year! 

Tasting Notes: Raspberry, black cherry, white pepper, dried herbs, black tea, and roses on their stems all showed on the nose. The fruit was luscious on the palate, with a mix of red and black fruits, smoke, espresso, cedar, and tapenade made from a mixture of green and black olives. It improved with air, so decant if you can. 

Additional Pairings: Marcus recommended this wine with grilled meats and mushroom risotto made with beef stock. Other recs from their team included bean stew, goat, grilled oyster mushroom tacos, and lasagna.

Behind the scenes details: 2018 was a particularly good vintage with perfect timing throughout the growing season, so the grapes ripened evenly and got good hang time. The wine saw 20% stem inclusion to add structure and tannins, and 20% whole cluster. The average age of the vines is 25 years.

May: Chenin Blanc Old Vines Yakima Valley 2020 with Coconut Shrimp

We all get the urge for crispy fried things from time to time, right?! I got the urge for some coconut shrimp and brought some home from Whole Food’s freezer section. While the shrimp heated up, I roasted some zucchini and tossed it in a sweet and sour chili sauce. The whole dinner came together in about 30 minutes. 

I chose to pair these sweet and crispy shrimp with L’Ecole’s Chenin Blanc Old Vines Yakima Valley 2020 ($18, current vintage), a delightful wine with a mix of tart and ripe fruit notes. It made for a solid pairing with the shrimp, but I think a little rice would've made it even better by balancing out the sweetness in the sauce. As was, the sweetness of the sauce overpowered the wine a little bit. It’s ok though because we’ll see the Chenin again later in the year for another shot at pairing. 

Tasting Notes:  Aromas of green melon, white peach, honeysuckle, and tangerine skin on the nose. These all came back on the palate, along with ginger and green apple. This was bright with a rounded beeswax texture on the mid-palate.

For more on Yakima, see this post. 

June: Grenache Rosé Alder Ridge Vineyard, Horse Heaven Hills 2020 and Turkey Chili

Greg got a hankering to make some chili and I was all for it!  It was a turkey chili, but other than that, I wouldn’t be able to tell you what went into it as he tends to riff when he cooks, throwing in a little of this, and a little of that. 

We paired it with the Grenache Rosé Alder Ridge Vineyard 2020 ($21, current vintage). I really loved this rosé and it made for a yummy and refreshing pairing with the chili. It had enough fruit to balance out the heat while being refreshing and it perked up our palates in between bites of the lightly spiced bites of chili. It was also substantial enough to stand up to the bold flavors.

Tasting Notes: The wine showed a beautiful purity of fruit with lots of peaches, raspberries, and strawberries along with a few flower petals and a hint of orange zest on both the nose and palate.. It's super bright and tangy with a zesty finish.

July: Luminesce Semillon - Sauvignon Blanc Seven Hills Vineyard, Walla Walla Valley 2020 and Crab Cakes

Blend:  62% Semillon and 38% Sauvignon Blanc 

Here’s an excellent pairing for sunshiny days. Luminesce ($22) is L’Ecole 41’s take on a classic Bordeaux Blanc blend with Sémillon, which brings texture, and Sauv Blanc, which adds brightness. This combination of attributes made it a perfect match for crab cakes, with their mixture of creamy and crispy textures. I used this recipe from Delish magazine for this round, then served them with a sauce made with Kewpie Mayonnaise and wasabi sauce (not pictured), and a salad. The wine’s balance of texture, citrus, and hints of herbal notes was a PERFECT match with the crab cakes –  a lip-smacking pair! Another of my favorite matches of the year. 

Tasting Notes:  The showed notes of key lime pie, lemon, white flowers, and a touch of minerality on the nose. Grassy green herbs joined in on the palate, along with notes of blanched almonds. It was rounded on the mid-palate moving into a crisp finish.

