Friday, October 13, 2006
The Wall Street Journal takes a critical look at one of my favorite red wine regions, the Cotes du Rhone today and really pans the region other than a few they found to be good, but at the higher price points.
I've not had the same experience, and having tasted many of the 2003 and 2004 Cotes du Rhones back during the Decoverez du Rhone event in March 2005 find their comments somewhat disturbing, not by what they said, because I tend to agree, but because there are better wines out there.
Either the wines I tasted never made it to the USA, or the wines that they found and reviewed were more of the low end wines. My guess is the wines they found were more supermarket grade wines or doctored blends made for some USA importers who like to see wines at a price point, so they simply arrange to have winemakers bottle generic wine and put a label on it that says Cotes du Rhone. That said, I do agree with the chart they listed of the better wines.
There are some others that are as good or better. For starters the new 2004 Chateau du Trignon is solid, as are its two Cotes du Rhone Village offerings including the Sablet and Rastau. The three are imported by Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant in Berkeley, California.
What is occuring in the Rhone Valley is obvious. Better vineyard grapes are ending up in the higher end blends of Cotes du Rhone and importers are having wines bottled at the price point, not the quality level to satisfy the USA's marketplace. The same thing happened to Chianti from Italy, and the lower end suffered, while the mid price and up markets grew.
Another factor missed is the valuation of the dollar to the Euro. With the 2o percent or so difference, and a 15 percent increase in costs for wines that hit most importers in 2005 it became harder to keep the quality at the same prices that we had seen for years. This increase came about to help buffer the impact of a dreadful 2002 vintage in the Rhone overall.
Bottom line, there are some excellent 2003s and 2004s, but at higher prices.
I've not had the same experience, and having tasted many of the 2003 and 2004 Cotes du Rhones back during the Decoverez du Rhone event in March 2005 find their comments somewhat disturbing, not by what they said, because I tend to agree, but because there are better wines out there.
Either the wines I tasted never made it to the USA, or the wines that they found and reviewed were more of the low end wines. My guess is the wines they found were more supermarket grade wines or doctored blends made for some USA importers who like to see wines at a price point, so they simply arrange to have winemakers bottle generic wine and put a label on it that says Cotes du Rhone. That said, I do agree with the chart they listed of the better wines.
There are some others that are as good or better. For starters the new 2004 Chateau du Trignon is solid, as are its two Cotes du Rhone Village offerings including the Sablet and Rastau. The three are imported by Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant in Berkeley, California.
What is occuring in the Rhone Valley is obvious. Better vineyard grapes are ending up in the higher end blends of Cotes du Rhone and importers are having wines bottled at the price point, not the quality level to satisfy the USA's marketplace. The same thing happened to Chianti from Italy, and the lower end suffered, while the mid price and up markets grew.
Another factor missed is the valuation of the dollar to the Euro. With the 2o percent or so difference, and a 15 percent increase in costs for wines that hit most importers in 2005 it became harder to keep the quality at the same prices that we had seen for years. This increase came about to help buffer the impact of a dreadful 2002 vintage in the Rhone overall.
Bottom line, there are some excellent 2003s and 2004s, but at higher prices.
Sunday, April 02, 2006
I was pleasently surprised by the 2002 William Hill Reserve Napa Valley Chardonnay. Posessing a golden straw yellow color, a peaches and cream bouquet, and an even creamier palate flavor, this very moderately priced Chardonnay has lots of soft fruit-peaches, apricots, bannanas and oranges, while being backed by a hint of almond and vanilla.
The 2001 William Hill Reserve Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is also a winner. Showing off a very cozy black cherry and cola aroma, the dark ruby red wine has all the markings of what one would expect from Napa Valley Cabernet. Cherry, menthol, slight berry tastes, anise and licorice and a long black cherry finish show that there is a lot more in this wine than one would expect.
The 2004 McManis Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon is made from Lodi fruit. While not the same region as Napa, the wine is tarry and tasty, with oodles of black plums, cherry, and violets. The very smooth and round red has gobbs of plums, currants, cassis and black cherry.
One of my favorite value wines of all time is the 2000 The Fifteen Grenache, Cotes du Roussillion, France. Made by and for Hand Picked Selections' owner Dan Kravitz, the name stands for the fact that 15 different lots of Grenache grapes were vinified together to make the premiuum blend, that became a great value wine a few years ago. Deep, dark inky black and purple colored, the wine has a hint of spice before you get bright raspberry and strawberry flavors.
2004 Cakebread Cellars Sauvignon Blanc is a basic, almost generic white. While I tend to go ga-ga over Sauvignon Blancs from New Zealand, France's Loire Valley and even South Africa, this straw colored, lime and pear flavored white is more simple than complex, but a nice wine with iceberg lettuce salad. Compare this to a slightly older 2002 Paul et Jean-Marc Pastou La Cote de Jury Sancerre Vieilles Vignes from France's Loire Valley. This is Sancerre that just keeps on giving the kind of flavors that stands up to stinky blue cheese, shellfish and chacuterie. Crisp and dry, with minerals and wet stones. Limestone and slate that underpins the great flavors of lemon zest, orange peel and limes, this is a juicy wine that keeps on giving.
The 2001 William Hill Reserve Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is also a winner. Showing off a very cozy black cherry and cola aroma, the dark ruby red wine has all the markings of what one would expect from Napa Valley Cabernet. Cherry, menthol, slight berry tastes, anise and licorice and a long black cherry finish show that there is a lot more in this wine than one would expect.
The 2004 McManis Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon is made from Lodi fruit. While not the same region as Napa, the wine is tarry and tasty, with oodles of black plums, cherry, and violets. The very smooth and round red has gobbs of plums, currants, cassis and black cherry.
One of my favorite value wines of all time is the 2000 The Fifteen Grenache, Cotes du Roussillion, France. Made by and for Hand Picked Selections' owner Dan Kravitz, the name stands for the fact that 15 different lots of Grenache grapes were vinified together to make the premiuum blend, that became a great value wine a few years ago. Deep, dark inky black and purple colored, the wine has a hint of spice before you get bright raspberry and strawberry flavors.
2004 Cakebread Cellars Sauvignon Blanc is a basic, almost generic white. While I tend to go ga-ga over Sauvignon Blancs from New Zealand, France's Loire Valley and even South Africa, this straw colored, lime and pear flavored white is more simple than complex, but a nice wine with iceberg lettuce salad. Compare this to a slightly older 2002 Paul et Jean-Marc Pastou La Cote de Jury Sancerre Vieilles Vignes from France's Loire Valley. This is Sancerre that just keeps on giving the kind of flavors that stands up to stinky blue cheese, shellfish and chacuterie. Crisp and dry, with minerals and wet stones. Limestone and slate that underpins the great flavors of lemon zest, orange peel and limes, this is a juicy wine that keeps on giving.
Sunday, November 27, 2005
Heurignhof Brundlmayer
Langelois, Austria
Walterstr. 14 A-3550
www.heurighof.at
Heurignhof Brundlmayer is the wine bistro that one of the more well known and respected producers in the Langelois and all of Austria.
Brundlmayer operates the Heurignhof at the heart of the wine village just a few hundred meters from our hotel. Helene and I went there for Sunday lunch and had a wonderful meal, drank some excellent wines and found a few to bring home. Like Nigl there is also a hotel along with the restaurant and wine tasting bar area.
Not one of these wines is a slouch and all would be great additions to anyone’s cellar. I really liked the two young wines from the Kamptaler Terrassen. These are perect for every day drinking, do not have the high alcohol and would be perfect with Sushi.
2004 Gruner Veltliner Kamptaler Terrassen
A very light and refreshing white from young vines in the Kamptal terraced hillsides. Lemon zest, limes, with a crystaline like color quality. Good even flavors from start to finish.
2004 Gruner Veltliner Alte Reben
Richer and creamier, with a more tropical array of flavors. Melons, peaches and pears, with a hint of orange peel and orange blossoms.
2004 Gruner Veltliner Ried Lamm
Easily the most complex of the four, also with great mineral flavors and forward fruit, the wine is higher in acid. It was the most floral of the Gruners Veltliners and most complex I suspect this is also the most age-worthy offering up flavors of peach, pear, melon and a hint of lime makes this wine a real charmer.
2004 Gruner Veltliner Berg Vogelsang
Note to pal Doug Margerum. Someone is making a Gruner out of grapes from the Vogelsang vineyard. I also realized that on his labels the vineyard name is spelled wrong, with a Z. Oh, must be a momentary lapse of reason of where Helene and I are as I spotted a vineyard name that sounded the same. Crisper and leaner, austere, but with a concentrated finish of lemon juice and grapefruit with a hint of golden pear flavor.
For lunch we had a very fresh green salad with chilled diced beef in a balsamic and olive oil dressing and diced with red peppers; White wine soup made with Gruner Veltliner. Very tasty boiled beef which is an Austrian traditional dish, plus pork schnitzel were our main courses.
2004 Riesling Kamptaler Terrassen
Cool and crisp, very bright. I wish they had this at Roy's to go with the very tasty Sushi. More reminiscent of Alsatian style whites, this is extremely easy to drink.
2004 Riesling Zobinger Heilgenstein
A very nice wine that has a perfect balance of acid and fruit, it goes exceptionally well with red saurkraut and fresh potato salad not to mention with the schnitzle.
2004 Heiligenstein Alte Raben
A wonderful glass of wine that is loaded with grapefruit, pineapple and lime flavors. Hint of lemon zest around the edge and a nice long juicy finish.
2004 Heiligenstein Lyra Riesling
Wow. Brisk, bracing acidity. Loaded with lemon lime zinging flavors, a touch of green apple and a dazzling long fisish of green apple and pears. Amazing purity and clean whistle stop finish.
I look forward to my return visit next summer as there is so much in this region to taste, eat and visit!
--
Langelois, Austria
Walterstr. 14 A-3550
www.heurighof.at
Heurignhof Brundlmayer is the wine bistro that one of the more well known and respected producers in the Langelois and all of Austria.
Brundlmayer operates the Heurignhof at the heart of the wine village just a few hundred meters from our hotel. Helene and I went there for Sunday lunch and had a wonderful meal, drank some excellent wines and found a few to bring home. Like Nigl there is also a hotel along with the restaurant and wine tasting bar area.
