Page 41 - the NOISE May 2015

with Cody V. Burkett
illustration By Kris Pothier
I’m going to let you all in on a secret: The wine Monk has a girlfriend. she’s from very far away: originally she grew up in the shadow of the walls of Constantinople, before she was abducted in the year 1204 and brought to Venice, and later the Piedmont of Italy. she arrived in the high deserts of Arizona about 20 years ago. Her name is Malvasia Bianca, and this grape is a favorite of mine. I maintain that the arrival of Malvasia Bianca to the American southwest is quite possibly the only good thing to come out of the Crusades. This grape is, without a doubt, among the best Arizona has to offer. Currently, Arizona Stronghold has two of them in their tasting room, so it’s a perfect time to meet her. Malvasia is an ideal summer wine for the heat of the high desert.
The two Malvasias in the tasting rooms at stronghold are from their vineyard, located on the willcox Bench near the Kansas settlement, which is now known as the Al Buhl Memorial vineyard. Both are of the 2013 vintage. These Malvasias were both cold-fermented for about 25 days in stainless steel, and then aged in neutral French oak for 6 months. They come from two different locations within the vineyard, which is how they got their names: the norte and nuevo Blocks for one, and the Mid Block for the other. These two regions of the vineyard have slightly different soil, which results in two distinct wines. Drinking these wines side by side is a great introduction to the concept of terroir; which is manifest in the way that the local land- scape influences the characteristics of a wine.
Malvasia Bianca in general always opens up with an intense floral and aromatic nose which would make for a fantastic perfume. The key differences between these two vintages is that the Mid Block opens with a strong honeydew note, while the norte & nuevo Block Malvasia opens with the more traditional elderflower notes. In both wines, these notes are intermingled with fragrant sandalwood, Tahitian vanilla, rosemary, mulling spices, sage, and the intense flo- ral aromatic notes that make Arizona Malvasia so unique. These notes are intermingled with rich lavender, intense jasmine, gardenia, and honeysuckle. Honestly, both vintages are wines I could simply smell for hours on end.
The Mid Block has the more traditional Arizona Malvasia taste profile, with honeydew and elderflower forming the opening salvo, interwoven with jasmine, lavender, starfruit, and ci- der apples on the fore-palate. There really isn’t a mid-palate to speak of, but that’s pretty nor- mal with this grape in Arizona. The Mid Block Malvasia finishes full of mint, citrus, and vanilla, along with the standard willcox limestone minerality, lasting for about 10 seconds. The norte & nuevo opens with an unexpected sharp citrus acidity that intermingles with elderflower, stonefruit, rosemary, and mint. what makes the norte & nuevo Malvasia particularly unusual is that there is a mid-palate note of honeydew, cantaloupe, vanilla, clove and allspice. The finish of this wine lasts between 13-17 seconds, containing more elderflower, mint, sandalwood, and the aforementioned minerality. It has a much heavier body, and a more luxurious mouth-feel, than the Mid Block Malvasia.
I’m firmly convinced both of these wines will pair brilliantly with sushi or Thai food, but I do feel the norte & nuevo Block Malvasia could work with swordfish or tuna steaks, it has that much body. For a vegan pairing, go for a dairy-free Caesar salad with local Piñon pine nuts and pecans from willcox, perhaps even a touch of prickly-pear vinaigrette. These wines are both hippies in long flowing skirts with sleeve tattoos and long flowing blonde hair, and fond of calligraphy and gardening, but the latter does a little cosplay. Once she dressed as Daenerys Targaryen, in a red dress, and pulled a real sword on someone when they catcalled her. Both of these wines are fantastic summer vintages, and the Arizona stronghold winemaking team has done a great job with them. About 50 cases of the Mid Block Malvasia and 75 Cases of the norte & nuevo were produced, and you can get these wines for $28 and $30, respectively in the Arizona stronghold tasting room in downtown Cottonwood.
| Cody v. Burkett is in a relationship with malvasia Bianca, but is still allowed to see other grapes. Read his blog at azwinemonk.com
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