August:  Syrah Columbia Valley 2018 and Tri-Tip

I’m always jealous of people’s grills in the summertime. We live in an apartment, so I have to improvise the best I can. In this case, I once again used my sous vide circulator to cook up some seasoned Trip Tip and then seared the meat to finish it. I then served it with a side of mixed zucchini, sautéed mushrooms, onions, and potatoes. 

You’ll notice that I almost always prepare small and medium cuts of meat sous vide. I think this is hands down the easiest way to cook steak cuts as it takes all of the guesswork out of the process. (Cuts that you want to be fall-apart tender are best prepared via other methods like braising.) Below you’ll find a simple non-recipe for this tri-tip preparation. 

This round of meatiness was paired with the  Syrah Columbia Valley 2018. It made a beautiful match, although I suspect that this wine will be even better in a few years.  

Tasting Notes: There were notes of blackberry, smoke, and hints of vanilla on the nose. Tart blackberries continued on the palate along with black cherries, plums, touches of black pepper, herbs, licorice, craggy stones, and espresso granules, with a few flower petals mixed in. 

Trip Tip Sous Vide Non-Recipe: 

I rubbed the meat with garlic powder, shiitake powder, and black pepper, doused it with soy sauce, and added garlic to the cooking bag. I cooked it at 129.5 °F for 2 hours, then removed it from the cooking bag, patted it dry, and seared it in a large pan. I sliced up the tri-tip and served it topped with the leftover cooking juices. 

September: Frenchtown Columbia Valley Red Blend 2019 with Pork Chile Verde and Pizza

Blend:  45% Merlot, 17% Syrah, 18% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Grenache, 10% Malbec, 6% Petit Verdot 

The Frenchtown Columbia Valley Red Blend ($22) is such a happy, friendly wine. It’s very easygoing and bound to match decently well with a ton of different things. I got this impression after tasting it and decided to test the theory with a pairing gamble. Back in San Diego once again, my mother-in-law made chile verde with pork one night. I would normally gravitate towards a full white wine to pair with all of the green notes and spices in this dish. I decided to experiment with the Frenchtown Red instead and was very pleasantly surprised with how well it worked. 

This is a medium-bodied red with smooth easy tannins, both attributes which helped it to work with a lighter meat like pork. It is also pretty plush, fruit-forward, and a bit juicy which helped it to pair with the hits of spice.

Later on, we had another bottle with a pepperoni pizza, which also made for a very happy pairing!

Tasting Notes: Thanks to all of those different grapes, there was a whole host of fruit notes in here, with a mix of red, black, and blue fruits that were ripe but bright. There were lots of red cherries on the nose, with red licorice, and a mix of white and black pepper Roasted red plums joined in on the palate, with hints of herbs, lavender, and spice mixed in. I already mentioned that it was medium-bodied with smooth tannins. I thought it offered a lot of bang for the buck.

Behind the scenes details: The Frenchtown Red is an entry-level red and is always a blend of grapes, but might be different each year – it's kind of a snapshot of a particular vintage. The 2019 was a blend of Bordeaux and Rhône grapes including Merlot, Cab, Malbec, Petit Verdot, Syrah, and Grenache. Frenchtown is the name of the district where L’Ecole’s historical schoolhouse is located. It used to be called the “Recess Red” and many people still ask for it by that name. 

October: Merlot Me Month

October is Merlot Me Month and L’Ecole No. 41 made two appearances last year, so I’ll just go ahead and direct you to this post for more on the Estate Merlot Walla Walla Valley 2018 and this post for more on the Merlot Columbia Valley 2018, but it was fun to see the different expressions of the grape side by side. The Columbia Valley showed more plush fruit notes, whereas the Walla Walla, which is grown in a vineyard sitting on basaltic rock, showed more dusty minerality, smoke, and structure. You can see a similar comparison between the 2014 bottlings in this post.

I also got to enjoy the Estate Merlot Walla Walla Valley 2018 with a burger and it was pretty great.