Not one of these wines is a slouch and all would be great additions to anyone’s cellar. I really liked the two young wines from the Kamptaler Terrassen. These are perect for every day drinking, do not have the high alcohol and would be perfect with Sushi.
2004 Gruner Veltliner Kamptaler Terrassen
A very light and refreshing white from young vines in the Kamptal terraced hillsides. Lemon zest, limes, with a crystaline like color quality. Good even flavors from start to finish.
2004 Gruner Veltliner Alte Reben
Richer and creamier, with a more tropical array of flavors. Melons, peaches and pears, with a hint of orange peel and orange blossoms.
2004 Gruner Veltliner Ried Lamm
Easily the most complex of the four, also with great mineral flavors and forward fruit, the wine is higher in acid. It was the most floral of the Gruners Veltliners and most complex I suspect this is also the most age-worthy offering up flavors of peach, pear, melon and a hint of lime makes this wine a real charmer.
2004 Gruner Veltliner Berg Vogelsang
Note to pal Doug Margerum. Someone is making a Gruner out of grapes from the Vogelsang vineyard. I also realized that on his labels the vineyard name is spelled wrong, with a Z. Oh, must be a momentary lapse of reason of where Helene and I are as I spotted a vineyard name that sounded the same. Crisper and leaner, austere, but with a concentrated finish of lemon juice and grapefruit with a hint of golden pear flavor.
For lunch we had a very fresh green salad with chilled diced beef in a balsamic and olive oil dressing and diced with red peppers; White wine soup made with Gruner Veltliner. Very tasty boiled beef which is an Austrian traditional dish, plus pork schnitzel were our main courses.
2004 Riesling Kamptaler Terrassen
Cool and crisp, very bright. I wish they had this at Roy's to go with the very tasty Sushi. More reminiscent of Alsatian style whites, this is extremely easy to drink.
2004 Riesling Zobinger Heilgenstein
A very nice wine that has a perfect balance of acid and fruit, it goes exceptionally well with red saurkraut and fresh potato salad not to mention with the schnitzle.
2004 Heiligenstein Alte Raben
A wonderful glass of wine that is loaded with grapefruit, pineapple and lime flavors. Hint of lemon zest around the edge and a nice long juicy finish.
2004 Heiligenstein Lyra Riesling
Wow. Brisk, bracing acidity. Loaded with lemon lime zinging flavors, a touch of green apple and a dazzling long fisish of green apple and pears. Amazing purity and clean whistle stop finish.
I look forward to my return visit next summer as there is so much in this region to taste, eat and visit!
--
Heurignhof Brundlmayer
Langelois, Austria
Walterstr. 14 A-3550
www.heurighof.at
Heurignhof Brundlmayer is the wine bistro that one of the more well known and respected producers in the Langelois and all of Austria.
Brundlmayer operates the Heurignhof at the heart of the wine village just a few hundred meters from our hotel. Helene and I went there for Sunday lunch and had a wonderful meal, drank some excellent wines and found a few to bring home. Like Nigl there is also a hotel along with the restaurant and wine tasting bar area.
Not one of these wines is a slouch and all would be great additions to anyone’s cellar. I really liked the two young wines from the Kamptaler Terrassen. These are perect for every day drinking, do not have the high alcohol and would be perfect with Sushi.
2004 Gruner Veltliner Kamptaler Terrassen
A very light and refreshing white from young vines in the Kamptal terraced hillsides. Lemon zest, limes, with a crystaline like color quality. Good even flavors from start to finish.
2004 Gruner Veltliner Alte Reben
Richer and creamier, with a more tropical array of flavors. Melons, peaches and pears, with a hint of orange peel and orange blossoms.
2004 Gruner Veltliner Ried Lamm
Easily the most complex of the four, also with great mineral flavors and forward fruit, the wine is higher in acid. It was the most floral of the Gruners Veltliners and most complex I suspect this is also the most age-worthy offering up flavors of peach, pear, melon and a hint of lime makes this wine a real charmer.
2004 Gruner Veltliner Berg Vogelsang
Note to pal Doug Margerum. Someone is making a Gruner out of grapes from the Vogelsang vineyard. I also realized that on his labels the vineyard name is spelled wrong, with a Z. Oh, must be a momentary lapse of reason of where Helene and I are as I spotted a vineyard name that sounded the same. Crisper and leaner, austere, but with a concentrated finish of lemon juice and grapefruit with a hint of golden pear flavor.
For lunch we had a very fresh green salad with chilled diced beef in a balsamic and olive oil dressing and diced with red peppers; White wine soup made with Gruner Veltliner. Very tasty boiled beef which is an Austrian traditional dish, plus pork schnitzel were our main courses.
2004 Riesling Kamptaler Terrassen
Cool and crisp, very bright. I wish they had this at Roy's to go with the very tasty Sushi. More reminiscent of Alsatian style whites, this is extremely easy to drink.
2004 Riesling Zobinger Heilgenstein
A very nice wine that has a perfect balance of acid and fruit, it goes exceptionally well with red saurkraut and fresh potato salad not to mention with the schnitzle.
2004 Heiligenstein Alte Raben
A wonderful glass of wine that is loaded with grapefruit, pineapple and lime flavors. Hint of lemon zest around the edge and a nice long juicy finish.
2004 Heiligenstein Lyra Riesling
Wow. Brisk, bracing acidity. Loaded with lemon lime zinging flavors, a touch of green apple and a dazzling long fisish of green apple and pears. Amazing purity and clean whistle stop finish.
I look forward to my return visit next summer as there is so much in this region to taste, eat and visit!
--
Langelois, Austria
Walterstr. 14 A-3550
www.heurighof.at
Heurignhof Brundlmayer is the wine bistro that one of the more well known and respected producers in the Langelois and all of Austria.
Brundlmayer operates the Heurignhof at the heart of the wine village just a few hundred meters from our hotel. Helene and I went there for Sunday lunch and had a wonderful meal, drank some excellent wines and found a few to bring home. Like Nigl there is also a hotel along with the restaurant and wine tasting bar area.
Not one of these wines is a slouch and all would be great additions to anyone’s cellar. I really liked the two young wines from the Kamptaler Terrassen. These are perect for every day drinking, do not have the high alcohol and would be perfect with Sushi.
2004 Gruner Veltliner Kamptaler Terrassen
A very light and refreshing white from young vines in the Kamptal terraced hillsides. Lemon zest, limes, with a crystaline like color quality. Good even flavors from start to finish.
2004 Gruner Veltliner Alte Reben
Richer and creamier, with a more tropical array of flavors. Melons, peaches and pears, with a hint of orange peel and orange blossoms.
2004 Gruner Veltliner Ried Lamm
Easily the most complex of the four, also with great mineral flavors and forward fruit, the wine is higher in acid. It was the most floral of the Gruners Veltliners and most complex I suspect this is also the most age-worthy offering up flavors of peach, pear, melon and a hint of lime makes this wine a real charmer.
2004 Gruner Veltliner Berg Vogelsang
Note to pal Doug Margerum. Someone is making a Gruner out of grapes from the Vogelsang vineyard. I also realized that on his labels the vineyard name is spelled wrong, with a Z. Oh, must be a momentary lapse of reason of where Helene and I are as I spotted a vineyard name that sounded the same. Crisper and leaner, austere, but with a concentrated finish of lemon juice and grapefruit with a hint of golden pear flavor.
For lunch we had a very fresh green salad with chilled diced beef in a balsamic and olive oil dressing and diced with red peppers; White wine soup made with Gruner Veltliner. Very tasty boiled beef which is an Austrian traditional dish, plus pork schnitzel were our main courses.
2004 Riesling Kamptaler Terrassen
Cool and crisp, very bright. I wish they had this at Roy's to go with the very tasty Sushi. More reminiscent of Alsatian style whites, this is extremely easy to drink.
2004 Riesling Zobinger Heilgenstein
A very nice wine that has a perfect balance of acid and fruit, it goes exceptionally well with red saurkraut and fresh potato salad not to mention with the schnitzle.
2004 Heiligenstein Alte Raben
A wonderful glass of wine that is loaded with grapefruit, pineapple and lime flavors. Hint of lemon zest around the edge and a nice long juicy finish.
2004 Heiligenstein Lyra Riesling
Wow. Brisk, bracing acidity. Loaded with lemon lime zinging flavors, a touch of green apple and a dazzling long fisish of green apple and pears. Amazing purity and clean whistle stop finish.
I look forward to my return visit next summer as there is so much in this region to taste, eat and visit!
--
Saturday, November 26, 2005
We just completed a torchlight tour of the Kamptal vineyard here outside of Langelois, Austria. To say the least in near freezing temperatures the walk was a brisk one hour. It was also fun. If you're ever in the area it's worth the trek.
It's all part of this wonderful new hotel and wine experience called Loisium.
Monday, November 21, 2005
(Juan Les Pins, France) Bijou Plage is a wonderful beach front place just west of the town of Juan Les Pins heading to Cannes. The nighttime views of Cap D' Antibes in one direction and Cannes in the other are quite enchanting as you see boats with their lights mooring in the harbors. The service and the food (about as fresh as it gets fish caught in the Med) at Bijou Plage all made for a lovely night as Helene joined me after celebrating Thanksgiving with her family a few days early over the weekend. I’ll likely have some photos later in the week as this trip is more business than pleasure, but I’m finding time to include wine and food around that, as after all this is Europe.
Bijou Plage has lots of wines by half bottle and in 50 cl bottles as well. It offers a great view of the sea and one of the longest beach views around. Think Charley's or The Beach House in Cardiff by the Sea or Gladstones In Malibu. It offers unrushed, and perfect service. With the Soft Spanish music playing in the background one felt more like we were dining in someone’s beach house, and even though there were some other couples and small groups having dinner, the scene was ultra-relaxed and very much family like.
The excellently chosen list offered a great many options including all three flavors of one of my favorite Bandol producers, Bastide Blanche, but I wanted to go go more with wines we either rarely see in San Diego (or the USA for that matter) or that I’ve from wineries I’ve visited in the past. Minuty and Ott both met that criteria and a new Cassis producer seemed to be beckoning.
