alicante-bouschet
2022 Frog’s Tooth Winery Alicante Bouschet – The Prediction Coming True!
The Winery
Wrote a story this last summer (2024) that Frog’s Tooth was making significant strategic moves in revamping the winery. For a full recap of a 4+ hour discussion with the owner/managing partner Larry Aderman discussing the winery, the wines, their new winemaker Tana Cole and how they are elevating their game plan for the winery you can click the following link for specifics:
https://californiawinesandwineries.com/2024/06/14/frogs-tooth-winery-making-strategic-moves/
Photo ©Michael Kelly
I am happy to announce one of their first wines making a qualitative impact will be their 2022 Alicante Bouschet. This wine was produced by Tana at her previous winery with Frog’s Tooth purchasing the wine from barrels. They aged the wine additionally for several months in neutral French oak. In the future, they will be offering wine produced from the Frog’s Tooth vineyard.
The Wine – “Wine is bottled Poetry” – Robert Louis Stevenson
Photo ©Michael Kelly
What is Alicante Bouschet as many wine drinkers are not familiar with this varietal. It is a black grape with red flesh. The grape was first cultivated in France in 1866 by Henri Bouschet and is a cross of Petit Bouschet and Grenache. The result was a grape that has a deep color and higher quality than Teinturier du Cher. The grapes high yields and easy maintenance with its thick skin, encouraged its popularity to the French wine growers especially following the Phylloxera epidemic in Europe. It is now grown in Bordeaux, Burgundy, Loire Valley, Chile, South Africa and even in Alentejo, Portugal. In the United States it is grown in Napa, Sonoma, Madera, Lodi and Calaveras Counties, as well as other Sierra foothill areas. In California per their agricultural wine crush report for 2023, Alicante Bouschet represented only .001% of the total red wines!
First on the eyes is an enticing dark inky, almost black wine, with alluring depth. It is a heavy weighted wine. On the nose, black fruit arises to meet the senses including a light smoky aroma. On the palate is where this wine possesses its uniqueness and standalone quality. While having a great presence of fruit forwardness with blackberries, blueberries and black cherries, it is also counter balanced with spices and smoky traits. Mild tannins and on the finish one particular flavor was present of dark chocolate or mocha. If your “jam” is for big hearty and bold wine, this is surely worth your tasting.
The Food and Wine Pairing – “Food without wine is a corpse; wine without food is a ghost. United and well matched, they are as body and soul: living partners” – Andre Simon
Photo ©Michael Kelly
The meal this evening was a tri tip steak. It was marinated in Chaka sauce for 24 hours and seared on the BBQ at 1500 degrees. Served medium rare and accompanied by sauteed asparagus with mushrooms, a twice baked Russet potato with cheddar cheese, garlic French bread, and a Honeycrisp salad.
Photo ©Michael Kelly
The Honeycrisp salad included vegetable oil, apple cider vinegar, apple cider, honey, lemon juice, salt, ground pepper, purple onion, Honeycrisp apples, Romain and iceberg lettuce, candied pecan halves, dried cherries and crumbled blue cheese. For dessert a homemade cheesecake was prepared but unfortunately it was consumed so quickly, no picture!
The food and wine pairing were very good and will try the wine again soon. I have a strong feeling this will make my Best Wines Tasted in 2025.
Sláinte,
Michael