As I mentioned earlier, L’Ecole has made several Merlot Me appearances in the past. Check out these posts for more pairing ideas:

• Many Merlots Make Marvelous Mediterranean Meal
• 5 #MerlotMe Nights
  
• Experiments with Salmon and Merlot
  
• What's Good?: Pasta Alla Norma & Merlot
  

November:  Perigee Vintage Comparison with Shawarma Chicken and Flank Steak 

In November, we did a vintage comparison between the 2015 and 2018 ($56, current vintage) vintages of L’Ecole 41’s flagship Perigee Estate Seven Hills Vineyard, Walla Walla Valley, a Bordeaux blend of all estate-grown fruit from their Seven Hills Vineyard. Again, comparisons are always fun! In this case, looking at two different vintages as it gives you a chance to see how different conditions affect a wine and also gives you a glimpse of where a younger wine might go. 2018 was a cooler vintage and the wine showed more red fruits and brighter acidity. By contrast, 2015 was a warmer vintage and displayed deeper, darker fruit notes with more robust tannins. The two tasting notes are next to each other below for a more detailed comparison.

I paired the lighter, and brighter 2018 with a Shawarma-spiced chicken loosely based on this recipe from Olive Magazine along with butternut squash that I roasted alongside, as well as baba ghanoush and homemade pita bread. The wine paired particularly well with the smoky spices in the chicken and the weight of the wine and the food matched nicely. It wasn’t half bad with the herbed butternut squash as well. I put a lot of lemon in this batch of baba ghanoush, which probably kept it from matching as well as it might have normally, but I think it would go well with a more typical, smokier style of the dip.

The 2015 was in a good place and just opening up after 6 years, but still seemed like it has quite a few more years to go. I couldn’t help but myself but to return to steak with this one. This time it was flank steak topped with mushrooms and served with a side salad. I find mushrooms to generally be a good idea when pairing with wines with a bit of age on them.

2018 Tasting Notes: Predominantly red fruits showed on the nose – bright cherries and raspberries – along with dried herbs and a little menthol.

2015 Tasting Notes: Black cherry with brambly herbs, tobacco, black tea, esspresso showed on the nose, with notes of roses and lilacas coming out as the wine opened. It was rich but bright on the palate, with blackberries, blueberries, and black plum skin on the palate, along with mocha, cigar box, chocolate, licorice, and cassis. Lots of espresso. The wine showed grippy tannins and brawny structure. Decanting is definitely recommended 

Later on, I also got to participate in a tasting looking at the component varieties that go into Perigee, and I kind of wish some of those were sold bottled on their own as well!

December: Wine & Chocolates and Shrimp Stir Fry

In December, I had a chance to try one of the lovely gift sets they’d put together for the holiday season. I received the wine and chocolate gift set, which included bottles of the Old Vine Chenin and the Syrah Walla Walla Valley with chocolates from Petits Noirs, also made in Walla Walla, selected to match. 

I’m a little picky about pairing wine and chocolate together – I personally don’t think they go that well together because most chocolate is too sweet to go with most dry wines. IMHO, pairings work best when the chocolate is dark and not that sweet, and the wine is fruit-forward. I find white wines to be particularly tricky, but I was still interested to try the flavor blends with the Chenin Blanc. 

I can't find the specific notes I took on the pairings, but I did wrank my preferences on the accompanying card.

This also gave me a chance to try the Chenin Blanc in another savory pairing. This time I paired it with a shrimp stir-fry with lots of veggies. This time, the sauce was less sweet than the one I served with the coconut shrimp back in May, and it worked much better. 

I still haven’t tried the Syrah with its corresponding chocolates, but I expect those to work well and will update this when I do. 

That wraps up my excellent year of exploring L'Ecole's wines, although I still have a few bottles left to play with and will share those experiments in the future.