The 2004 Chateau Minuty Cuvee de La Oratoire Rose Cotes De Provence Pale Salmon color with flavors of strawberries, ripe raspberry and tart blackberry. Served with two wonderful dishes, a lovely saumon fume with local produce and a roasted red pepper in a drizzled olive oil and herb de Provence dressing. It was simple, but so tasty. That was followed by a wonderful Soupe of Mussels in a silky smooth saffron broth sprinkled with fresh herbs. Helene then opted for the Riviera fish stew with salmon, mussels, haddock, sole and potatoes in a garlicky aioli broth. I chose the catch of the day, a Fresh Sea Bream in black pepper sauce. Both were flavorful, tasty and succulent. Given the style of cooking I immediately opted for the 2003 Chateau de Fontblache Blanc de Blanc by E. Bodin. It’s a lovely, dry crisp white made from a majority of Ugni Blanc with I suspect some Clairette Blanc. Crisp lime and dry round lemon flavors with brisk acidity makes it perfect with hearty robust pepper and garlic flavored fish dishes. We also had the 2000 Domaine Ott Cuvee Comtes de Provence which was all flavors or raspberry, cola, cassis, strawberry and currants.
Of course there was dessert. I went for the Provence honey cake in a coulis sauce while Helene went for the cheese plate. The honey cake, made from the dried, hard Miel type honey I first enjoyed over 20 years ago on a trip here was fantastic as was just about everything.
Cheers!
--
Andy Abramson
Bijou Plage has lots of wines by half bottle and in 50 cl bottles as well. It offers a great view of the sea and one of the longest beach views around. Think Charley's or The Beach House in Cardiff by the Sea or Gladstones In Malibu. It offers unrushed, and perfect service. With the Soft Spanish music playing in the background one felt more like we were dining in someone’s beach house, and even though there were some other couples and small groups having dinner, the scene was ultra-relaxed and very much family like.
The excellently chosen list offered a great many options including all three flavors of one of my favorite Bandol producers, Bastide Blanche, but I wanted to go go more with wines we either rarely see in San Diego (or the USA for that matter) or that I’ve from wineries I’ve visited in the past. Minuty and Ott both met that criteria and a new Cassis producer seemed to be beckoning.
The 2004 Chateau Minuty Cuvee de La Oratoire Rose Cotes De Provence Pale Salmon color with flavors of strawberries, ripe raspberry and tart blackberry. Served with two wonderful dishes, a lovely saumon fume with local produce and a roasted red pepper in a drizzled olive oil and herb de Provence dressing. It was simple, but so tasty. That was followed by a wonderful Soupe of Mussels in a silky smooth saffron broth sprinkled with fresh herbs. Helene then opted for the Riviera fish stew with salmon, mussels, haddock, sole and potatoes in a garlicky aioli broth. I chose the catch of the day, a Fresh Sea Bream in black pepper sauce. Both were flavorful, tasty and succulent. Given the style of cooking I immediately opted for the 2003 Chateau de Fontblache Blanc de Blanc by E. Bodin. It’s a lovely, dry crisp white made from a majority of Ugni Blanc with I suspect some Clairette Blanc. Crisp lime and dry round lemon flavors with brisk acidity makes it perfect with hearty robust pepper and garlic flavored fish dishes. We also had the 2000 Domaine Ott Cuvee Comtes de Provence which was all flavors or raspberry, cola, cassis, strawberry and currants.
Of course there was dessert. I went for the Provence honey cake in a coulis sauce while Helene went for the cheese plate. The honey cake, made from the dried, hard Miel type honey I first enjoyed over 20 years ago on a trip here was fantastic as was just about everything.
Cheers!
--
Andy Abramson
Saturday, November 05, 2005
Last night Helene and I began celebrating our one year together at Seattle’s Earth & Ocean in the W Hotel. Our friend Shelby sent word ahead to Mark the Sommelier and we were treated like we’re regulars. On top of that one of our favorite winemakers Andrew Rich was in attendance pouring four or five of his always great wines. Andrew was one of the winemakers in Oregon who Helene got to meet on our first wine trip together last Thanksgiving. Talk about the concept of Kismet. One thing I know is wine makes for a great way to make friends. Now Andrew wants to come to San Diego at some point for a wine dinner, something I guess I’ll work on in December for next year.
Anyway, the food at Earth & Ocean was divine. Think Arterra meeting Roy’s. David and Carl in one kitchen..oh....my..gawd...anyway the chef was in rare form because in addition to Andrew, Helene and I the hotel was full of female chefs in town for a conference.
We started with Nicky Fuelliette Brut Rose which was a great way to start the evening after earlier tasting Andrew’s Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc, Syrah and Late Harvest Gewurztraminer. Then we moved into a serious Alsatian, the 2002 Zind Humbrecht Clos Hauserer Witzenheim Riesling which with the next two dishes, a Mushroom Crème Brulee with Frisee and a shaved Mushroom followed by Orange Shrimp over greens and white beans with Pork Belly. This was then followed up with Sweetbreads then Seared Ahi Tuna with Truffle essence and potato which we enjoyed with the 2003 Flowers Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir before the next course, Quail. Dinner ended with really neat desserts and both a Sauterne and a decadent Taylor's 20 Year Tawny .
Anyway, the food at Earth & Ocean was divine. Think Arterra meeting Roy’s. David and Carl in one kitchen..oh....my..gawd...anyway the chef was in rare form because in addition to Andrew, Helene and I the hotel was full of female chefs in town for a conference.
We started with Nicky Fuelliette Brut Rose which was a great way to start the evening after earlier tasting Andrew’s Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc, Syrah and Late Harvest Gewurztraminer. Then we moved into a serious Alsatian, the 2002 Zind Humbrecht Clos Hauserer Witzenheim Riesling which with the next two dishes, a Mushroom Crème Brulee with Frisee and a shaved Mushroom followed by Orange Shrimp over greens and white beans with Pork Belly. This was then followed up with Sweetbreads then Seared Ahi Tuna with Truffle essence and potato which we enjoyed with the 2003 Flowers Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir before the next course, Quail. Dinner ended with really neat desserts and both a Sauterne and a decadent Taylor's 20 Year Tawny .
Monday, August 01, 2005
I had a few different wines today between the taping of Dining! Del Mar and dinner.
2002 Babcock 11 Oaks Sauvignon Blanc—after just getting back from Babcock you would think I had enough. NOT!. This herbaceous and grassy Sauvignon Blanc has great layers of tropical fruit and enough limestone to make it a winner.
2002 Hartley – Ostini Hitching Post Purisima Mountain Syrah—Helene and I must have driven past Purisima Mountain at least four times over the weekend. The Syrah made by Frank Ostini is totally upright and righteous. Spicy, big, bold and bodacious.
2000 Venge Penny Lane Ranch Sangiovese — Oh was this wonderful. Nice and bright raspberry flavor, with a hint of spice. Is this Pinot with balls? It’s an amazing red.
2003 Saintsbury Carneros Pinot Noir — What a wonderful Pinot. Everything you expect from Burgundy, at 1/3 the price. I’ve been drinking Saintsbury since the 1985 vintage and this is one producer who makes the wines the same way every year.
2003 Villa Maria Private Bin Sauvignon Blanc — Well, I’ve yet to meet a NZ Sauvignon Blanc I haven’t really been impressed with. As good or better with age than the 2004. Screw-cap and all, it’s very fresh, lively wine, full of grapefruit, pineapple and more. Nice nectarine and lime peel finish.
2003 Vitae Sangiovese, Puglia —When Terry Hudson and David Derby get behind a wine at less than $6.00 a bottle, jump on it. This is a killer for the price. While not at rich as the Venge, it’s more than a Chianti substitute. It’s got stuffing, spice and most of all, gobs of gorgeous cherry fruit.
2002 Babcock 11 Oaks Sauvignon Blanc—after just getting back from Babcock you would think I had enough. NOT!. This herbaceous and grassy Sauvignon Blanc has great layers of tropical fruit and enough limestone to make it a winner.
2002 Hartley – Ostini Hitching Post Purisima Mountain Syrah—Helene and I must have driven past Purisima Mountain at least four times over the weekend. The Syrah made by Frank Ostini is totally upright and righteous. Spicy, big, bold and bodacious.
2000 Venge Penny Lane Ranch Sangiovese — Oh was this wonderful. Nice and bright raspberry flavor, with a hint of spice. Is this Pinot with balls? It’s an amazing red.
2003 Saintsbury Carneros Pinot Noir — What a wonderful Pinot. Everything you expect from Burgundy, at 1/3 the price. I’ve been drinking Saintsbury since the 1985 vintage and this is one producer who makes the wines the same way every year.
2003 Villa Maria Private Bin Sauvignon Blanc — Well, I’ve yet to meet a NZ Sauvignon Blanc I haven’t really been impressed with. As good or better with age than the 2004. Screw-cap and all, it’s very fresh, lively wine, full of grapefruit, pineapple and more. Nice nectarine and lime peel finish.
2003 Vitae Sangiovese, Puglia —When Terry Hudson and David Derby get behind a wine at less than $6.00 a bottle, jump on it. This is a killer for the price. While not at rich as the Venge, it’s more than a Chianti substitute. It’s got stuffing, spice and most of all, gobs of gorgeous cherry fruit.
Sunday, July 31, 2005
Yesterday marked the debut of Bryan Babcock’s new wines, dubbed Terroir Exclusive Wines. For Babcock, who has been one of the longer and more established winemakers in the Santa Barbara region, the wine brand brings him into the artisan crowd of winemakers, while still letting him have his full market approach with the Grand Cuvee and regular Babcock wine brands. The Terroir Series are limited production (i.e. About 300 cases of each) and represent a more hand crafted approach for Bryan, similar to how he got started many years ago.
Of the ten wines there are some real standouts, and a few average wines. None are dogs, but that said, I wish there was a bit more in the way of “selectivity” beyond single vineyard plots behind each wine. While I’m not a Chardonnay zealot, I do appreciate his 2004 Top Cream, Estate Grown Santa Rita Hills. Possibly the richest Chard Bryan has made, this goes more Burgundian than even his Grand Cuvee ever hit in style. Lovers of big, ripe, rich Chardonnay’s will really appreciate this release. His 2004 Pinot Gris, tabbed Naughty Little Hillsides, is a refreshing wine, made in a real California style. While it won’t cause any winemaker in Alsace or Italy to shake in their vineyard it is a charming, enjoyable and early drinking white that is both refreshing and tasty. It has low acidity, but a lot of forward fruit, mostly tropical in nature.
