Now that the parties are over and all of those wonderful excuses for buying and uncorking the good stuff have fallen away, and all you’re left with is the rest of January and all of February to face. It can be a brutal time. Even if winter’s cold index isn’t on par this year, those long dark nights don’t change; an early twilight can feel like a door coming down on your day. If you’re like me, your time at home becomes more precious and comforting.
I look for comfort on my wine rack, too. It’s usually red; most of the whites are tucked away for a winter’s nap; not that there’s never an occasion to drink them, but I find I’m not often in the mood. The reds tend to be dark, warm-toned, generous and satisfying, wines that fill out an evening or cradle a meal. And the ones I reach for are generally undemanding and open-handed, their pleasures lie in their modesty and simplicity. It doesn’t hurt that they’re re not pricey.
Below, please find a wine suggestion or two that might bring a little cheer to the dark corners of mid-winter.
Along with Thanksgiving, Beaujolais Nouveau is like a herald of winter and of the holiday season. But while Beaujolais Nouveau might be fun for a swig or two, often it feels silly and untethered; the fruit is so frisky it hardly seems like there’s a wine there. Not so with cru-bottlings of Beaujolais. Even with only a few months of age, proper cru-Beaujolais from Morgon or Moulin-a-Vent can smell and taste youthful, but they’re typically grounded by soft acids and a mildly persistent, enduring minerality. And for the dark nights of winter, no wine is sunnier than Beaujolais; its flavors of red berry and earth are irrepressibly cheery and versatile with winter foods, including everything from roast chicken to a hearty stew.
Specific Recommendations (with full reviews below):
2005 Jadot Chateau de Jacques Moulin a Vent, about $25
2005 Trenel Cote du Py Morgon, about $18
Zinfandel offers similar pleasures, but has a bit more meat on its bones and considerably more heft to gird a hearty meal. Zinfandel’s tannins can be formidable, but in a well made wine, those are sleekly presented in a cushion of dark purple fruit, which makes it satisfying on its own or substantial enough for any winter supper. Few wines, in fact, are better with long-simmered meats, enveloping complex flavors with a unique combination of fruit and tannin. Choose something that isn’t screaming with alcohol, an unfortunate trend that tends to scorch or distort the flavors.
Recommendations:
2004 Vie Napa Valley Howell Mountain Beatty Ranch Vineyard Zinfandel, about $29
2004 Dashe Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel, about $22
Or try a Cabernet from the Napa Valley. I know, that’s not a reach, but in recent years, with their prices and ripeness levels approaching ludicrous levels, it seems they’ve fallen out of fashion in some circles–at least it’s become somewhat unfashionable to like them. But a good, well-structured Cab can still envelop you with its intensity. And they don’t all cost an arm and a leg. Sometimes they only cost a leg.
Take one of these cold nights as an opportunity to remind yourself what an honest cab tastes like. Take care to choose one not spoofilated by gobs of new oak or excessive handling in the cellar; look for some honesty and some freshness, a wine that tastes like the vineyard and the grape, like these below.
Recommendations:
2004 Honig Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, about $30
2003 Long Meadow Ranch Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, about $40
Cotes du Rhône reds are smoky and dark, with pantry aromas of olives, dried herbs, maybe a jar of fruit preserves. The flavors are rich and approachable, the tannins supple and firm, softer than wines made from Bordeaux varieties. If you want some tannic oomph, the Syrahs of St. Joseph and Crozes-Hermitage will certainly hold forth well on a cold night, but to me the homiest, the wines that seem to really wrap themselves around a meal, are Cotes du Rhônes from the south, which are at once lighter and earthier than their northern counterparts, and the addition of Grenache takes the edge off more tannic Syrah. Like a cozy sweater, they’re sturdy but comfortable.
Recommendations:
2004 M. Chapoutier Belleruche Cotes du Rhône, about $13
2004 Jean-Luc Colombo ‘Les Forots’ Cotes du Rhône, about $20
Lest you think that this selection is too red-centric, consider bubbles, which go a long way toward brightening a long dark night. If you’ve got a bottle of Champagne burning a hole in your ice-bucket, well, by all means, pop the cork. But the more affordable sparklers from the USA will do just fine as an everyday wine; they tend to be slightly riper and richer, letting that California sunshine find expression in the flute. And fizzy wine, as we know, goes with nearly every occasion.
