WTN: New Zealand Chambourcin

[David M. Bueker]

Yup...Chambourcin! In screw cap too! I wonder if reverse-osmosis was used to make the 2004 Marsden Chambourcin (Bay of Islands, NZ). If so it could find a way to offend nearly every stripe of wine geek.

Trouble is, the wine is good. It's certainly forward fruity in a ripe raspberry sort of way, but it's also got some pretty herb elements (kind of a piney rosemary) that give it a little more flavor interest. It's not too tannic, and really not as rustic as one might expect. Served blind I had no idea what it was, but scored it quite well, as did the group. I would not hesitate to buy and drink this if I could find it. The person who opened it had hand-carried the wine back from New Zealand.

The best Chambourcin I ever had was made by Chadd's Ford winery in Southeastern Pennsylvania. The fruit was sourced from a vineyard (now non-existant) that was lovingly and carefully maintained by a couple whose primary concern was growing quality fruit. Rigorous cluster thinning, shoot positioning, leaf removal, etc. Chambourcin can be surprisingly good, as you have discovered. Trouble is, it is so productive that it is almost always overcropped, if highest quality fruit is the goal.

[David M. Bueker]

I have had that same legendary Chaddsford Chambourcin on two occasions (as well as more recent editions). It was quite good, but this one was actually better. I would love to have tasted them side-by-side but that was clearly impossible.

Chambourcin is one of my favorite grapes, no allowance for its parentage necessary. It can have such nice fruit! My standard for Chambourcin is that made by Pirtle Winery in Weston, Missouri. Other versions from the Midwest I've had have been over-oaked, but Pirtle manages to capture the full exuberance of the fruit, and with what oak they use worked in very attractively.

What IS the parentage of Chambourcin?

The person who opened it had hand-carried the wine back from New Zealand.

I was wondering how you got hold of a bottle of this until this sentence explained it.
Rod McIvor (the winemaker) is getting pretty good at understanding his region's climate and he's making some quite good wines.

[David M. Bueker]

I checked several sources the other day & they either did not list the parentage or said it was unknown.

Paging Carole Meredith!

What IS the parentage of Chambourcin?

http://www.littlehorsewinery.com/grape_lineage.htm

According to this, Chambourcin is 60% V. vinifera, 29% V. rupestris, with the rest a hodge-podge.

Steve - this is the best I could do. As you can see I am not particularly computer literate. Hope you can make some sense of it. Edit: chambourcin appearing in the middle and parentage on top and bottom.

Chambourcin Pedigree



V. Lincecumii
(Jaeger 43)
Jaeger 70---------- |
(Munson) V. Rupestris
|--------------------- |
| V. Bourquiniana
| Herbemont
Seibel 792 X Seibel 2003
| (Vivarais B red)
Seibel 4614- |
(white) V. Berlandieri
Seibel 6468--|
(red) Seibel 3011 Jaeger 43
Seyve Villard 12-417------ | (V. Lincecumii)
(red) | Seibel 2------ |
| | (red) Alicante Bouschet
| | Seibel 85--------------------- |
| | (red) | Aramon
| | | Ganzin 1----- |
| | | V. Rupestris
| | Seibel 4199 |
| | | | V. Rupestris
| | | Couderc 132-11------------ |
| | | (Nouveau Bayaard B red) |
| Seibel 6905- | V. Vinifera
| (Subereux) |
| | Seibel 451
| Seibel 4595- | V. Rupestris
| | Seibel 14-----V. Lincecumii
Chambourcin | | (red) V. Vinifera
(Joannes Seyve 26-205)--- | Seibel 405--- |
| | Aramon
| Ganzin 1----- |
| V. Rupestris
| Seibel 2501
| (Folle Blanche B white)
| (Picquepoul B white)
| (Folle Blanche B white) V. Riparia
| Seibel 5163- | Clinton- |
| (red) Noah Noir | V. Labrusca
| | (Alicante X Gaillard 2) |---- |
| | | | | Schiava Grossa
| | | V. Rupestris X Othello Black Hamburg-- |
Seibel 7053------- | |---------- | Muscat of Alexandria
(Chancellor) | | V. Rupestris
| Noah--- |
| V. Riparia
|
| V. Vinifera
| (Emily)
| Couderc 28-112- |
| (Bayard B red) V. Rupestris
| | Jaeger 43
Seibel 880 | (V. Lincecumii)
| Jaeger 70---------- |
| (Munson B red) |
Seibel 2003------- | V. Rupestris
(Vivarais B red) |
| V. Aestivalis
V. Bourquiniana------- |
(Herbemont) V. Cinerea

[David M. Bueker]

So Chambourcin is basically a mutt. But it's a nice mutt that doesn't bark much & runs to the door when you come home.

So Chambourcin is basically a mutt. But it's a nice mutt that doesn't bark much & runs to the door when you come home.

Nice one!

No doubt in my mind that Chambourcin can make a tasty wine.

A UK supermarket (ASDA) used to list an Australian Champbourcin (Pencil Pine-- some winery I could never find on the web) so presumably a shippers label), anyway, even though priced more expensive than most of the wines there and was never discounted, it sold well. It isn't my usual store but everytime I did go there I bought some although many times there was just a gap where it was supposed to be. So I wasn't the only fan.

Anyway --

I had the good luck to have three vintages of Marsden Estates Chambourcin in the past few weeks, 2000, 2004 and 2006.

2000 was showing signs af aging, fruit subdued, 2006 was enjoyable, sprightly and young but 2004 was just perfect. Like you, if I could get it at home I'd buy a case without hesitation.

The first chambourcin I tried was about ten years ago, D'Arenberg's Peppermint Paddock ... NOT the sparkling wine, but a still table wine that they produced before it. Loved the stuff. Spicy, full of nutmeg and cloves and a hint of maple butter, but without being sweet. But after a short few years, they hopped onto the sparkling red bandwagon and started to turn their chambourcin into a sparkler. I was sorry to see the still wine go, and would like to track down another chambourcin that captures that spicy character.

Matilda