On the red side of the ledger, I was unimpressed with either the 2003 Cabernet Sauvignons. The Loin, made from Cabernet grown in the Estelle Vineyard in Santa Ynez Valley and the Vogelzang also from Santa Ynez Valley, were nothing to rush out for. While well made, and easy to drink, having had Doug Margerum’s Piocho, I know how great a Cabernet wine from Santa Barbara County can be. That said, Bryan’s Pinot Noirs, all three of them have something really to offer, and some of his Syrah’s do too.
The 2004 Ocean’s Ghost made from Estate Grown Santa Rita Hills fruit, is the most approachable, and early drinking of the three. It’s got bright fruit, and is already charming. The two I’m nuts over are the 2004 Cargasacchi Vineyard, Santa Rita Hills and the 2004 Mt. Carmel Vineyard releases. The Cargasacchi is the show stopper wine. It’s bright, but dense, offering a very lush and mouth-filling appeal from the very start, but it’s the Mount Carmel Pinot that has my heart going a flutter. With this wine Babcock joins his long time pal Jim Clendenen in making a wine from Mt. Carmel fruit. Like Clendenen’s 2002 and 2002 Reserve from the same vineyard, I feel it is Bryan’s best effort to date. It is rich, clearly reminiscent of Burgundy and without question an age worthy wine. While the Cargasacchi will be the “culty” wine, I fully expect that serious long term wine collectors, who like to cellar will find the Mt. Carmel to be the wine of choice.
Babcock also continued his excellence with Syrah. While both the 2003 Radical and Frying Pan are good wines, with balance and structure, it’s the 2003 Nook & Cranny Estate Grown Santa Rita Hills that has the wow factor down pat. Loaded with the kind of Northern Rhone flavor found in St. Joseph or Crozes Hermitage, this very big, fat, chewy Syrah is one for the cellar, but also enjoyable now.
I think Babcock is on the right track with Terrior. Each of the wines has their pluses and it’s clear some of the wines are what he had in mind when he came up with the program, while others seem to be filling the spots needed to make it profitable program for his winery direct efforts.
Note: To get the wines you need to be a Babcock Terroir Club member.
Of the ten wines there are some real standouts, and a few average wines. None are dogs, but that said, I wish there was a bit more in the way of “selectivity” beyond single vineyard plots behind each wine. While I’m not a Chardonnay zealot, I do appreciate his 2004 Top Cream, Estate Grown Santa Rita Hills. Possibly the richest Chard Bryan has made, this goes more Burgundian than even his Grand Cuvee ever hit in style. Lovers of big, ripe, rich Chardonnay’s will really appreciate this release. His 2004 Pinot Gris, tabbed Naughty Little Hillsides, is a refreshing wine, made in a real California style. While it won’t cause any winemaker in Alsace or Italy to shake in their vineyard it is a charming, enjoyable and early drinking white that is both refreshing and tasty. It has low acidity, but a lot of forward fruit, mostly tropical in nature.
On the red side of the ledger, I was unimpressed with either the 2003 Cabernet Sauvignons. The Loin, made from Cabernet grown in the Estelle Vineyard in Santa Ynez Valley and the Vogelzang also from Santa Ynez Valley, were nothing to rush out for. While well made, and easy to drink, having had Doug Margerum’s Piocho, I know how great a Cabernet wine from Santa Barbara County can be. That said, Bryan’s Pinot Noirs, all three of them have something really to offer, and some of his Syrah’s do too.
The 2004 Ocean’s Ghost made from Estate Grown Santa Rita Hills fruit, is the most approachable, and early drinking of the three. It’s got bright fruit, and is already charming. The two I’m nuts over are the 2004 Cargasacchi Vineyard, Santa Rita Hills and the 2004 Mt. Carmel Vineyard releases. The Cargasacchi is the show stopper wine. It’s bright, but dense, offering a very lush and mouth-filling appeal from the very start, but it’s the Mount Carmel Pinot that has my heart going a flutter. With this wine Babcock joins his long time pal Jim Clendenen in making a wine from Mt. Carmel fruit. Like Clendenen’s 2002 and 2002 Reserve from the same vineyard, I feel it is Bryan’s best effort to date. It is rich, clearly reminiscent of Burgundy and without question an age worthy wine. While the Cargasacchi will be the “culty” wine, I fully expect that serious long term wine collectors, who like to cellar will find the Mt. Carmel to be the wine of choice.
Babcock also continued his excellence with Syrah. While both the 2003 Radical and Frying Pan are good wines, with balance and structure, it’s the 2003 Nook & Cranny Estate Grown Santa Rita Hills that has the wow factor down pat. Loaded with the kind of Northern Rhone flavor found in St. Joseph or Crozes Hermitage, this very big, fat, chewy Syrah is one for the cellar, but also enjoyable now.
I think Babcock is on the right track with Terrior. Each of the wines has their pluses and it’s clear some of the wines are what he had in mind when he came up with the program, while others seem to be filling the spots needed to make it profitable program for his winery direct efforts.
Note: To get the wines you need to be a Babcock Terroir Club member.
Friday, July 15, 2005
Summertime wine drinking means white wines, and no better bargain abounds than the 2004 Villa Maria Private Bin Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand’s Marlborough wine growing region. Year in and year out since 1999 I have not found a more economically priced SB which has the ripe tropical fruit flavors, and sub tropical aromatics that can compete with this so called entry level wine. The slightly more expensive Reserve Sauvignon Blanc is a more complex wine, and geared for more sauced up fish dishes.
Over in Italy, the 2003 Castello Banfi San Angelo Pinot Grigio, which hails from Tuscany is one of the most refreshing whites to hit the shelves in some time. Perfect with summer vegetable salads or grilled eggplant, zucchini and squash dishes, yummy with beets and delectable by itself and some soft cheese, the signature white from one of Italy’s largest Vineyard holders in Tuscany is a real charmer.
Rose’s also seem to be in bloom right now, and the 2004’s are starting to reach store shelves. Over at BevMo (Beverages and More) in La Jolla you can likely uncover a great sub-eight dollar treasure in the 2004 Chateau Mas Neuf Costeieres de Nimes Rose. Hailing from the area at the very southern end of the Rhone appellation, Mas Neuf makes unique and tasty wines which always seem to impress, yet not break the bank in price. The blend of Grenache noir, Syrah, Cinsaut is light and refreshing, evoking memories of days along the Med, sipping wines like this, tasting fresh olives and sharing conversations. A perfect “beach day” pink, this wine also has enough gusto to tame the most bodacious wasabi infused Tuna Tartare or Ponzu sauce you can whip up.
Red wines though still seem the color of choice amongst wine buyers. I’ve been high on the wines from the Catalayud region in Spain for some time as long time readers will recall. The 2004 Vina Alarba, once again in the distribution pipeline via Jorge Ordonez perhaps the best wine hunter in the USA of Spanish wines, is a 100 percet old Vines Grenache wine that has consistently year after year been a hands down value priced winner. While it’s no longer $4.99 as it was early on, the wine has clearly maintained its deep spicy and berry flavors while offering enough inside to be a perfect companion to grilled tri-tip or swordfish that has been marinated in something zesty.
On the higher end of the scale price wise the 2000 Castello Banfi Brunello di Montelcino represents one of the more approachable, yet ageworthy wines to come ashore. While the 1997’s and 1998’s need more time, the 2000 is already in a smooth and forward style that makes it hit from start to finish. Prototypical cigar box, tar and tobacco aromas open with the wine, while the first to last sip becomes a thrill ride for the palate. Lovely flavors of roasted meats, black fruit and cherries, luscious black raspberry flavors.
Local winmaker from La Jolla Ray Falkner has made two more gorgeous wines in Temecula. The 2003 Viognier and 2003 Sauvignon Blanc are both wonderful examples of what patience and craftiness can produce. The Viognier while not as floral as those from the Rhone has a great Sushi supporting cast role. The Sauvignon Blanc has a perfect salad causing craving flavor.
Dining! Del Mar, a production of Del Mar Cable, staring Del Mar Village resident, personal chef and model/actress Jamie Danielle as host and producer, and Del Mar Times yours truly, debuts on Adelphia Cable’s Del Mar TV (http://www.DelMarTV.com) Channel 66 this month, airing on Thursday afternoons at 5 PM and Friday mornings at 9 AM, before moving to an early evening time slot in September.
Each monthly thirty minute episode features a peek into the kitchens of Del Mar’s finer dining establishments that have widespread appeal to the residents of Del Mar, Solana Beach and Carmel Valley. In every segment Danielle takes the cameras into the kitchens and to the tables, showcasing the personalities of the restaurants’ chefs, owners, managers and staff while highlighting the cuisine that makes Dining! Del Mar special. The opening episode of the series features the beachfront dining and ocean views of the Poseidon Restaurant and Bar.
“We set out to capture what Del Mar is all about when it comes to food, taste and dining out,” said Danielle. “By going into the kitchens, sitting at the tables and actually showing everything, from prep to the actual servings, we’re able to really feature and draw attention to the great chefs and the fine restaurants that are part of the current, yet timeless, Del Mar culinary lifestyle.”
While Danielle educates viewers about the chefs’ culinary skills and the atmosphere of local establishments like Poseidon, L’Auberge’s J. Taylors, Arterra and other favorite spots, I’m pairing wines with every course and selects a wine of the month in each episode. Together, we provide commentary and humorous insights about each restaurant, and the people behind them on every episode of Dining! Del Mar.
Andy Abramson writes about wine every week in the Del Mar Times. He can be reached by e-mail, aabramson@winescene.com .
Over in Italy, the 2003 Castello Banfi San Angelo Pinot Grigio, which hails from Tuscany is one of the most refreshing whites to hit the shelves in some time. Perfect with summer vegetable salads or grilled eggplant, zucchini and squash dishes, yummy with beets and delectable by itself and some soft cheese, the signature white from one of Italy’s largest Vineyard holders in Tuscany is a real charmer.
