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This week we tackle the latest album of a band that's been blazing a trail through the music scene for 2 decades now. Combining boroque British folk, a prog rock structure, and Americana (blues, country, American folk) the band has been featured on the sitcoms THE OFFICE and PARKS AND REC and had their 2015 THE KING IS DEAD top the Billboard 200 upon release.
Yet somehow neither of us had listened to them until this latest album. And folks, it's bloody great.
After a 6 year unplanned hiatus, the group dropped one of the catchiest songs I’d ever heard, “Burial Ground” (with The Shins’ James Mercer) as the first of a new line of singles. Then they dropped an epic 19-minute prog-Americana track about Joan of Arc, “Joan in the Garden”, as the second single and sufferin’ succotash! I was HOOKED.
The album is a distillation of the band’s history - all the sounds and styles they’ve experimented with along the way, it all comes together in this sort-of retrospective of thier craft. It was the first album of theirs we’d ever listened to, and it’s vying to sneak into my personal Top 10 albums of all time list.
Give it a listen, and then let’s talk about 3 pretty incredible wines we chose to pair with it:
THE WINES
2020 “Taj” Pinotage, Swartland, South Africa
A crossing of Pinot Noir and Cinsault, the grape “Pinotage” (because the South Africans called Cinsault “Hermitage” and so Pinot + Hermitage = Pinotage) is almost nothing like its parents. Bold, robust, a blend of black and red fruits, and a varietal charictaristic of “brunt rubber” or smoke undergirding the whole experience. Yet the tannins of this grape are soft, relativey silky. It’s dark in color, robust in flavor, yet gentle in body.
This matches the medley of dense yet light on its feet musicality of The Decemberists. It’s likewise a combination of classic components - Americana and British folk music.
The “Taj” - named so as this is how you pronounce Pinotage - Pinot - Taj, like the Taj Mahal - is a wonderfully complex budget Pinotage. $17 at my local LA Curated Wine Shop, this bats well above its weight class. I’m currently drinking 8 different Pinotages for an upcoming article, and this was the hands-down best of the budget priced! Highly recommened.
Find “Taj” near you with this AI-free Google search!
Dear Native Grapes, Hudson Valley Heirloom Series, “Le Colonel”
As a backup, I also thought this was a BRILLIANT pairing - a wine made from an American grape long present in the Hudson Valley, New York. Originally made in the Rhone in the 1890s, the grape “Le Colonel” is a cross between Vitis vinifera and American species labrusca, lincecumii, riparia and rupestris. It's known to be nigh-indestructible, but almost forgotten by history!
That is until Dear Native Grapes got their hand on it. This wine is bramble colored in the glass - a mesh of black and red fruits. It displays notes of blackberry, black currant, anise, and bay leaf on the palate, with that telltale “foxy” aka “grape-y” flavor underlining the experience. But don’t forget - there is no such thing as a bad flavor!
Honestly, this is a hybrid grape done right. But only 72 bottles were made. And we nabbed 2 of them. It’s only available from this one winery, so don’t delay!
2021 Zorah “Karasi” Areni Noir
Possibly the oldest grape in the world, Areni is native to Armenia and has been there and part of winemaking for over a millennia. Often referred to (by us Westerners) as the “Pinot Noir” of Armenia, Areni has a lighter color, with grippy tannins, good acidity, and flavors of pepper and anise to compliment the red fruit.
This Arenia was fermented in concrete before being tranferred to amphorae (or “karasi”) which are traditional wine ageing containers buried underground - similar traditions have long existed in Georgia for thier orange wines!
A beautiful balance of grippy body with lighter fruit flavors and right acidity. And a modern rendition of history, much like the music of The Decemberists.
I wrote about Armenia’s white grape, Voskehat, and paired it with this Carly Rae Jepsen album last year. Go there to read up about the Zulal winery and a little bit more about the history of wine in Armenia.
Find Zorah “Karasi” Areni Noir near you with thi AI-free Google search!
Whew! Did you listen to the album? What did you think of the music? Is it your bag? Totally not your bag? Are you a fan of Areni, Pinotage or ffs have you ever even HEARD of Le Colonel? Sound off in the comments!
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