The first time I recall ever encountering Mexican wines was on an excursion to Ensenda wine country while on a cruise to Baja Greg and I went on in our early 20s. It was one of the better memories I have of that particular cruise, but to be honest, it had less to do with the wine and more to do with the fact that a day in wine country is almost always lovely. This was way before I knew anything about wine, but of the three or four wineries the excursion took us to, only one (L.A. Cetto) stood out as being any good. Of course, this could have been due to the particular selection of wineries. I mentally cataloged the topic of Mexican wines as “interesting, but still needs work.” 

Flash forward more years than I’d like to admit. I’ve now seen more and more quality Mexican wines cross my path. One or two would make it onto the shelves while I was working in a wine shop. A friend would pour one for me at a tasting. I’d see a few more examples represented at trade tastings. Then one of my tasting groups (in the before times) dedicated a session to Mexican wines during which I was able to taste a full line-up that included a wide range of grapes and styles and got a sense of where their wine industry had progressed to, and it seemed like they’d come a long way. Of course, this is still a region in development, but one that’s definitely worth paying attention to. 

A Brief History of Wine in Mexico

Map borrowed from WineFolly.com

The funny thing is that while Mexico’s wine industry is still emerging and developing, it was actually the first place wine was made in the Americas. The Spanish conquistadors first brought over vitis vinifera vines in the 16th century – the species of grapes most commonly used to make wine is not indigenous to the Americas and required a lift getting over the ocean. The vines were planted, however, the breaks were pushed on the growth of the new industry when Spain realized it had a good thing going as the main supplier of wines to “New Spain.”  The trading was so profitable for Spain that King Carlos II went so far as to outlaw the commercial production of wine in 1699 so that the new would have to keep on importing it. Most wine grapes that had been planted were used to make brandy.

Wine production continued – albeit at a trickle – thanks to the Catholic Church, as it was legal for them to continue to make it for ceremonial purposes. Therefore, while the industry hung on by a thread, it did hold on. Things essentially remained this way until Mexico gained its independence from Spain in the 19th Century. 

The very first vineyards in Mexico were planted around the town of Parras de la Fuente which translates as 'vineyards of the spring. ' This region is located in north-central Mexico in Coahuila. Since Mexico’s climate overall is very hot – much hotter than is normal for a grape-growing region – it’s necessary to find microclimates that offset the heat. The vineyards in Parras de la Fuente are located in the Sierra Madre Oriental mountains, at an altitude of around 5,000 feet (almost 1,525 meters), making it much cooler than the coastal regions. It also helps that it’s pretty arid – grapes definitely prefer a “dry heat.”

The wine industry was not destined to stay centered in the Parras Valley. The first grapes were planted in Baja  Today, the overwhelming majority of Mexican wine (85 to 90%) is made in Baja California. Baja benefits from being a little farther north and closer to the ocean, so cooling ocean breezes provide relief from the heat. It has a Mediterranean climate, but it’s fairly dry here as well, so the majority of vineyards do require irrigation. Overall, the region tends to have granitic alluvial soils similar to what you might find in France’s Northern Rhône Valley.  Ensenada is the center of the industry, but the region has developed to the point that there are major sub-regions including Valle de Guadalupe, Valle de Calafia, Valle de San Vincente, and Valle de Santo Tomás. 

As Mexico’s modern wine industry is still in development, it’s still pretty much the wild, wild west. There are no signature grapes as of yet – over 120 different varieties are grown. There also isn’t much in the way of regulation; the wineries basically have to self-regulate. The lack of rules also means that there is a lot of experimentation. You’ll find a lot of blends here, many of which might seem unusual and you won’t see in other places. Winemakers feel free to put things together to see if they taste good. The infrastructure is still building, but things are growing quickly. In 2006 (around the time we went to Ensenda, give or take a couple of years), there were less than 25 wineries in the whole country. Now, there are over 120 in Baja alone. There are a few big producers (like L.A. Cetto, which I mentioned earlier), but the majority of wineries are pretty small. 