Rose’s also seem to be in bloom right now, and the 2004’s are starting to reach store shelves. Over at BevMo (Beverages and More) in La Jolla you can likely uncover a great sub-eight dollar treasure in the 2004 Chateau Mas Neuf Costeieres de Nimes Rose. Hailing from the area at the very southern end of the Rhone appellation, Mas Neuf makes unique and tasty wines which always seem to impress, yet not break the bank in price. The blend of Grenache noir, Syrah, Cinsaut is light and refreshing, evoking memories of days along the Med, sipping wines like this, tasting fresh olives and sharing conversations. A perfect “beach day” pink, this wine also has enough gusto to tame the most bodacious wasabi infused Tuna Tartare or Ponzu sauce you can whip up.
Red wines though still seem the color of choice amongst wine buyers. I’ve been high on the wines from the Catalayud region in Spain for some time as long time readers will recall. The 2004 Vina Alarba, once again in the distribution pipeline via Jorge Ordonez perhaps the best wine hunter in the USA of Spanish wines, is a 100 percet old Vines Grenache wine that has consistently year after year been a hands down value priced winner. While it’s no longer $4.99 as it was early on, the wine has clearly maintained its deep spicy and berry flavors while offering enough inside to be a perfect companion to grilled tri-tip or swordfish that has been marinated in something zesty.
On the higher end of the scale price wise the 2000 Castello Banfi Brunello di Montelcino represents one of the more approachable, yet ageworthy wines to come ashore. While the 1997’s and 1998’s need more time, the 2000 is already in a smooth and forward style that makes it hit from start to finish. Prototypical cigar box, tar and tobacco aromas open with the wine, while the first to last sip becomes a thrill ride for the palate. Lovely flavors of roasted meats, black fruit and cherries, luscious black raspberry flavors.
Local winmaker from La Jolla Ray Falkner has made two more gorgeous wines in Temecula. The 2003 Viognier and 2003 Sauvignon Blanc are both wonderful examples of what patience and craftiness can produce. The Viognier while not as floral as those from the Rhone has a great Sushi supporting cast role. The Sauvignon Blanc has a perfect salad causing craving flavor.
Dining! Del Mar, a production of Del Mar Cable, staring Del Mar Village resident, personal chef and model/actress Jamie Danielle as host and producer, and Del Mar Times yours truly, debuts on Adelphia Cable’s Del Mar TV (http://www.DelMarTV.com) Channel 66 this month, airing on Thursday afternoons at 5 PM and Friday mornings at 9 AM, before moving to an early evening time slot in September.
Each monthly thirty minute episode features a peek into the kitchens of Del Mar’s finer dining establishments that have widespread appeal to the residents of Del Mar, Solana Beach and Carmel Valley. In every segment Danielle takes the cameras into the kitchens and to the tables, showcasing the personalities of the restaurants’ chefs, owners, managers and staff while highlighting the cuisine that makes Dining! Del Mar special. The opening episode of the series features the beachfront dining and ocean views of the Poseidon Restaurant and Bar.
“We set out to capture what Del Mar is all about when it comes to food, taste and dining out,” said Danielle. “By going into the kitchens, sitting at the tables and actually showing everything, from prep to the actual servings, we’re able to really feature and draw attention to the great chefs and the fine restaurants that are part of the current, yet timeless, Del Mar culinary lifestyle.”
While Danielle educates viewers about the chefs’ culinary skills and the atmosphere of local establishments like Poseidon, L’Auberge’s J. Taylors, Arterra and other favorite spots, I’m pairing wines with every course and selects a wine of the month in each episode. Together, we provide commentary and humorous insights about each restaurant, and the people behind them on every episode of Dining! Del Mar.
Andy Abramson writes about wine every week in the Del Mar Times. He can be reached by e-mail, aabramson@winescene.com .
Sunday, June 12, 2005
After being on the road as much as I have been the first half of the year, it’s fun to go into the cellar and play! The last few nights with the Ultimate WinePal in town, my fiancé, Helene Malabed and I got to pick some choice wines that we found together on our trip last Thanksgiving weekend to the Oregon Wine Country.
The 2002 EIEIO Cuvee I was a charming, big boned, old school style Pinot Noir. Lots of fruit, good whole berry flavors of black raspberry, black cherry and cough drop cherry, with a lingering finish. Even bigger was the 2002 Andrew Rich Reserve Pinot Noir. Rich, is one of my favorite underrated winemakers in the USA. He first learned his craft under the careful eye of Randall Graham, which explains the eclectic mix of wines that come from Rich’s part of the Carlton Wine Co-Op, where he and a few other talented winemakers work turning out dynamite, hand-crafted wines. The 2002 Pinot is outstanding. Those who grew up drinking wines from Oregon’s early days in the 80’s will appreciate the subtleties that Rich has been able to maintain in his Reserve release. Loaded with exotic cherry and berry flavors, and just enough Pinot spice, this is a Pinot that goes as well with beef as it would with duck or lamb.
On the Rose front the always tasty 2003 Mas De Gourgournier Coteaux d’Aix En Provence proved to be a refreshing way to start dinner with friends Friday Night @ the La Jolla Flemings. Newly minted Operating Partner David Trainer has picked up where former OP Cameron Lumsden left off. Trainer, who started out as a waiter at San Diego’s best steakhouse over the past five years has matured and runs the place with the same aplomb that Lumsden and Downtown Flemings OP Bob Andrews trained him to do. That said, the steaks continue to be the reason we all go to our home away from home. The Rose was crisp, with just enough strawberry flavor to be dangerous.
Last night Helene and I dropped into Arterra to sample some of Carl Schroeder’s newest ideas. As always the La Jolla resident is on the mark. Visiting Arterra’s kitchen was co-owner and chef extraordinaire Bradley Ogden. We opened a 1997 Domaine Leccia Patrimonio Petra Bianca from Corsica. Local wine importer Sean Fisher and his co-hort in wine Bernie both sampled it, as did Ogden, each lamenting that it was their first ever Corsican wine, and all saying just how good it was. Full bodied, but with a hint of Pinot character, the wine was layered with red currants, black and blue berries, hints of Provencal herbs, wild cranberry and a hit of tar for good measure. That and the 1998 Arnaldo-Caprai Montefalco Rosso were the two for the night. The Montefalco Rosso is largely Sagrentino, but I suspect has some Sangiovese in the blend. At age seven the wine has mellowed from the bruising monster it was upon release, yet it still maintains the wonderful earthy truffle and mushroom forest floor aromas, while being delightfully palate dancing light with black fruit, plums, cassis and a dollop of crème de cocoa.
The 2002 EIEIO Cuvee I was a charming, big boned, old school style Pinot Noir. Lots of fruit, good whole berry flavors of black raspberry, black cherry and cough drop cherry, with a lingering finish. Even bigger was the 2002 Andrew Rich Reserve Pinot Noir. Rich, is one of my favorite underrated winemakers in the USA. He first learned his craft under the careful eye of Randall Graham, which explains the eclectic mix of wines that come from Rich’s part of the Carlton Wine Co-Op, where he and a few other talented winemakers work turning out dynamite, hand-crafted wines. The 2002 Pinot is outstanding. Those who grew up drinking wines from Oregon’s early days in the 80’s will appreciate the subtleties that Rich has been able to maintain in his Reserve release. Loaded with exotic cherry and berry flavors, and just enough Pinot spice, this is a Pinot that goes as well with beef as it would with duck or lamb.
On the Rose front the always tasty 2003 Mas De Gourgournier Coteaux d’Aix En Provence proved to be a refreshing way to start dinner with friends Friday Night @ the La Jolla Flemings. Newly minted Operating Partner David Trainer has picked up where former OP Cameron Lumsden left off. Trainer, who started out as a waiter at San Diego’s best steakhouse over the past five years has matured and runs the place with the same aplomb that Lumsden and Downtown Flemings OP Bob Andrews trained him to do. That said, the steaks continue to be the reason we all go to our home away from home. The Rose was crisp, with just enough strawberry flavor to be dangerous.
Last night Helene and I dropped into Arterra to sample some of Carl Schroeder’s newest ideas. As always the La Jolla resident is on the mark. Visiting Arterra’s kitchen was co-owner and chef extraordinaire Bradley Ogden. We opened a 1997 Domaine Leccia Patrimonio Petra Bianca from Corsica. Local wine importer Sean Fisher and his co-hort in wine Bernie both sampled it, as did Ogden, each lamenting that it was their first ever Corsican wine, and all saying just how good it was. Full bodied, but with a hint of Pinot character, the wine was layered with red currants, black and blue berries, hints of Provencal herbs, wild cranberry and a hit of tar for good measure. That and the 1998 Arnaldo-Caprai Montefalco Rosso were the two for the night. The Montefalco Rosso is largely Sagrentino, but I suspect has some Sangiovese in the blend. At age seven the wine has mellowed from the bruising monster it was upon release, yet it still maintains the wonderful earthy truffle and mushroom forest floor aromas, while being delightfully palate dancing light with black fruit, plums, cassis and a dollop of crème de cocoa.
Tuesday, May 24, 2005
Whoever said they don’t want Merlot is, well, Sideways. The last three Napa Valley Merlot’s I’ve had, the 2001 Keenan, 2000 Peter Paul and now the 2002 Gargiulo Vineyards Money Road Ranch release have all been super.
While Cabernets take more time to age, Napa Merlot has the ability to drink well young, but a good Merlot can age rather well. Back in the day when I drank lots of California wine, and I was building my collection, the Cabernet’s from 1984 and 85 were too young to drink, so Merlots from the 1985 vintage were my red wine of choice. I remember the 1985 Shafer Napa Valley which was all Merlot. Then there was the 1985 Inglenook Cask Reserve Merlot, made from 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet. Now those two wines were so tasty that served blind with Cabernets most people never thought they were Merlot.
That’s why this new wine is so, so good. The 2002 Gargiulo Vineyards Money Road Ranch is a throwback kind of wine. Anthracite coal, black cherry, plums, cranberry, black tar and just a hint of berry spice. The wine is elegant, well balanced and while not one for the ages, I can easily see this wine going for five to seven years without any difficulty.
While Cabernets take more time to age, Napa Merlot has the ability to drink well young, but a good Merlot can age rather well. Back in the day when I drank lots of California wine, and I was building my collection, the Cabernet’s from 1984 and 85 were too young to drink, so Merlots from the 1985 vintage were my red wine of choice. I remember the 1985 Shafer Napa Valley which was all Merlot. Then there was the 1985 Inglenook Cask Reserve Merlot, made from 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet. Now those two wines were so tasty that served blind with Cabernets most people never thought they were Merlot.
