Trends and blends
Within the last couple of weeks I had the opportunity to have lunch with Cary Daste. Cary is one of my favorite people in the wine business and the consummate "pro" with many years of experience in an industry that knows plenty of ups and downs. Cary now has his own wine brokerage business from which he represents a number of wineries in the Northwest. While the lunch was planned as an opportunity to taste through the fabulous blends from Brian Carter Cellars, as frequently happens when old friends get together to chat the conversation also covered some of the trends in the wine industry as well.
We talked much about the current state of the industry. While we have our own sense of how the industry is holding up in a tough economy it is always beneficial to hear the view point from a trusted source that spends their days in a different segment of the business. Cary and I had a strikingly similar view though.
While the market is improving on an overall sales basis, those sales have "bar-belled." The lower end of the market (wines under $18 retail) continues to thrive, and the high end of the market (wines over $60) has improved greatly as collectors have started buying again. The mid range though of wines from $20 to $50 continues to flounder. This is a function Cary feels and I would agree of simple over supply in that price range.
With so many wines being marketed in that price point distinguishing ones product is challenging. This is complicated by the number of wines previously priced above $60 that have moved down in price due to the soft economy, further complicating the oversupply. The resolution may lie in the lean vintages of 2010 and 2011 when less wine was produced, eventually cleaning up the extras.
Another observation was how devastating the passage of 1183 in Washington State has been on the retail wine business causing many brands to be dropped by distributors at the wholesale level and by retailers as they make room for liquor. This has resulted in many wines no longer being available, and while the market place should eventually equalize in the short term some popular brands are tough to find in Washington but are more easily obtained in Idaho. The discussion has reinforced for me the need for Idaho to do nothing on the legislative front, and rather learn all we can from Washington's challenges as they come to grips with this new law.
The Brian Carter wines we tasted were fabulous as we have always known. The winery now produces about 7,000 cases with little plan to get much bigger. Working with all purchased fruit Brian only produces blended wines focusing each on the appellations of Europe and the grapes that do well there. While we enjoyed the full line up, four of the wines really stood out in our opinion. The 2010 Oriana white blend of Viognier, Rousanne and Riesling is reminiscent of the great white Ctes du Rhone. The Rousanne is prominent on the nose with its ripe roundness, while the Viognier dominates the palate with flavors of white peaches and good acid. 20 retail it makes a great wine for the deck in summertime.
The 2008 Byzance ($25) a Southern Rhone blend of Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre, Counoise and Cinsault has always been one of our favorites from Carter. The wine shows slight earthiness on the nose while the palate is vibrant with cherry notes and ripe summer berries. Byzance translates to luxurious, and is the perfect descriptor for this wine with its rich mouth feel and elegant finish all held together with firm tannin making it the perfect pairing for foods from the grill.
The 2008 Corrida ($30) Brian's ode to Spain is a Tempranillo based blend that is very good. While the wine is clearly driven by the Tempranillo, the addition of smaller amounts of Cabernet and Merlot really fills out the wine with sturdy dusty tannins and good acid making it really come alive with food. Cary and I were having lunch at Bistro on Spruce and I was having it with the pork tenderloin sandwich which was a stunning pairing.
Finally, I had the opportunity to try one of Brian Carter's new creations the Trentenaire, which translates to "of thirty years". This Bordeaux blend of mostly Petite Verdot but also including all of the other Bordeaux varietals Merlot, Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, was the highlight of the show. Dense and rich, loaded with juicy dark fruit flavors it was in short, spectacular. While we don't drink a lot of wine that is this full bodied in the summer this wine is begging for grilled steak. A little more "spendy" at $40 it is worth every penny and would go toe to toe with wines twice as expensive.
One of the really great parts of the job for me is the chance to have lunch with a friend, learn about the latest in the wine industry and to try some great creations from one of the premier producers in Washington state. A blend both literally and figuratively of the best our area has to offer.
If there is a topic you would like to read about or questions on wine you can email George@thedinnerpartyshop.com or make suggestions by contacting the Healthy Community section at the Coeur d'Alene Press.
George Balling is co-owner with his wife Mary Lancaster of the dinner party - a wine and table top decor shop in Coeur d'Alene by Costco. George is also the managing judge of The North Idaho Wine Rodeo and writes frequently for the online version of Coeur d'Alene Magazine at www.cdamagazine.com. You can learn more about the dinner party at www.thedinnerpartyshop.com.