Tried this wine last night:
1. Dom.Fontanel RancioSec DryAmberWine IGP: Cotes Catalanes L'Ancetre (17%; MeBaD; GrenacheBlanc; VinesPlntd: 1908-1946; U; Bttld: 2018; HausAlpenz/Edina/MN; www.Alpenz.com) Elodie&Matthieu Collet + Pierre & Marie-Claude Fontaneil/Tautavel 2007: Med.light brown color; strong very fragrant sherry/oxidized/maderized bit alcoholic quite nutty/smokey/maderized very complex nose; quite dry/tart/austere rather nutty/maderized/oxidized very Amatillado-sherry-like very near dry quite saline/savoryvery complex/roasted/smokey flavor; very long/lingering rather oxidized/maderized/rancio quite nutty/toasted walnuts/walnutty/smokey finish; much like an Amontillado sherry or Sercial Madeira; a very complex apertif wine that can work w/ savory & umami-laden food. $27.00/500 ml (KK)
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A wee BloodyPulpit:
1. Rancio is a genre of wine you don't often see. Mostly in the Roussillon/Catalan district of France near the Spanish border. It is made from late-harvested grapes left to ferment out to dryness which can often take years. It is stored/aged in partially-filled glass demijohns or casks, often exposed to sunlight & the outside environment, for yrs. So it takes on a distinctly oxidized character. It shows a character of acetaldhyde (oxidized ethanol) but not the high-volatile acetic or EA character of a few recent wines. As best I can tell, the flor yeast plays no role in these wines.
Haus Alpenz is a very interesting importer up in MN with a fascinating portfolio of wines. Worth browsing thru their list. They have a fair number of rancio wines, that I'd love to try.
My first exposure to Rancio wines was thru DarrellCorti in the mid-'70's when he brought in a selection of the deMuller Rancios from the Priorat. Some were very old & quite complex, many of which went thru a Solera aging. The were, by & large, exceptional. The rancio wines used to be the norm for wines in the Priorat. Made by old mustache-Petes type of farmers who drove around in horse-drawn wagons. Then the old-vine Priorat area was discovered by Eric Solomon & others because of their old-vines vnyds and they started making extracted/alcoholic red wines that sold for big-$$'s and now all the farmers drive around in Mercedes & BMW's. As best I can tell, the rancio genre of wines have pretty much disappeared in the Priorat.
Tom