That’s why this new wine is so, so good. The 2002 Gargiulo Vineyards Money Road Ranch is a throwback kind of wine. Anthracite coal, black cherry, plums, cranberry, black tar and just a hint of berry spice. The wine is elegant, well balanced and while not one for the ages, I can easily see this wine going for five to seven years without any difficulty.
Sunday, May 22, 2005
2003 Famiglia Bianchi Cabernet Sauvignon Mendoza Argentina
First off to date I have been favorably impressed with each wine from this newcomer to the winescene out of Argentina. Both their Sauvignon Blanc and now this fruit forward red have hit the spot the right way.
Much like Patrick Cambell's TerraRosa that hails now from the same region, the Bianchi Cabernet is rich, fruity, well balanced and made to be drunk now. It has just enough firm tannins to make one think it can age three to five years.
Bright red plums, ripe red cherries and just a hint of black currants, this wine is the kind of wine to just enjoy without having to think too much about, yet at the same time will impress most Cabernet drinkers for it's great value and well made style.
First off to date I have been favorably impressed with each wine from this newcomer to the winescene out of Argentina. Both their Sauvignon Blanc and now this fruit forward red have hit the spot the right way.
Much like Patrick Cambell's TerraRosa that hails now from the same region, the Bianchi Cabernet is rich, fruity, well balanced and made to be drunk now. It has just enough firm tannins to make one think it can age three to five years.
Bright red plums, ripe red cherries and just a hint of black currants, this wine is the kind of wine to just enjoy without having to think too much about, yet at the same time will impress most Cabernet drinkers for it's great value and well made style.
Wednesday, May 04, 2005
I’ve been traveling a lot but I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention some wines of note of late.
The 2002 Ethan Grenache was super. Drank it with Helene and some friends in Sacramento after finding this wine and the 2002 Ethan Syrah. Both were outstanding with the nod going to the Syrah. Ethan wines are made by Ethan Lindquist, son of Qupe founder and Winemaker Bob Lindquist. The wine is really coming into its own with a nice blueberry flavor and hints of toasted bread (pain grille).
Yesterday super wine rep Bill Gillespie popped by and poured a new wine. It’s the 2001 Peter Paul Merlot, from the makers of Grove Street who found a stash of Merlot at Jaeger Vineyards. Super saturated, loaded with fruit but oh so elegant. Then there was the 2001 Deerfield Cellars Super T-Rex. This blend of fruit from all over Sonoma and Napa is a charmer. Made from Sangiovese, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and some old vines Dolcetto, the limited production wine is a real class act.
Then there was the 2003 Grand Veneur Cotes du Rhone Village. I’m becoming a huge fan of this producer. Given the spotty year 2003 was in the Rhone, where some producers made some good wines and missed with others, Alain Jaume has a hit vintage on his hands all across the board. The Cotes du Rhone Village, which sells for in the range of $13.00 a bottle is a winner from start to finish. Lovers of Guigal’s Cotes du Rhone won’t do badly jumping ship and buying this wine that is a blend of Grenache and Syrah. Soft, easy to drink, yet full of life, this wine, which will easily age for three to five years offers up a light plum scent, with flavors of black raspberry, cola, blueberry and blackberry, plus of course red plums.
Last but not least was the 2001 Domaine de la Modoree Lirac. Talk about a mind blowing wine that is sadly unavailable in the USA, but the 2003 is now enroute. This wine can easily be classed as a competitor to Gigondas of Chateauneuf du Papes. Black color, briary fruit. Layers upon layers of juicy flavors, I get goose bumps every time I drink this hearty Rhone Valley red. It’s got great elegance, restrained power, will likely age for another ten years at least while you enjoy the blackberry, blueberry and black cherry flavors with a hearty steak or even some Thai curry flavored fish.
Cheers,
The 2002 Ethan Grenache was super. Drank it with Helene and some friends in Sacramento after finding this wine and the 2002 Ethan Syrah. Both were outstanding with the nod going to the Syrah. Ethan wines are made by Ethan Lindquist, son of Qupe founder and Winemaker Bob Lindquist. The wine is really coming into its own with a nice blueberry flavor and hints of toasted bread (pain grille).
Yesterday super wine rep Bill Gillespie popped by and poured a new wine. It’s the 2001 Peter Paul Merlot, from the makers of Grove Street who found a stash of Merlot at Jaeger Vineyards. Super saturated, loaded with fruit but oh so elegant. Then there was the 2001 Deerfield Cellars Super T-Rex. This blend of fruit from all over Sonoma and Napa is a charmer. Made from Sangiovese, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and some old vines Dolcetto, the limited production wine is a real class act.
Then there was the 2003 Grand Veneur Cotes du Rhone Village. I’m becoming a huge fan of this producer. Given the spotty year 2003 was in the Rhone, where some producers made some good wines and missed with others, Alain Jaume has a hit vintage on his hands all across the board. The Cotes du Rhone Village, which sells for in the range of $13.00 a bottle is a winner from start to finish. Lovers of Guigal’s Cotes du Rhone won’t do badly jumping ship and buying this wine that is a blend of Grenache and Syrah. Soft, easy to drink, yet full of life, this wine, which will easily age for three to five years offers up a light plum scent, with flavors of black raspberry, cola, blueberry and blackberry, plus of course red plums.
Last but not least was the 2001 Domaine de la Modoree Lirac. Talk about a mind blowing wine that is sadly unavailable in the USA, but the 2003 is now enroute. This wine can easily be classed as a competitor to Gigondas of Chateauneuf du Papes. Black color, briary fruit. Layers upon layers of juicy flavors, I get goose bumps every time I drink this hearty Rhone Valley red. It’s got great elegance, restrained power, will likely age for another ten years at least while you enjoy the blackberry, blueberry and black cherry flavors with a hearty steak or even some Thai curry flavored fish.
Cheers,
Wednesday, March 23, 2005
2003 Meffre Laurus Gigondas
From one of the larger negociants in Gigondas the 2003 Meffre Laurus Gigondas is a blend of 65 percent Grenache, 30 percent Syrah and a co-fermentation of Cinsault and Mourvedre totalling five percent the Gigondas features a very brilliant purple robe with notes of vanilla, pain grille' and red fruit with spice. Lots of plum and blackberry. A very good wine, especially with Veal Filet or Foie Gras, which is what I had with it today.
From one of the larger negociants in Gigondas the 2003 Meffre Laurus Gigondas is a blend of 65 percent Grenache, 30 percent Syrah and a co-fermentation of Cinsault and Mourvedre totalling five percent the Gigondas features a very brilliant purple robe with notes of vanilla, pain grille' and red fruit with spice. Lots of plum and blackberry. A very good wine, especially with Veal Filet or Foie Gras, which is what I had with it today.
Smack next to our hotel in Avignon, below the Palais du Papes is Les Domaines, a small 40 seat wine bar. The wine list of some 26 bottles offers 14 by the glass ranging from 3.50 to 6 euros a glass. All are from neighboring AOCs and are very well chosen.
2003 Chateau La Canourge Cotes du Luberon Rose
Not a bone dry rose as one usually expects, even with the salmon color it is the Pink version of the red wine. Candidly this could give Loire reds and some Pinot Noirs or Beaujolais a run as the fruit and flavors yell for smoked meats, pork dishes or even a Provencal chicken dish.
2002 Les Terres Blanches Blanc Coteaux du Aix en Provence
A very nice, with a crème de cocoa, honeydew. Cantaloupe and apricot flavor.
2003 Les Terres Blanches Rose Coteaux du Aix en Provence
A pale salmon pink color. It is bone dry, light, with a flavor profile of pure raspberry fruit at first blush. It is refreshing with being heady, and ends very nicely with a blueberry finish.
2003 Chateau La Canourge Cotes du Luberon Rouge
A deep inky black purple colored wine. An aroma of herbs de Provence is the first thing you encounter, then its followed by a nose of red and black plums, warm blueberry pie filling flavor and cocoa bean. The wine finishes up with tart plums and a hint of anise.
2001 Chateau du Trignon Gigondas
This is a serious wine and while not as forward as the Canourge, it is more tightly structured, offering black plums, black cherry wishniak, blueberry and blackberry fruit flavors.
2003 Chateau La Canourge Cotes du Luberon Rose
Not a bone dry rose as one usually expects, even with the salmon color it is the Pink version of the red wine. Candidly this could give Loire reds and some Pinot Noirs or Beaujolais a run as the fruit and flavors yell for smoked meats, pork dishes or even a Provencal chicken dish.
2002 Les Terres Blanches Blanc Coteaux du Aix en Provence
A very nice, with a crème de cocoa, honeydew. Cantaloupe and apricot flavor.
2003 Les Terres Blanches Rose Coteaux du Aix en Provence
A pale salmon pink color. It is bone dry, light, with a flavor profile of pure raspberry fruit at first blush. It is refreshing with being heady, and ends very nicely with a blueberry finish.
2003 Chateau La Canourge Cotes du Luberon Rouge
A deep inky black purple colored wine. An aroma of herbs de Provence is the first thing you encounter, then its followed by a nose of red and black plums, warm blueberry pie filling flavor and cocoa bean. The wine finishes up with tart plums and a hint of anise.
2001 Chateau du Trignon Gigondas
This is a serious wine and while not as forward as the Canourge, it is more tightly structured, offering black plums, black cherry wishniak, blueberry and blackberry fruit flavors.
Tuesday, March 22, 2005
Today we went to the tasting of Lirac and Tavel, two neighboring regions in the Southern end of the Rhone, on the west side of the river.
While Tavel was almost all Rose, I have to admit I never saw so many Rose wines in one place. While I tasted the personal favorites, and all the 2004 wines were correct, given that they were all just put in bottle the last two weeks or so, it means they are exceedingly young and in some cases fizzy. That said Domaine de la Moderee, Chateau de Sigries, Chateau Tronquevedel, Domaine Lafond-Roc Epine were all right where I expected them to be. Of the four la Moderee seemed to be the best, but none of them were in my estimation as strong of a wine as the 2003s were.
