Første smagning i Vinklubben bliver californisk: Coppolas Diamond Collection.Suenson sælger en sixpack til fornuftige 725 kr. Jeg fik lov til at blande vinene som jeg ville (and I am NOT drinking any fucking Merlot!): Chardonnay, Pinot noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, Malbec og Petite Sirah. Den hvide er fra 08, de røde er fra 07 med undtagelse af Malbec'en, der er fra 06. Alle holder 13,5 pct.
Kort om californisk vin kan siges, at der ofte er tale om en omvendt fransk oplevelse. Altså at hvor man i franske vine ofte skal et godt stykke op prismæssigt, før tanninerne suppleres af frugt, så skal man i de californiske forbi entrylevel, før frugten kombineres med syre og struktur. Nogle gange omtales prisvenlige sydfranske vine, hvor de ikke i samme grad er tynget af gamle regler og vaner, som californiske i deres smag. Er lidt i tvivl om, hvorvidt det er ment som et kompliment, men personligt kan jeg godt lide stilen.
Chardonnay
I Californien er Chardonnay den mest udbredte druesort. Californiske Chardonnay’er, der er gæret på fad, har en rig, intens frugtsmag af pære, æble, melon og fersken, kombineret med undertoner af smør og eg. I de seneste år er mange vinproducenter imidlertid begyndt at lave en ny type Chardonnay, friskere, med meget lidt eller ingen eg og med mere delikate smagsprofiler.
Beskrivelse fra Coppola:
We source our Chardonnay grapes from two distinct vineyards in Monterey. One is located near the Gabilan mountain range where the soil composition is predominantly loamy sand. This condition offers ideal drainage, which then concentrates the flavors of the fruit. The other vineyard, located in the Arroyo Seco, is positioned on the valley floor where the temperatures remain relatively cool. As a result, the fruit from this region maintains a crisp acidity. When we blend the wine from these two regions together, we achieve a lovely balance and greater complexity. To craft our Chardonnay, we use a whole-cluster press and split fermentation technique where half of the fruit is fermented in French oak, and the other half is fermented in stainless steel. Additionally, we put the wine that was fermented in wood through malolactic fermentation in order to achieve a lightly creamy texture.
Pinot Noir
Pinot Noir kom til Californien i 1885, men det gik langsomt med at vinde almindelig anerkendelse hos vindavlerne og vinproducenterne, da den er én af de mest krævende sorter i verden at dyrke og vinificere. Vine på Pinot Noir er forfinede og rige, distinkte og bløde, med en velsmagende kompleksitet og lang eftersmag. Som en drue til køligt klima klarer Pinot Noir sig særlig godt i Californiens kystegne: Carneros, Russian River Valley, Monterey, San Luis Obispo og Santa Barbara.
Beskrivelse fra Coppola:
Our Pinot Noir grapes are harvested in the early morning hours, crushed, and then cold soaked for 48 hours to elicit color and aromas. During fermentation, the grapes are punched down four times a day to intensify flavors and extract tannin. Then, the wine is aged in small French oak barrels. Monterey experienced an outstanding 2007 season. Budbreak occurred later than normal due to a cold winter; however, in spite of the chilly temperatures there was little precipitation. As a result, the vines were not vigorous and produced fewer and smaller fruit clusters.
Cabernet Sauvignon er rødvinsdruernes konge, også i Californien. I 1976 bekræftede en sammenlignende smagning af topvine fra Frankrig og Californien, arrangeret af journalisten Steven Spurrier i Paris, den californiske ‘Cab’s succes på den internationale arena, idet Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars ’72 fra Napa Valley vandt førstepladsen. Californiske Cabernet Sauvignons har en fyldig, lang smag med undertoner af brombær, kirsebær og anden mørk frugt. De fleste af disse vine, der har en temmelig fast struktur, mærkbare tanniner og stramhed, kan gemmes i 10, 20 eller endnu flere år.
