Owned by Ste. Michelle Estates, and consistently among the 20 largest brands in the U.S., 14 Hands is named after the size of the small horses—14 hands—that used to roam the plains of Eastern Washington.
This is a Chardonnay/Riesling blend with small amounts of Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, and Pinot Gris in the mix.
It doesn’t leap out of the glass but the aromatics are pleasant–lemon, green apple, d’anjou pear with floral hints. On the palate it has a bit of sweetness up front introducing a creamy, medium plus body at midpalate but finishes crisp and tart. A vibrant wine with a satisfying midpalate it will stand up to foods that have some sweetness.
A simple, well-made, versatile white with good value.
Viognier when it’s right is soul-stirring like a great tango. American Viognier is seldom soul-stirring, but this Viognier-based blend could inspire a stone to dance.
Sumptuous and generous on the nose with layers of roasted pear, red apple, and muskmelon mingling sensuously with camellia notes that become prominent after some aeration. Hints of ginger and apricot enliven the foundation of lightly buttered toast rounding out this interesting flavor profile. On the palate the story is about texture. The wine is endearingly fleshy and opulent, soft but thick like fine suede with a slight impression of lanolin.
Despite the addition of 17% Marsanne and 15% Grenache Blanc in the blend, the medium length finish shows bitter notes characteristic of Viognier and the acidity is a bit flat. But the overall impression is wonderful. A friendly, approachable wine with the intricacy and detail to hold your interest, there is depth and emotion as well . It is elegant and composed, a feline sensuality of small movements joined with audacity and confidence like the tango dancer putting forward his upper torso to offer himself–telling a story of subterranean bitterness and the pain of disconnection.
Pair with fresh salmon dressed with pesto and accompanied by the electro-tango sounds of Gotan Project:
Just as dogs seem to take on the characteristics of their owners, perhaps wine takes on the characteristics of the winemaker. But can grapevines take on the characteristics of their neighbors? Plants learning from plants? We’re in the neighborhood of woo here, occult forces, mystical gobbledygook, voodoo vino.
This may be the most unique and exotic wine I’ve had all year.
Let’s get the tasting note out of the way first. Sumptuous peach and citrus with honey undertones form the core of the aroma profile but a provocative layer of petrol and top notes of lychee and slight salty notes give it lots of complexity and finesse. This is a juicy, dense wine, off-dry, almost sweet, with medium-plus weight and a creamy texture upon first sip, but bristling acidity blossoms in the mid-palate giving the whole experience a lifted, ethereal quality. The ravishingly elegant finish is a heady mineral bath.
What exactly is this wine? Who knows? It’s a field blend from a Grand Cru vineyard planted with 20+ varietals in mixed plots that including Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Muscat, and many members of the Pinot family. I’m not sure even the vineyard manager knows precisely what’s in the blend. At any rate, peach and hints of petrol suggest Riesling, and the lychee notes suggest Gewurztraminer. And I suspect touches of noble rot.
As good as this wine is, the story behind it is fascinating in a geeky way.
The winemaker is Jean-Michel Deiss, proprietor along with his partner Marie-Hélène Cristofaro, of Domain Marcel Deiss, named for Jean-Michel’s father who started the Domain in 1947. Deiss’s wines are highly regarded but he is a maverick, labeling his wines as vineyard designates rather than according to region and varietal as most of his fellow Alsatians do. But his vineyard labeling is more than just contrariness. Not only does he think vineyard expression more important than varietal expression, in his vineyards, Deiss claims, these multiple varietals ripen at the same time! This is a bizarre claim. Gewurztraminer and Pinot Gris ripen early in the season, Riesling typically takes longer especially in cool regions. The problem with field blends is that you get a mix of varietals and various degrees of ripeness.
Why would varieties with significantly different ripening characteristics, when planted together, ripen at the same time? Are they communicating? Mind melding with Deiss? Botanical channeling? Like I said–Voodoo Vino.
Maybe it’s the stress of being a Deiss vine. Rumor has it, he sometimes builds a fence around the vine roots underground to force them to grow down through layers of rock instead of outward in the more fertile, moisture laden soil. Vine density is sometimes over 4000 plants per acre, three or four times the density of many quality vineyards, forcing each vine to struggle to get nutrition. But he then drops so much fruit that his yields are half of the average Alsatian vineyard.
In the winery, it’s low intervention, bio-dynamic winemaking for Deiss. Minimal use of sulphur, native yeasts, fermentations that can last as long as a year depending on what the grapes want to do, months on the lees in large casks, and no filtration or fining. The grapes have a mind of their own.
But you can’t argue with results. A wine of extraordinary beauty and of course there is nothing as beautiful as mystery.
This can be consumed only while listening to lush, inscrutable, ambient sound in a language that can only be felt:
Everyone knows that after a hard day of physical labor, a cold beer is the elixir of life that restores and renews. But moving a household involves additional emotional baggage weighing on already tired muscles. In such situations, when the soul aches along with the body, something even more magical is called for—that would be wine of course.
Is “work wine” a wine category? Perhaps it should be.
Here are two wines that qualify.
Ferrari-Carano’s Bella Luce white wine blend is a melange of Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and Muscat Canelli. But it all works. Lemon, mango, white flowers and spicy ginger all compete for your attention. Good weight on the palate, slightly viscous but with bracing acidity, this wine is both interesting and refreshing. 89 Points.
The elixir of life had better be spicy. The Petit Barone, a blend of Merlot (71%), Cabernet (24%), and a little Petite Verdot, has spiciness in spades, the product of 24 months in French and American oak. Very dark fruit and baked earth anchor the pepper and clove notes. A medium-bodied wine with a soft mid-palette until the grippy tannins kick in, the pronounced acidity gives this wine a vaguely Italian spirit. An unusual approach for a Bordeaux blend. 88 points.
The common denominator—spice and acidity. Move over pale ale, make room for work wines.
Owned by Ste. Michelle Estates, and consistently among the 20 largest brands in the U.S., 14 Hands is named after the size of the small horses—14 hands—that used to roam the plains of Eastern Washington.