Over in Lirac I tasted through a few producers gaining a better sense for the somewhat maligned region. Sort of a stepchild due to it's West of the Rhone in the southern end, wines from Lirac, both red and white have a great deal of kinship with Chateauneuf du Pape. And while the vineyards and Domains may not be as well known, given the prices of Lirac wines that are on par with Cotes du Rhone Villages, some should be considered in the same breath as widely respected wines from Gigondas and Vacqueyras. Sadly, for many, they don't get the respect they should.
Chateau Mont Redon
The 2004 Lirac Rose was good and fruit forward. Honestly, this was more developed than the more highly regarded Tavel Rose wines. The 2003 Lirac Blanc was unfortunately just a simple, one dimensional wine. While nothing was flawed with the wine, it just didn't have any special quality to it.
Domaine de la Moderee
I tasted wines at both Tavel and Lirac, as well as a visit to the very well run winery just outside of Tavel. I have to say that of producers in the region Moderee remains at the very top. Christophe Delorme is a classy, forward thinking winemaker. With parcels of vineyard land in Lirac, Tavel, Chateauneuf du Pape and in the Cotes du Rhone, Delorme has assembled a stellar line-up of wines that are clearly worthy of seeking out. The 2004 Lirac Blanc, a blend of Viognier, Marsannne, Roussanne, Grenache Blanc and Clairette was very, very good as it showed a great deal of finesse. From the first whiff of this lemon scented wine all the way through the lovely pear and pear center, the wine was a non-stop joy to have in the mouth. The same can be said about the 2003 La Dame Rousse, a very nicely made red that is equal parts Syrah and Grenache. Packed with plums and black raspberry, the jammy red wine has a tart grape jelly flavor in the finish along with all kinds of ripe blueberry overtones. This is a serious wine, and not for the lovers of insipid, wimpy and otherwise uninspiring Cotes du Rhones, of which there are many. Even bigger and better, and already drinking like a baby Chateauneuf du Pape is the 2003 La Reine des Bois. Made from equal parts of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre, this jammy, smoky, plum, cassis and blueberry tasting red is one to behold and may only be seconded by the 2003 Chateauneuf du Pape. Already drinking like the superstar it is, the red wine is a knockout, with all the right CdP components perfectly integrated in harmony.
Domaine Grand Veneur
I continue to be impressed with this producer and believe this is a property that has made incredible strides in a short time. The 2004 Clos Sixte Rose, made from Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre is very clean, with crispness and a bright flavor of raspberry, blueberry and tarry blackberry. The 2003 Lirac Clos Sixte is a showstopper and perhaps one of the best wines I've tasted all week. This is a stunning wine with great intensity with a teeth staining purple color. Loads and loads of black plums, cherry, blueberry, black cherry. This is a super wine and worth seeking out.
Chateau Saint Roch
The 2004 Lirac Blanc is an enjoyable and pleasing lemon, lime, pear peach and cantaloupe wine that has Grenache Blanc, Roussanne, Clairette and Viognier in the blend. After tasting this and other 2004 whites I am convinced that they, and the Rose wines indicate that they will be the better wines versus the 2004 Reds from the southern Rhone overall. The 2003 Lirac Blanc was similar in style to the '04, but with more roundness and greater degrees of lushness. The 2003 Cuvee Confifentialle is made from 100 percent Clairette and is bone dry and crisp. This is an ideal wine to accompany sushi. The 2004 Rose from Saint Roch is made from Cinsault, Grenache and Syrah. It is bone dry, with a long and lingering 15 second or more strawberry finish. Once again the non Tavel Rose wines are showing better earlier. Saint Roch's 2003 Lirac Rouge is made from Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre is a plummy wine that is full of fruit, only marred by a slightly hot finish. The 2003 Cuvee Confidential Rouge is a much higher quality red. Lots of good bright and deep fruit are found in this wine as the flavors of cherries, plums, blue and blackberries and cassis are all mouth filling.
Domaine Lafond Roc-Epine
While I liked their Rose, I was somewhat disappointed in their red wine from the Lirac region. That said, the 04 Blanc was refined, with plenty of apricot and peach flavors and would be worth checking out again in four or five months as the wine is still very youthful. The 03 Rouge was much less intense, delivering a simple wine that will sell well in grocery stores here in France but is not in the league of other Reds from Lirac.
Domaine du Joncier
One of the wines in the portfolio of Kermit Lynch that always has people asking me, "what's that" is the stunningly good Joncier Lirac. Sadly we only see the red in the USA for the rest of the wines are incredible. Take for example the Vin d'Pays white. The 2004 VDP Blanc is vinfied in barrels that used to make Chateau D'Yquem. Made from over-ripened Marsanne and Bourbourblanc this lovely aperitif style white offers an appealing golden yellow color with a cool center of honeydew and peach flavors. This is a gem in every sense of the word. The 2004 Lirac Rose just ten days in bottle is equally impressive. With a wonderfully perfume nose of rose petals and lily scents the Grenache, Syrah and Cinsault wine is sure to turn some heads. But the best wines from Joncier are the reds. Both 2003 Lirac Rouge wines are stars, with the nudge going to the new Les Muses. This blend of Mourvedre (45%), Grenache (30%), Cinsault (10%) and Syrah (5%) is a very classy wine. It throws off lots of black plums, white pepper, stony plums, cassis, strawberry and blueberry flavors. If put into a blind tasting some would think this was a Chateauneuf du Pape.
While Tavel was almost all Rose, I have to admit I never saw so many Rose wines in one place. While I tasted the personal favorites, and all the 2004 wines were correct, given that they were all just put in bottle the last two weeks or so, it means they are exceedingly young and in some cases fizzy. That said Domaine de la Moderee, Chateau de Sigries, Chateau Tronquevedel, Domaine Lafond-Roc Epine were all right where I expected them to be. Of the four la Moderee seemed to be the best, but none of them were in my estimation as strong of a wine as the 2003s were.
Over in Lirac I tasted through a few producers gaining a better sense for the somewhat maligned region. Sort of a stepchild due to it's West of the Rhone in the southern end, wines from Lirac, both red and white have a great deal of kinship with Chateauneuf du Pape. And while the vineyards and Domains may not be as well known, given the prices of Lirac wines that are on par with Cotes du Rhone Villages, some should be considered in the same breath as widely respected wines from Gigondas and Vacqueyras. Sadly, for many, they don't get the respect they should.
Chateau Mont Redon
The 2004 Lirac Rose was good and fruit forward. Honestly, this was more developed than the more highly regarded Tavel Rose wines. The 2003 Lirac Blanc was unfortunately just a simple, one dimensional wine. While nothing was flawed with the wine, it just didn't have any special quality to it.
Domaine de la Moderee
I tasted wines at both Tavel and Lirac, as well as a visit to the very well run winery just outside of Tavel. I have to say that of producers in the region Moderee remains at the very top. Christophe Delorme is a classy, forward thinking winemaker. With parcels of vineyard land in Lirac, Tavel, Chateauneuf du Pape and in the Cotes du Rhone, Delorme has assembled a stellar line-up of wines that are clearly worthy of seeking out. The 2004 Lirac Blanc, a blend of Viognier, Marsannne, Roussanne, Grenache Blanc and Clairette was very, very good as it showed a great deal of finesse. From the first whiff of this lemon scented wine all the way through the lovely pear and pear center, the wine was a non-stop joy to have in the mouth. The same can be said about the 2003 La Dame Rousse, a very nicely made red that is equal parts Syrah and Grenache. Packed with plums and black raspberry, the jammy red wine has a tart grape jelly flavor in the finish along with all kinds of ripe blueberry overtones. This is a serious wine, and not for the lovers of insipid, wimpy and otherwise uninspiring Cotes du Rhones, of which there are many. Even bigger and better, and already drinking like a baby Chateauneuf du Pape is the 2003 La Reine des Bois. Made from equal parts of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre, this jammy, smoky, plum, cassis and blueberry tasting red is one to behold and may only be seconded by the 2003 Chateauneuf du Pape. Already drinking like the superstar it is, the red wine is a knockout, with all the right CdP components perfectly integrated in harmony.
Domaine Grand Veneur
I continue to be impressed with this producer and believe this is a property that has made incredible strides in a short time. The 2004 Clos Sixte Rose, made from Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre is very clean, with crispness and a bright flavor of raspberry, blueberry and tarry blackberry. The 2003 Lirac Clos Sixte is a showstopper and perhaps one of the best wines I've tasted all week. This is a stunning wine with great intensity with a teeth staining purple color. Loads and loads of black plums, cherry, blueberry, black cherry. This is a super wine and worth seeking out.
Chateau Saint Roch
The 2004 Lirac Blanc is an enjoyable and pleasing lemon, lime, pear peach and cantaloupe wine that has Grenache Blanc, Roussanne, Clairette and Viognier in the blend. After tasting this and other 2004 whites I am convinced that they, and the Rose wines indicate that they will be the better wines versus the 2004 Reds from the southern Rhone overall. The 2003 Lirac Blanc was similar in style to the '04, but with more roundness and greater degrees of lushness. The 2003 Cuvee Confifentialle is made from 100 percent Clairette and is bone dry and crisp. This is an ideal wine to accompany sushi. The 2004 Rose from Saint Roch is made from Cinsault, Grenache and Syrah. It is bone dry, with a long and lingering 15 second or more strawberry finish. Once again the non Tavel Rose wines are showing better earlier. Saint Roch's 2003 Lirac Rouge is made from Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre is a plummy wine that is full of fruit, only marred by a slightly hot finish. The 2003 Cuvee Confidential Rouge is a much higher quality red. Lots of good bright and deep fruit are found in this wine as the flavors of cherries, plums, blue and blackberries and cassis are all mouth filling.
Domaine Lafond Roc-Epine
While I liked their Rose, I was somewhat disappointed in their red wine from the Lirac region. That said, the 04 Blanc was refined, with plenty of apricot and peach flavors and would be worth checking out again in four or five months as the wine is still very youthful. The 03 Rouge was much less intense, delivering a simple wine that will sell well in grocery stores here in France but is not in the league of other Reds from Lirac.