The Food

Birria has been all the rage in recent years. While I don’t necessarily mean to feed the hype for the sake of it, I do really love the stuff. It’s got sooooooo much flavor and it’s 100% comfort food at the same time. It’s a very traditional dish that originally came from the state of Jalisco that involves stewing meat in a very flavorful broth flavored with chili peppers and lots of herbs and spices. Goat is the meat most traditionally associated with birria, but lamb and beef are also commonly used. There are even plenty of vegetarian versions out there. The meat and the resulting stew, or consomé, can then be served in different ways. The two can be served together with a side of tortillas, or the meat can be used to fill tacos or tortas, probably with a side of the consomé for dipping on the side. 

We fell in love with the quesabirria (basically a birria quesadilla) at Nido Backyard, a restaurant here in Oakland, and we can’t help but get it pretty much every time we go. On our last trip to San Diego, some friends introduced us to Tuetano Taqueria, which serves it up a slew of different delicious ways. 

Birria quesadilla with beans

Birria Torta

Birria taco with a side of bone marrow.

At some point last year, I decided to try making Birria de Res (beef) at home. I worked with a few different recipes I found online, but predominantly crossed this recipe from the NYT Cooking and this one from GimmeSomeOven.com to help me adjust things for prep in my Instant Pot. (I believe I used a combination of chuck roast and oxtail for the meat.) It turned out deliciously and yielded lots of leftovers, so I was able to store quite a bit in the freezer and doled out the goodness over a few months. 

In the process, I was also able to play around with serving it in different ways. In addition to eating it as a stew and in tacos etc., one day I brought home a bunch of tamales from a vendor at my local farmer’s market. I ended up marrying the two together, and now this might be my absolute favorite way to eat a tamale. 

Having lots of leftovers also gave me the chance to try the dish with different wines, and on two occasions, we paired the birria with Mexican wines. It was an easy match for both bottles, although each worked well in different ways. 

The Wines: Two Very Different Representatives

The two wines we’ll be looking at today represent different facets and extremes of what you might find. The first is from the Parras Valley from a historical winery and is made in the international style. The second is a natural wine from a young winery in Baja.

Casa Madero 3V Red Blend Parras Valley, Coahuila 2018 

Blend: Equal Parts Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Tempranillo |  ABV: 13.7% |  Average Price: $27 (Sample) | Find additional details here and here.

Casa Madero is the oldest winery in the Americas. Its history goes back to 1597 when King Felipe II of Spain awarded Don Lorenzo Garcia a land grant, along with the right to produce wine and brandy for the crown. The winery was born under the name Hacienda de San Lorenzo. It would then go on to change hands several times and was eventually purchased by Evaristo Madero in 1893, giving the winery its current name. 

It’s located in the Parras Valley in the Sierra Madre Mountains (as discussed above), and thanks to the high elevation of the vineyards at 5000 feet, the grapes enjoy warm days and cool nights. The winey has continued modernizing and moving forward. It was also the first Mexican winery to have organically certified vineyards and now has several certified sites. 

Tasting Notes: Warm, ripe fruit notes strawberry fruit leather, blackberry, black cherry, and red plum sauce. Dusty earth notes are mixed in, along with white pepper, pencil lead, hints of cocoa, and tobacco. The palate mixes Old World earthiness with the ripe fruit of the new world. The wine was medium+ to full-bodied with smooth but grippy tannins. I decanted this wine in advance. 

Pairing: It was excellent with birria tacos. The depth of the wine matched the depth of flavors in the food beautifully, and it became silkier alongside the food as the meatiness helped to further smooth out the tannins.

This wine was sent to me as part of a collaboration with Big Hammer Wines. They offer fine wines at discounted prices. While this particular bottle is sold out, you can find the 2019 bottling here. You can also find a curated list of my selections here. Use the discount code NICOLE15 for $15 off any purchase. (Limit to 1 use per customer.)

Bichi No Sapiens Baja California 2019

Blend: Unknown. Possibly Dolcetto, possibly Carrignan. | Average Price: $34 | Find additional details here.

