WineSmith Saint Laurent (3)

Julia Sevenich, Editor of the Ultimate Austrian Wine Guide, has written a really excellent article on St. Laurent. She quotes Austrian winegrower Hannes Reinisch:

“St. Laurent is one of the most fascinating and valuable red wine varieties because it is capable of uniting the power and spice that one would expect of the Rhone with the elegance and delicacy of Burgundy. These attributes in combination with the climatic and geological preconditions in Austria result in unique, elegant and inimitable wines that demonstrate all the virtues of the variety and terroir.”

The article also discusses the puzzle that so far DNA analysis has not been able to determine additional parentage beyond its Pinot Noir origins, but the grape does contain anthocyanin pigments not found in Pinot Noir, which is distinguished by its lack of acyllated pigments, a unique trait. It is possible that the acyllated pigments in St. Laurent are derived a throwback to an ancestor of PN whose synthesis is suppressed in modern Pinot Noir.

In our lab rats’ reports, there is disagreement about whether this wine’s color is light or dark. That’s because the wine has a very unusual appearance. It’s extremely rich in ruby color, but like that gem, has a sort of brilliant transparency. Likewise the mouthfeel is both dense and soft, so it can be described as both light and heavy-bodied at the same time.

[LABRAT]

2014 Winesmith St. Laurent

I was fortunate to get a Fedex notification that a mystery bottle was headed my way, and very excited when it arrived to see it was one of Clarke’s wines, which are highly prized in my cellar. My wife and I are big fans of WineSmith and Engracia wines!

Knowing that Clarke’s wines often need a bit of time to open up, I popped the cork on this one a few hours before drinking, and it seemed ready to go upon pouring. I did a tasting paired with several cheeses with my wife, Shannon, our oldest daughter, and her best friend. Here are the notes:

Shannon:

Dark red color, lots of savory and briny notes. Sour cherry finish, pairs extremely well with cheese, velvety mouthfeel. Yes, I would buy.

Daughter:

Rich, deep red color. Savory nose with hints of brown sugar at the end. Similar on palate, hits the back of the tongue with some buzz, pairs well with the cheeses. Yes, I would buy.

Friend:

Cranberry red color. (Notes now have a drawing of a full glass of wine above a happy face.) “This wine is approved because it tastes good. It has good flavors, but I can’t pick them out, but they’re good.” Yes, I would buy.

Me:

Beautiful dark red ruby color, very clear. Red fruit with lots of herbs and savory elements on the nose. Lots of herbs on the palate, somewhat briny (in a good way), sour cherry with raspberry bramble finish. There is a minerally energy on the palate that reminds me of other wines I’ve had from Clarke. Fine tannin structure, great mouthfeel, long clean finish. As it was open longer to air it revealed more fruit. Yes, I will buy.

Overall a very well made wine, and super interesting. Reminds me most of some Cru Beaujolais Gamay I bought a couple years ago, that had this lean focused structure with lots of herbs, but it was strawberry instead of this wine’s sour cherry. Highly recommended!

Check you PM. or you can contact winery direct.

Mike.WineSmith@gmail.com

Looking forward to my second WineSmith order but my first St. Laurent. Thanks, Clark!

What was your first order, and how did you like it?

Clark

If for my first WineSmith order as well! Looking forward to this and hopefully more!

Loved your 2013 version and ordered today.

What music would you pair the 2013 with? We had it with friends last week and I was thinking Janis Joplin or Edie Brickel. A friend commented it needed an artist we had never heard of because of the mystery person if the grape and the strong aroma. Thoughts?

Any chance you’ll offer your Grenache on here? Or the Pennyfarthing rose? I quite enjoyed your rose and Barbera a few years back. Wish I had ordered more!

I’m in for two. I managed to get my mitts on 4 bottles of the 2007 pinot when it came up and it’s been amazing. I should have gotten more, as I’ve become overly protective of the last two bottles! Thanks for all the good work you do!

That’s a really good question. Before I answer specifically, I don’t find that pairing wine with music has anything to do with the artist or the genre or even if you like the song. It’s more primal than that. You just have to ask yourself what’s the emotional modality of the wine, and then match it to the song.

The 2013, for me, is emotionally much more brooding than the 2014, which is spicier and more cheerful and bright.

For the 2013, I’d recommend Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 in G, Tom Waits San Diego Serenade, Joni Mitchell’s River, and George Jones He Stopped Loving Her Today.

For the 2014, I’d suggest Hank Williams Jr. Goin’ Out Huntin’ Tonight, Gipsy Kings Allegria, and Shall We Dance from The King and I.

We’ll offer the Grenache soon. For the Rose’, it’s only $10 so the free shipping deal eats me alive. Just order it off the website. It’s crazy cheap. I personally drink a lot of it.

Here’s the trick with the Rose -

If you go to our website- www.winesmithwines.com we discount 36% off of a case and anything above the first case ships free, so what we tell people is to get a group of friends and get an order together. Order wines you like and then “pad” the case with the rose.

Example: order some of your WineSmith favorites - Crucible, Pinot, Cab Franc, etc. Say you get to 14 bottles, then add 10 bottles of rose to “pad” the 2nd case, so it ships free, or add 22 bottles of rose and the 2 cases above the first case ships free.

Howdy all,

Sorry for getting on the boards so late, but better late thank never…

I just want to say this was a fun collaborative project between Clark and I. When I was introduced to it in 2013, It really blew me away. Living in CA I (I can’t believe I’m saying this) sometimes get bored of CA wines, so I sometimes go for international wines to try something new.

The cool thing about this wine is it’s naturally quite “European” in style with it’s low alcohol, Not IN YO FACE jammy fruit, and higher acidity… and that little bit of “funk” (funk in a good way) it brings to the nose.

If you haven’t tried St. Laurent, what are you waiting for? This is an awesome wine at a killer price! Be adventurous this new year, you don’t have much to lose, and a lot to gain. Booo Ya!

[grape]

Adding my notes on here (sorry they are a bit late).

Light ruby in color, very like Pinot in structure it seems.

Nose: Subtle fruit, salty, tiny bit of green (grassy). Dark chocolate, 85% Cacao. I keep getting fine notes of something bigger, but it fades quickly.

Palate: Initially very tart, mouthwatering. Tart cran/cherry.
Slowly developed to apricot, fig and honey (dark/unfiltered). Unripe pineapple maybe.

Wonderful mid-palate that lingers, and that rear-palate with dark fruit/sweetness.

Definitely would agree with the comment about it being a blind taste Pinot.

It’s not a first grab for me, but I respect Clark and his efforts enough to go for it.

I’ve never had a Winesmith wine I didn’t find to be surprisingly good, with great QPR.

Never tried this varietal before, though. From the comments above, lots of people have compared it to a light Pinot Noir.

Silly wine snoot question: would one preferentially serve this wine in a Pinot Noir glass?

That’s an interesting question. It’s very fragrant - doesn’t need the kind of coaxing a burgundy balloon is designed for, but it would do no harm. I drink most of my stuff in a standard all purpose - just the wine judge in me, I guess. I also like a Gibson glass - a large stemless orb that’s kind of reverse chic.

What do the rest of you think?

I bought 6 bottles of this on the praise it received, but it’s just not for me. If you’re in the SF area and would like to buy 4 bottles, I’d be happy to part with it at a discount to the Woot price. Email me at this address at Gmail. Cheers!