Seeing Red For the First Time: Wine Blogging Wednesday #67

The Story: This month's Wine Blog Wednesday is hosted by Joe Roberts at 1WineDude.com, and has the theme 'What red wine would you use to introduce a white wine drinker to red wine for the first time.' When I saw the topic announcement it probably took me 15 seconds to realize what I would use. While I have tasted and reviewed a Beaujolais Noveau I had never drank a 'full-term' Beaujolais and yet I knew that it was often referred to as the only white wine that is actually red. Beaujolais is notoriously fruity, characteristically low in tannin, and due to the carbonic maceration and short time in oak it tends to be fairly floral with just a bit of spice. This seemed like a perfect introduction for the hesitant white drinker. But I didn't feel that this was entirely fair and may set up the new red wine drinker for a shock when they move on to more muscular and complicated reds. So I did a little further research (okay like 5 minutes worth.) What I learned is that there are 10 crus of Beaujolais and one in particular, Morgon, has the typical Beaujolais fruitiness and frivolity, but also has a more masculine depth and full body. The Morgon cru produces wines that while fruity and low in tannins show some earth notes and complexity that may be a more honest and upfront way to coax a white devotee into the world of red wines.

The wine: I found a Daniel Bouland, Morgon, Corceleitte 2008 at C.W. Cellars in Pasadena. This producer is known for his old-style Morgon wines (meaning they are not chaptalized) and fans of his complex Beaujolais often say they are more comparable to good Burgundies than other Beaujolais.

The experience: The wine was a beautiful opaque bright red. The nose had lots of sweet cherries, some strawberry, but also a great gamy, briny, earth element to it. There was a few musty, earthy notes that were reminiscent of a Burgundy. It had a little bit of bubble gum as well. The flavors of this wine were much earthier than I expected. There was some cherry on the front end but across the mid-palette it really turned to earth and rocks. I wrote down 'lots of rocks.' It had the expected low tannins but a very refreshing acidity to it. The finish left a feeling on my teeth that there were still rocks in my mouth, but in an interesting and pleasant way (what??? You know I would never have thought or wrote stuff like this a year ago....that's what all you enthusiasts do to us newbies. At first I think we just want to fit in, and then we start to believe this stuff.)

The verdict: I give this wine a 3.5. It is one of my favorite wines I have tasted in the last couple of weeks, easily. It retails for around $19.00 and is worth it, certainly a different red wine than the majority of you are drinking on a regular basis. As for being a wine that one could use to convert a 'white is right' consumer, I think this choice was excellent. It wasn't too over the top and yet would introduce the whitey to some of the more enjoyable elements of red wine that you do not get solely sticking to whites. I think that last Wine Blog Wednesday I bombed on accomplishing the theme, but this month I nailed it. Anyone who thinks they are only a white wine drinker come on over and we'll share a bottle.