Established in 2014, Bichi is at the much younger end of the spectrum. Nonetheless, they’ve made a splash in a very short period of time. This is a winery that gets natural wine fans very excited. Located in Tecate, the winery was started by Noel Téllez and his brother, chef Jair Téllez, who moved to Baja from neighboring Sonora. Noel, who left his job as a lawyer to work on the winery, is now the sole proprietor. The name Bichi means “naked” in the Sonoran Yaqui dialect and it reflects a hands-off approach to their winemaking. It’s also captured in the (literally) cheeky labels picturing luchadores and luchadoras wearing nothing but their birthday suits.

Bichi farms 10 hectares of their own Tecate vineyards biodynamically and they collaborate with organic farmers in Tecate and around San Antonio de las Minas in the Valle de Guadalupe. They seek out interesting vineyards to source from. In the case of the No Sapiens, the dry-farmed, own-rooted source vineyard is planted with a mysterious grape variety that remains unidentified. The farmer thinks it could possibly be Dolcetto from plantings brought over from Italy in the 1940s, while the Téllez family thinks it could be Carignan from Spain. In the winery, grapes are destemmed by hand and gently foot stomped, and fermentations are carried out by wild yeast. 

I first came in contact with Bichi’s wines several years ago, and I think the No Sapiens was the first one I tried. The first versions I tasted were at the "natty AF" end of the natural wines – too funky for my personal tastes. On top of that, I remember the necks of the bottles being clogged up with sediment. I don’t mind some sediment, but this was a bit much. I didn’t get the hype. But things have come a long way in just a few vintages,  as more recent tastings were much, much nicer. The wines were still a bit funky, but pleasantly so, and those elements blended in with the pretty fruit notes. 

Tasting Notes: Fruity and funky. Black cherries, pepper, licorice, flowers petals, and dusty barnyard notes on the nose. On the palate, it was bright, juicy, and generous up front, moving into more gamey notes towards the finish. There was a bit of brett, but it was integrated with the other flavors. The wine was medium to medium + in body, with fine tannins, and lots of freshness. I recommend decanting.

Pairing: This was another great pairing for the birria, although this wine brought out the gamier side of the stew. The wine’s gamey side blended into the food and became less pronounced in the combination. A delicious combo!

*****

Other Possibilities 

More Mexican Wines

*****

The Wine Pairing Weekend (#WinePW) Blogging Group is exploring the wines of Mexico. Check out the rest of their posts:

• Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm will share “Mexican Foods and Wines always provide for a Perfect Fiesta”
• Susannah from Avvinare is “Discovering Mexican Wine”
• Jen from Vino Travels is taking “A First Look at Mexican Wines Including Italian Grapes”
• Carlos from Carlos’ Food & Wine is serving up “Mexican wines featuring sparkling wine risotto & grilled hanger steak with mushroom-red wine sauce”
• Camilla from Culinary Adventures with Camilla is sharing "Outside the Pigeon-Hole: Pairing Mexican Wine with Thai Cuisine"
• Gwendolyn from Wine Predator Gwendolyn Alley features Sparkling Wine from Mexico For #TacoTuesday”
• Robin of Crushed Grape Chronicles shares “Mexican Wines – 2 wines from the central Mexican highlands of Querétaro #WinePW"
• Linda from My Full Wine Glass is “Saying ‘hola’ to Mexican Tempranillo and sparkling wine”
• Martin from ENOFLZ Wine Blog will share “Exploring Mexican Wine Beyond Baja”
• Liz at What’s in that Bottle posted “Salud a Los Vinos de Mexico!”
• Terri from Our Good Life pairs "Grassfed Ribeye with Steak Butter and Grilled Oyster Mushrooms Paired with Monte Xanic Cabernet Sauvignon"
• Cooking Chat  paired “Roasted Beet Pesto Pasta with Mexican Merlot”