2007 Alazan Pinot Noir: Deeply colored in
the glass. ...Plenty
of smoke, cigar, and oiled wood aromas. The palate is...luscious core of blue and black berry fruit with smoke and
grilled
meat in the background. Nicely proportioned tannins and acidity with a
satiny
texture and a pleasing riff of citrus on the clean finish. Love the
taste of this
wine and worth a look for its uniqueness. Very good.
The 2008 Kingston Family Vineyards Tobiano Pinot Noir brings together an engaging union of elegance and earthiness, making for an ultra approachable red wine find. Expect solid strawberry and cherry notes to showcase on the mid-palate and a bit of smoke on the finish. I found that this wine continued to evolve in the glass, more than I expected, so give it a touch of airtime on the onset. This Pinot would be a versatile pairing partner, consider with the likes of grilled fish or roasted chicken.
Since childhood, Courtney Kingston has traveled back and
forth between her great-grandfather’s “casa patronal” ranch in Casablanca,
Chile, and the States.
Carl John Kingston had originally purchased the stunning piece of land in Chile
almost a century ago in hopes of finding gold. Those plans never “panned out,” but
the Kingstons made great use of the land as a cattle ranch.
Four generations later, Courtney Kingston developed a passion for wine while
living in California. Although Chile was then better known for exporting
forgettable table wine, Courtney endeavored to bring the best of modern
winemaking practices to the country’s Casablanca Valley. Today, Kingston Family
Vineyards demonstrates the upper echelon of Chile’s wine making potential and
Courtney likens the Casablanca Valley to Sonoma due to their shared coastal
influences.
The Kingston wines are all named for the family’s horses. Like their namesakes,
the Alazan Pinot Noir, Bayo Oscuro Syrah, and Cariblanco Sauvignon Blanc are
best in class.
The wines aren’t easy to find, so if you love a good bottle from Chile, we
suggest you join Kingston’s “Old Corral Wine Club” to ensure they find their
way to your dinner table.
continue reading
I
had the chance to taste several of the Kingston Family wines
and was pleasantly surprised by what I found. The wines were
definitely a little different (the reds are planted on their
own rootstocks – read the story below to find out more)
but also quite delightful.
The wines, by the way, are named in honor of various horses
on the farm.
Sauvignon Blanc “Cariblanco” 2007:
Grassy and crisp with a touch of cream. The classic Sauvignon
flavors are present but not overwhelming. Good with food.
Price: $21 Rating: B3
Pinot Noir “Alazan” 2007:
Classic Pinot nose with a few hints of rubber. Very easy
to drink. Price: $31.50 Rating:
C2
Syrah “Lucero” 2007: Definitely
not a quaffer – this wine is big and needs food. Great
red fruit flavor and just a hint of spice. Price: $20 Rating:
B1
Syrah “Bayo Oscuro” 2006:
Crisp and clean with blackberry flavors and just a touch
of pepper. An easier sipper; it’s worth lingering
over a glass or two. Price: $30 Rating:
B2
Prices are estimated retail. The wines are
rated A to F for quality (C is average) and 1 to 3 for value,
with 1 a wine that tastes better than its price, 2 is neutral
and 3 is a wine that isn't up to snuff for the cost.
continue reading
So, for my loyal followers, you may recall that my very first blog post
was about a Chilean Pinot Noir called Alazan. And I didn't think it was
very good.
Shortly after posting that, I was
contacted by Courtney Kingston of Kingston Family Vineyards who makes
Alazan. She asked if I'd give it another shot. Sure, why not,
especially since they graciously offered to send another bottle. Only
difference was that it was a 2007, not a 2006 as before. But they swore
that it's really good stuff, and they actually supply Cono Sur, the
best cheap pinot of all time ($8-11 per bottle) with some of their
fruit.
Again, as a reminder, the 2006 was $25 and
comes from Casablanca Valley in Chile. MSRP of the 2007 was $30, so
probably the same price retail.
Well, this went
MUCH better. As they suggested, I decanted it for about 4 hours; in
their own tasting notes they say this wine is tight. A great smokey,
intense nose. Taste had nice fruit, but not overwhelming, good length,
a well constructed solid wine. None of the watery, thin character of
the 2006 bottle. I'm hoping/guessing we had a bad bottle of the 2006,
even though there were no obvious flaws. Weird.
So, thanks Courtney. You indeed make some very tasty pinot noir. Yay!
A sure sign that the world’s wine tastes might be turning away from
heaviosity for good is when the Chileans - yes, the Chileans! - head for the
coast in pursuit of cool climate growing conditions...Value lurks here - even
for you Burg-hounds and Rhone-snobs.
Kingston Family wines are a good place to start seeking out this new side of
Chilean winemaking. Winemaker Byron Kosuge is a California veteran and a Pinot
Noir specialist. He’s a two-harvest type of guy (sort of a winemaker’s
equivalent of a bi-coastal Hollywood type.) Fortunately for us, he spends his
winters and springs working in Chile - imparting his aesthetic to more modestly
priced wines than what he does in his summers and falls (working for Saintsbury
in California.) When he plays with Syrah, he opts for the cool-climate style,
coaxing out a pinot-like end result… medium bodied with expressive minerality,
and subtle, racy tannins. With the Lucero expect rich blackberry and raspberry
fruit with a restrained feel. This is a promising play for $18 - and would be
fun to face-off against a considered, central coast California effort such as
those from Qupe. Only 700 cases made...
continue reading
We were having lunch at Jean-Georges in New York City. The city’s restaurants
have been hit hard, but $24 for lunch at Jean-Georges? Seems almost unfair. Our
host ordered everyone a glass of Pinot Noir: a very pretty, vibrant,
Carneros-styled wine. Cheap too. We asked to see the bottle. It was from a
winery called Kingston Family Vineyards in Casablanca, Chile. Chile?
When we got back from Jean-Georges, we Googled the winery. We saw that Byron
Kosuge was overseeing the winemaking. We’d known Kosuge (koh-soo-gee) for over
20 years, since his early days at Saintsbury. There are two things to understand
about Byron. First, he’s as brilliant with Syrah and Pinot Noir as anyone in
California. Second, he doesn’t do anything unless it can really be special. So
we called Byron. After a half-hour conversation, during which he told us about a
spot that he believes will make excellent Pinot Noir and world class Syrah, we
found ourselves tacking on another country to our already-planned Argentina
itinerary....
continue reading
Kingston has owned land here for generations and been growing grapes for
decades (and they still sell 90% of their production to other wineries). As
Americans who realized the parallels with California grape growing, Courtney
Kingston and her family are at the forefront of exploiting what is possible
qualitatively in the highly respected Casablanca Valley. And after visiting, we
are convinced the sky’s the limit! The vineyards and “boutiquey” winery are both
impressive (with all the qualitative accoutrements i.e. bladder press, sorting
tables etc) as was their everyday winemaker Evelyn Vidal. A young Chilean, she
has done “stages” in the USA and under Byron Kosuge’s tutelage, has grown in her
own right and is doing excellent work. All of Kingston’s 07s and 08s are truly
excellent!
The cool climate expressive Syrahs conjure up Alain Graillot Crozes-Hermitage
(really!) and would be easy to sell if the Syrah market weren’t so retarded! Do
yourself a favor though and do not ignore the 07 Lucero, the entry level price
point Syrah. It is really delicious and would make a SUPER by the glass Syrah!
(Note: this used to be called Tobiano but that name is now reserved just for
Kingston’s entry level Pinot)
continue reading
|