Blended or straight: What’s your pleasure?
What’s your pleasure? Single-varietal classics like Burgundy’s Pinot Noir, or traditional varietal blends like Bordeaux? Or are you happy either way?
I’m pretty sure most of us would say “either way*,” but please take note of the asterisk on that statement. The words “classics” and “traditional” matter here.
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It’s not necessarily prudent to simply throw a random collection of grapes into the fermenting mix just to see what happens. Most traditional blends have stood the test of time and won success because the combination worked.
The winning combinations that make up Bordeaux, Chianti, Châteauneuf-du-Pâpe and other Rhône wines have been around for centuries, and this combination has produced a unique blend whose taste has been loved for all those years. Burgundy, Napa Cabernet, Rhine and Mosel Riesling and Aussie Shiraz, in contrast, have remained as single-varietal wines because experience has showed us that this standalone approach works.
Creating new combinations never seen before can be more risky. If an innovative blend works, it can be a delight. But when the experimental flavors don’t resonate, the effort falls flat. The process is something like making a stew by picking random ingredients from the pantry just to see what will happen.
I’ve talked about this before, more than once. “Unfamiliar varietal blends can yield wines as delightful as a chef’s creations, or as scary as Frankenstein’s monster. Or even both at the same time. … The wine maker’s challenge, like that of a chef, is to work with flavors and make them sing in harmony. … as with any innovation, new and untried combinations might work well, or they might yield a muddy mix of undistinguished flavors. But creative winemakers are willing to take risks in the pursuit of success. Such risks can pay off.”
“Biodynamic agriculture cultivates biodiversity and a unique originality in each field,” Chilean organic producer Emiliana points out. “Annual and perennial cultivations, herbs, flowers, fruits, and native plants, among others, contribute to the vegetative diversity, broadening the health and resilience of the place. The diversity of domestic animals is also beneficial …
I’m always willing to give something new a try, so here we go again. Today’s featured wine takes wild blending to a new level, though! Emiliana 2020 Coyam Los Robles Estate Red Blend brings together nine organically grown, biodynamic varieties from Chile’s Colchagua Valley. It’s 38% Syrah, 37% Carmenere, 8% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Carignan, 4% each Carnacha and Mourvedre, 2% Petit Verdot, and 1% each Malbec and Tempranillo.
Some of those varieties commonly turn up together in blends. Some of the others take this recipe well away from the ordinary. Breaking it down, Syrah, Carignan, Garnacha (Grenache), and Mourvedre often play nicely together in Rhône, Australian, or California blends. Carmenere, a Chilean specialty, is closely related to Merlot, which goes well with Cabernet Sauvignon, while Petit Verdot and Malbec also sing in the Bordeaux chorus, while Malbec often stands alone as an Argentine icon. And finally there’s a dash of Spain’s Tempranillo rounding out the mix.
This week’s Substack conversation: What’s your pleasure? Single-varietal classics like Burgundy’s Pinot Noir, or traditional varietal blends like Bordeaux? Or are you happy either way?
Coyam is an unusual blend, not duplicated anywhere else as far as I know. But it brings good credentials to the table: Its producer Emiliana is recognized as the world’s largest organic winery, and Coyam was one of the first biodynamically certified wines in Chile.
The proof is in the tasting, and this one stands up as a wild-blend winner. I don’t find any single varietal character standing out, but the flavors blend well, as they should, in a fresh, full, and balanced wine of admirable complexity and a natural affinity for red meat and other robust entrees.
The $25 price on this week’s featured wine keeps it behind our subscription paywall. Since I buy all the wines I review at retail and do not accept wine samples or other gratuities from the industry, I count on the support of paid subscribers to help cover the cost of the wines I review. Accordingly, I have to reserve wines that cost me more than about $20 behind our subscription paywall.
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