Tag Archives: Oddball

Oddball Wine of the Week: Tempranillo Blanco

I’m always game to try something unusual when it comes to wine. On this blog you’ll see as much Baga as Bordeaux, as much Tannat as Tuscany, and more Mourvèdre than Merlot and Malbec combined. So you know when I had a chance to taste a Tempranillo Blanco, I was all over it. That’s right, white Tempranillo. Not white as in “white” zin, but white as in not red. The grapes themselves are not typical red Tempranillo, but a white- (well, green-) skinned mutant.

Producer: Bodegas Juan Carlos Sancha ‘Ad Libitum’

Grapes: 100% Tempranillo Blanco

I’ll let Wikipedia tell the tale:

In 1988, Jesús Galilea Esteban found a cluster of white grapes on one of the Tempranillo vines in his vineyard, Murillo de Rio Leza, located in Rioja. He removed the cluster, leaving a heel which in turn produced two buds of white grapes. Galilea then contacted the Rioja government agency CIDA, who grafted the buds at their research station in February 1989.

CIDA concluded that apart from the leaves and fruit being a little smaller, the new plants were identical to normal Tempranillo in most respects, and confirmed this with DNA evidence. The most notable difference was that the grape skins were green-yellow rather than the usual blue-black, due to a natural mutation in a single skin colour gene. Similar mutations appear to have happened in many other grape varieties, such as Pinot Noir and Grenache.

CIDA, once the mutation had stabilized, expanded their collection to 100 vines in 1993, and started to make wine on an experimental scale. The first bottling of wine was in 2005, from a hectare of vines planted in 2000. It was fermented in stainless steel tanks and aged in oak barrels. The green-tinged wine had discreet aromas of flowers and tropical fruit such as pineapple, refreshing to drink but lacking a little in acidity. White Tempranillo is currently being distributed to growers having been registered with the State and approved for use in the Rioja D.O.Ca.

Appellation: Rioja

Vintage: 2009

Vineyards: Organically-farmed 1.5 hectare vineyard with clay and limestone soils. Dry-farmed.

Winemaking: Stainless steel fermentation. Native yeasts.

Alcohol: 13%

Price: I paid $16.83 via Garagiste. Closer to $25 online.

Tasting notes: I had no idea what to expect with this one. It starts off with a bold, aromatic nose of stone fruit and petrol. On the palate, it’s an intriguing mix of peach, plum skin and nuttiness with a pleasant bitter note. It has an oily palate presence and finishes long.

Overall impression: A must-try wine for the wine geek set. B+

Free association:

More info:

A good read from 2009 in Decanter on “the rise of indigenous grape varieties” in Rioja.

Image used in Oddball Wine of the Week header found here. If anyone knows the original source, let me know and I’ll credit.

Oddball Wine of the Week: Côte Est 2007 Catalan

This was just a random pickup at Whole Foods one day. The label design caught my eye, then I noticed the blend, then “Catalan” on the label. Wait, doesn’t Catalan refer to Spain… as in Catalonia? But this is French. That was interesting enough for me to plunk down my $11. I wasn’t sure when I bought it if I would use this for the Oddball series or not. “Catalan” was a new French appellation to me, but something made me think this might be more well-known than I thought. Then I looked it up in the Bible, I mean, the Oxford Companion to Wine (3rd edition) saw that there was no listing for it. That’s Oddball enough for me! I did finally find a one-sentence reference to it in the entry for Roussillon, by the way.

Côté Est 2007 Catalan

Producer: Maison Lafage

Grapes: 50% Grenache Blanc and Gris, 30% Chardonnay, 20% Marsanne

Appellation: Côtes Catalanes (Vin de Pays, France). This appellation is a region within Roussillon that sits on the other side of the Pyrenees from Catalonia, Spain. It’s a maritime terroir

Vineyards: The Grenache comes from 80-year old vines, the Chardonnay from 20 year old vines and the Marsanne from young vines. The name Côté Est refers to the fact that the vines are planted east-west, which they say keeps the grapes cooler, preserving the acidity and fruit.

Vintage: 2007

Winemaking: Stainless steel aging.

Alcohol: 13%

Price: I paid $10.88 at Whole Foods in Austin

My tasting notes: Really lovely nose on this wine, like a blend of pear and peach, highlighted by zesty orange and lime and floral notes. And the palate doesn’t disappoint either. More pear/peach and lime with a mineral streak. Really nice texture, too. Almost plush, though the fruit stays bright. Finishes clean and long.

Overall impression: I’m very glad I took a chance on this wine I knew absolutely nothing about. It’s a very enjoyable little bottle, and I’d definitely recommend you pick up if you see it. B+

Free association:

I can’t find the original source of this image. It’s all over the internet, but it’s not mine.

More info:

Imported by Eric Solomon.

Parker scored this 90 points.

Some reviews on CellarTracker and Corkd.