Beskrivelse fra Coppola:
We combine fruit from appellations as far north as El Dorado and as far south as Paso Robles, where soil diversity produces more complexity in our wine. Likewise, some of our vineyards experience a unique diurnal temperature pattern where extremely hot days are tempered by very cool nights. This slows the ripening process and enhances the flavor and complexity of the fruit.
The 2007 vintage was a dream; the season got underway earlier than normal and then lasted longer because of moderate late summer temperatures and rain-free days throughout September. These conditions are ideal for creating physiologically perfect fruit, which is why winemakers have declared this one of the best vintages of the decade. The Cabernet we harvested was both highly concentrated and exquisitely balanced, displaying a lush texture, mature tannins, and lavish fruit flavors with alluring spice impressions.
Zinfandel
Zinfandel, der første gang blev plantet i Californien i 1850’erne, er Californiens egen drue. En omfattende dna-test udført af professor Meredith fra UC Davis har vist, at Zinfandel og Primitivo genetisk er samme druesort. Ingen tvivl om det. Dna-tests viser også, at Zinfandel og Crljenak, en kroatisk drue, er de samme. Zinfandel og Plavac Mali er imidlertid ikke den samme drue. Zinfandel er slægtning til Plavac Mali, ligesom Dobricic, også en kroatisk drue. Men betyder alt dette, at Zin, Primitivo og Crljenak er 100 % identiske? Absolut ikke. Der er klonforskelle, store forskelle mellem dyrkningen i vinmarken og endnu større forskelle mellem vinfremstillingsteknikkerne. Så selv om de har den samme dna-struktur, bliver de til meget forskellige vine.
Zinfandel er en særdeles mangesidet drue, og resultatet har været forskellige vinstilarter. Fra de forfriskende, let tørre White Zinfandel vine, til de rige og fyldige røde, med lang gæring med skindkontakt, en sekundær malolaktisk fermentering og lagring på små egefade.
Flere oplysninger om Zinfandel fås hos ZAP (Zinfandel Advocates & Producers). ZAP blev grundlagt i 1991 som en nonprofit institution, der havde til formål at udbrede kendskabet til, hvor unik en drue Zinfandel er. Organisationen støtter forskning vedrørende Zinfandel og promoter denne drue via smagninger. Den årlige ZAP-smagning i San Francisco tiltrækker over 10.000 mennesker.
Beskrivelse fra Coppola:
Our Diamond Zinfandel is an expression of several unique appellations and one incredible vintage. From our Hog’s Canyon vineyard in Paso Robles comes fruit that was highly concentrated as a result of dry summer temperatures that exceeded 95ºF. At the other end of the appellation, we sourced from a vineyard comprised of gravely clay loam soils similar to those of Australia’s Barossa Valley. This fruit was blended with grapes from our Sonoma County vineyards, which typically provide very high-quality fruit that ripens evenly and exudes immense character and flavor. Finally, we added an extra layer of complexity by blending in a small amount of Petite Sirah. The resulting wine has a solid structure and mature tannins to give balance to Zinfandel’s inherently “jammy” nature.
Malbec
Although Malbec is not all that well-known in the U.S., it is common to blend small amounts of this varietal into Cabernet Sauvignon-based wines. In fact, this has been the tradition of great Bordeaux wines for centuries. More recently, Malbechas become Argentina’s most prolific wine export, bottled as its own impressive single-varietal wine.
Malbec is less tannic than Cabernet, but more so than Merlot, giving it a powerful structure but more immediate drinkability. Our Malbec was grown in several coastal vineyards, which experience an abundance of afternoon sun, little wind, and well-drained soils. Similar to Cabernet, this varietal exudes rich, dark fruit flavors of cherry and cassis, but there is an inherent note of minerality that makes it distinctly different. This quality, coupled with French oak aging, underscores the fruit with an alluring spice element all its own.
Petit Sirah
The fruit for this wine is grown in diverse regions throughout California. Immense color saturation and intense aromas of sweet, juicy boysenberries set the stage for a wine loaded with lush, jammy fruit, and long, lingering flavors of plums, blackberries, sage and a hint of smoke. Pairs perfectly with lamb chops, brisket, or creamy mushroom soup.
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