Recommendations:
N/V Roederer Estate Anderson Valley Brut Sparkling Wine, about $25
2003 Domaine Carneros Carneros Brut Sparkling Wine, about $25
Reviews and Tasting Notes:
Trenel, Morgon (Beaujolais, France) Côte du Py 2005 ($18, Robert Chadderdon): Silky and light, with scents of wild strawberry and flavors like a pot of red raspberries, this seductive wine’s juicy red fruit is grounded by a dusty, almost imperceptible minerality that acts as a rudder for all of that exuberant fruit. Delicious and irresistible. 88
Jadot, Moulin a Vent (Beaujolais, France) Chateau de Jacques 2005 ($25, Kobrand): Jadot’s Beaujolais in general are compact, structured affairs, always showing a remarkable tension between an earthy grounded foundation and generous red berry fruit. This 2005 shows a similar pedigree; it’s quite a bit more structured than the Trenel, tightly wound with firm tannins to guide the wine into more substantial food territory, like roast chicken. 90
Vie, Napa Valley (California) Howell Mountain Beatty Ranch Vineyard Zinfandel 2004 ($29): Mountain zins tend toward the big and the powerful, and while this one isn’t exactly shy (with alcohols pushing 16%), it remains gentle, luscious, creamy, and beautifully delineated. Its black cherry and dark plum flavors have achieved an ideal ripeness without going over the line, with an integrated, balanced finish. 91
Dashe, Dry Creek Valley (Sonoma County, California) Zinfandel 2004 ($22): Mike Dashe’s Zins from Dry Creek, where he once worked at Ridge’s Lytton Springs facility, have always been relatively restrained, and 2004 is no exception. The fruit aromas are red, with strawberry and raspberry predominating. On the palate, what’s pleasing is the wine’s tension, its brisk acidity and peppery tannins, which set it apart from other, more massive incarnations of Dry Creek Zin. 90
Long Meadow Ranch, Napa Valley (California) Cabernet Sauvignon 2003 ($40): A well-built wine with a structure the reminds one what Cabs used to taste like before more recent vintages, where they’ve had a flabbier midsection. It leads with scents of black cherry offset by a mildly green herb aroma. The black cherry fruit flavors are supported by hints of olive and a minerals, the finish tastes like it was dusted with cocoa. That bay leaf herb note makes it a great wine for lamb. 90
Honig, Napa Valley (California) Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 ($30): This is a classic; a youthful wine with fine textures supporting ample fruit, and a pronounced Rutherford Dust character peeking through plummy, dark blue fruit, with a supple core, all supported by a cushion of oak. It’s balanced and generous but hardly sweet or sugary, finishing with toasty oak notes and good grip. 89
M Chapoutier, Cotes du Rhône (Rhône, France) “Belleruche” 2005 ($13, Paterno): The ever reliable Chapoutier has a masterful hand in the Rhône from Condrieu to Cotes du Rhône, and this smoky red is no exception. With its heady, plummy scent, it still feels youthful and unformed, but its dark coffee and olive flavors make it ideal for a dark winter’s night. 87
Jean-Luc Colombo, Cotes du Rhône (Rhône, France) “Les Forots” 2004 ($20, Palm Bay): Colombo’s modern Rhône style has typically been about depth and dark fruit, an almost prune-like character in some of his red wines, intermingled with savory elements of smoke, olive, and herb. This Cotes du Rhône is a good introduction to the style, leading as it does with scents of black olive and black fruit. The acids in the wine keep it from imploding, however, and its finish is brisk and firm. 89
Roederer Estate, Anderson Valley (Mendocino County, California) Brut Sparkling Wine NV ($25): A beautiful wine, with a soft mousse and pale, golden apple-skin color. Its aromas are slighty yeasty but mostly about crisp pear; pear fruit is more demonstrative on the palate, with a rich fruit character that’s supported by a fine, almost dusty minerality that carries it to the finish. 90
Domaine Carneros, Carneros (California) Brut Sparkling Wine 2003 ($25): A classic American sparkler, with lots of creamy fruit (a grapey scent, with apple accents) that feels rich and immense on the palate, with a yeasty amplitude to the texture that’s warm appealing. Not exactly subtle, but hard to resist. 88