WTN: Alcohol and lightness

Some recent wines make me rethink the paradigm that hipster wines (e.g., wines sold from places like CSW and the ilk) are "alcohol-free" because they are not from California or Australia. It is my contention that any wine can have alcohol peek-through in ways surpassing understanding.

Ottaviano Lambruschi, Colli di Luni, Vermentino 'Costa Marina', 2006
Glistening soft, transparent gold colored. Herbal aromas: fresh oregano, sage, marjoram, and saline lemon mint. Herbs and that saline lemon show through on the palate and intensify on the end. A medicinal alcoholic aftershave lotion comes through on the finish, along with some gin/juniper, slight pine needle. Sappy, but unfortunately, the wine is marred by high alcohol (14%) that never lets you forget it is there in this $50/bottle wine. Which is too bad, because this is a beautiful. unique wine. A-

Jacques Puffeney, Arbois, Poulsard, 2005
Rather dark strawberry red colored for a poulsard, which is usually a true orange-colored wine. Nose of rubbing alcohol and strawberry greens. Alcohol, tart acid, and a slight tart strawberry note on the palate which finishes with a surprising kick of tannin at the end. Although pleasing, not a lot of complexity or character, only some pleasant strawberry and cranberry notes. Obviously works better with food, especially the Fontina cheese I ate with it, but even at 13.5%. the alcohol manifests itself in a most unwiedly way. B to slight B+. Not sure how different Puffeney's designations are, but there is another Poulsard 'M' which may or may not be better.

Thanks for the notes. I also don't like the blast of alcohol that comes with high-octane wines from hot climates and supermature grapes, so I can empathize with your disappointment. But I've never thought of lower alcohol as deliberate on the part of "hipster" winemakers. I see it merely as a consequence of picking their grapes at the traditional maturity point, i.e., before supermaturity. At that point, acidity is still healthy and sugar not as high as in supermature grapes, so there should be less alcohol blast, other things equal.

Oswaldo, I know what you are saying, but both of these are far from full-throttle wines, and that is what surprised me. The Lambrushchi was an excellent wine with fine acids, like a godello or Muscadet, but it could have been at a level higher had the alcohol been not so noticeable. And the Puffeney comes from the Jura, which is not known as an area of uberripe grapes. perhaps because the structure of each of these was so crystalline, the alcohol stood out more to me than if they had more fruit to cover it up? With superripe wines, I find the alcohol hits me later, as in, after it goes down. With more transparent wines, I find I detect it more on the nose first, and it interferes with the palate. I don't know if this is me or have others experienced similar results? interesting to know.

And the Puffeney comes from the Jura, which is not known as an area of uberripe grapes.

Didn't know that... Strange, the Poulsards and Trousseaus I've had have been relatively light fruited, so I would have thought the maturity was regular.

perhaps because the structure of each of these was so crystalline, the alcohol stood out more to me than if they had more fruit to cover it up?

That certainly makes sense to me.

With superripe wines, I find the alcohol hits me later, as in, after it goes down. (...). I don't know if this is me or have others experienced similar results? interesting to know.

With new world reds, the high alcohol tends to hit me right from the first whiff, like I'm gagging while trying to detect what fruit or other aromas might be lying there...

Interesting discussion, Mark and Oswaldo.

I would have to chime in with Oswaldo here. The Argentine Cabernet we drank on Monday is a perfect example-this was a wine that I would describe as a flambee wine: if you lit a match above it, it would ignite. Maybe it is my incorrect way of nosing a wine, but high alcohol wines tend to hit me up front on the nose first-I am really sensitve to these alcoholic noses. Sometimes there is enough fruit to overcome this, but often I find these alcoholic wines to be too jammy as well. Sometimes, of course, that can be fine with some wines and some situations.

but high alcohol wines tend to hit me up front on the nose first-I am really sensitve to these alcoholic noses.

I have the same problem with oak on the roof of my mouth!

but high alcohol wines tend to hit me up front on the nose first-I am really sensitve to these alcoholic noses.

I have the same problem with oak on the roof of my mouth!

Yep. I hate that blast of vanilla!