Domaine du Joncier
One of the wines in the portfolio of Kermit Lynch that always has people asking me, "what's that" is the stunningly good Joncier Lirac. Sadly we only see the red in the USA for the rest of the wines are incredible. Take for example the Vin d'Pays white. The 2004 VDP Blanc is vinfied in barrels that used to make Chateau D'Yquem. Made from over-ripened Marsanne and Bourbourblanc this lovely aperitif style white offers an appealing golden yellow color with a cool center of honeydew and peach flavors. This is a gem in every sense of the word. The 2004 Lirac Rose just ten days in bottle is equally impressive. With a wonderfully perfume nose of rose petals and lily scents the Grenache, Syrah and Cinsault wine is sure to turn some heads. But the best wines from Joncier are the reds. Both 2003 Lirac Rouge wines are stars, with the nudge going to the new Les Muses. This blend of Mourvedre (45%), Grenache (30%), Cinsault (10%) and Syrah (5%) is a very classy wine. It throws off lots of black plums, white pepper, stony plums, cassis, strawberry and blueberry flavors. If put into a blind tasting some would think this was a Chateauneuf du Pape.
Monday, March 21, 2005
Day three of the Decouvertes en Valee du Rhone was a bit of a scaling back for me. Candidly after two days of non stop tasting, plus two exceptional meals at one and two star rated restaurants on Sunday, something had to give.
Since today was mostly Cotes du Rhone everywhere I opted to stop at the tasting closest to where we’re staying tonight, in Orange. That meant the Chateau Suze la Rousse. Situated high atop a hill overlooking the Rhone Valley, with views in every direction, the old Chateau was actually a wonderful site for a tasting as many of the rooms became ideal places for each winery’s stand.
While there were some 45 wineries represented, each with at least three if not six wines to try I opted to taste a about ten percent of them, as dinner tonight at La Mere Germaine in Chateaunuef du Pape is the goal, while the wines the route to that desire.
Clos du Caillou
2004 Cotes du Rhone La Garrigues Blanc - excellent concentration levels of ripened melons, lemon drop and oranges. Good forward fruit and a long, elegant finish from this blend of Grenache Blanc, Viognier and Rousanne.
2004 Rose – A blend of Syrah, Grenach, Cournise and Mourvedre, this very fresh Rose was loaded with Strawberry flavors on the approach before bright blackberry, raspberry and blueberry came through in the middle. This is a well made Rose and would be great for summer picnics.
2004 Cotes du Rhone – A very traditional Cotes du Rhone. Not much to say other than it was solid.
2004 Cotes du Rhone Les Garrigues Rouge- Good and well made. Black and blueberry fruit. Soft tannins. Easy to drink.
2003 Cotes du Rhone Villages Rouge – Possibly one of the best Cotes du Rhone Villages I tasted today, this stunningly gorgeous wine offered jammy black raspberry, blueberry and plum flavors. A touch of cocoa and black currants rounded out this very complex, rich and delicious wine. Sadly the 2004 release didn’t have the same levels of complexity.
2004 Cotes du Rhone Reserve Rouge – The wine was good, still tight and has lots of potential to improve. It needs a few more months in the barrel before it’s worth evaluating seriously.
Domaine la Milliere
I tasted three of their wines that North Berekely Wine Merchants tends to import. The 2003 Cotes du Rhone Rouge was good, but nothing special, while the 2004 seemed to have more going on in it. Typical forward and easy to drink style with berries and cherries on the palate and a good, long finish. The best wine they made was the 2004 Vielles Vignes Cotes du Rhone. This had the most concentration, minerals and fruit.
Chateau Mont Redon
Possibly offering the best line up of wines today were the wines from Chateau Mont Redon, as they were just spectacular. The 2004 Cotes du Rhone Blanc offered up a very expressive bouquet of spring flowers, was very elegant and extremely well balanced. The mix of low acidity, forward, lush tropical fruit and a long finish actually got me thinking how I missed drinking wines like this every day. The 2004 Cotes du Rhone Rose was equally exhilarating. Made from a blend of Grenache, Syrah and Cinsault, the three berries (Raspberry, Blueberry and Strawberry) were all there together in perfect harmony making this wine a wonderfully refreshing palate appetizer. Perhaps my favorite wine of the day was the 2003 Cotes du Rhone Rouge. Showing a deep purple color, the red wine was a darker copy of the Rose in flavor but due to it being the red wine it was more jammy and much more expressive in every department. While Mont Redon may be known only for Chateauneuf du Pape, it’s clearly apparent to me that they should be known for the other wines they produce too.
Domaine Grand Veneur
The wines of Domaine Grand Veneur were very good today. While I found these wines to be all well balanced, well structured and the kind of wines that would make their way into my cellar I don’t think that they will be as well understood as their Chateauneuf du Papes simply because there is so much Cotes du Rhone on the market already and another brand is not what retailers in the USA are looking for. The 2004 Cotes du Rhone Blanc, a blend of Clairette Viognier, Roussanne and Grenache Blanc was very, very good as it offered up lots of vibrant fruit and a solid core of tropical citrus and sub-tropical melon flavors. So did the 2004 Blanc des Viognier. After tasting dozens of Condrieu wines on Saturday, the difference of less than 100 miles was striking. While the Northern Rhone Viognier wines are more floral and tightly structured this Viognier was more expansive on the palate and much more fruit forward. As for their reds, the 2003 Cotes du Rhone Rouge was very good as the blackberry, blueberry and raspberry fruit flavors all came through in gobs, with a lingering finish. Grand Veneur’s 2003 Cotes du Rhone Village was good, but not as distinctive as the regular CdR. That said the best wine they poured was the 2004 Reserve Grand Veneur Cotes du Rhone. This blend of Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre and Cinsault drank and tasted like a baby Chateauneuf du Pape. Given it has only been in bottle a few weeks this wine will clearly gain strength as time goes on.
Saturday March 19, 2005-Ampuis France. We stated the day at the start of the Rhone Discovery week at the Salle Polytechnique in Ampuis.
Imagine a gymnasium full of only Cote Rotie and Condrieu and every producer you know and many more that you don't are all there. Upon arrival we ran immediately into Morgan Clendenen of Cold Heaven from Santa Barbara. She immediately introduced Helene and I to her winemaking cohort, Yves Cuilleron, and scored us an invite to the magnum party tonight.
For the most part both the 2003 and 2004 Condrieu wines were very good, but the final product varies by producer. While some may age more than two years, for the most part these are wines to drink with 18 months of purchase.
The 2004 Francois Villard was a standout showing nothing but gorgeous fruit. Unlike many of the 04's that are still evolving, this is a finished and complete wine that is super saturated with melons-- honeydew and cantaloupe, plus peach melba, orange zest and tangerine. The three Cuilleron 2003 Condrieus were all strikingly different with the Vertige showing the greatest balance and elegance. The La Challets was all apples and pears with La Petite Cote being very drinkable now and the most classic in style.
Philippe Faury has had his wines imported for over ten years by Kermit Lynch, and I've been drinking them ever since. Both his 03 and 04 Classic style Condrieus are outstanding with rich, muscular and fleshy fruit of honeydew, apricots, plus the 04 showing off more extracted cantaloupe, peach and honey notes. But as nice as the Faury wines are at the traditional level, it is his 03 La Berne that really turned my head. Showing off lovely fruit, the peach and honey based wine has a brisk acidity that works great with the honeydew and apricot base.
The 2004 Domaine Pierre Gaillard Condrieu is young and developing while the 2003 Domaine Boisonnet which we were directed to by Morgan, shows perfect balance as it is a smooth, soft and lush Condrieu.
Yves Gangloff has made a very big and still evolving 2004 Condrieu. It really needs time to settle down, but first impressions are it will be a hit. I can't say the same for the 04 Les Vins de Vienne Condrieu which was hot with off putting acidity. The 04 La Chambee is the better wine showing more balance and length.
Negociant Eric Texier has some hits on his hands, despite a tiny white wine production. His 2003 Condrieu Janrade is very good, as its smoothness and balance let's the apricot, peach and melon flavors pour through. The 04 from the parcel is even better, but only 75 cases were made with about 15 exported to the USA. Texier's classique 04 Viognier is also showing very well, revealing a finished wine full of peach, melon and pear flavors. Texier also sneaked me a taste of his 2004 Brezeme, a 100 percent Roussanne wine that was sawdust and sweetgrass on the nose, with crenshaw melon and peaches through to the finish.
I really enjoyed the 2004 M. Chapoutier Condrieu. Easily one of the top wines of the morning, it is really lush and complex but sadly all the red Chapoutier's I tasted were just so-so both here and at the Hermitage tasting.
Earl Mouton produced two different Condrieus the past two vintages. The 03 Bonnet is even and lush on the palate, with flavors of honeydew melon, apricots and pears on top of the flinty and wet stone base.The 2003 Chatillon is a better wine, showing more balance and a more forward structure. The 04's dis not show as well, being more backwards at this point.
2003 Philippe Verzier Condrieu shows off good length, with a touch of crème caramel, violets, bananas and cantaloupe fruit. The 2003 Porte Vincent Condrieu is very balanced, showing off floral scents and honey highlights. The 2003 Porte Vincent Nobelese de Vernon is even more impressive with a dry style and well balanced pear, apricot and honeydew flavors. I cannot say the same for the 2003 Lauren Betton Condrieu, which was hot and acidic. Equally disappointing was the 2004 Georges Vernay that was just average.
Paul Jaboulet Aine's 2004 is better than the surprisingly stunning 03 delivering more balance and forward fruit.
Now it's time for lunch and the Bistrot a Vins de Serine where some amazing dishes were served and where we had a very fresh 2004 Cotes du Rhone blanc and a pot of 2003 Cotes du Rhone rouge. The white was very easy to drink while the red showed a garnet color and delightful black raspberry and plum flavors.
Now the reds beckoned for Saturday....Cote Rotie..then Hermitage and Cornas on Sunday and more....
Imagine a gymnasium full of only Cote Rotie and Condrieu and every producer you know and many more that you don't are all there. Upon arrival we ran immediately into Morgan Clendenen of Cold Heaven from Santa Barbara. She immediately introduced Helene and I to her winemaking cohort, Yves Cuilleron, and scored us an invite to the magnum party tonight.
For the most part both the 2003 and 2004 Condrieu wines were very good, but the final product varies by producer. While some may age more than two years, for the most part these are wines to drink with 18 months of purchase.
The 2004 Francois Villard was a standout showing nothing but gorgeous fruit. Unlike many of the 04's that are still evolving, this is a finished and complete wine that is super saturated with melons-- honeydew and cantaloupe, plus peach melba, orange zest and tangerine. The three Cuilleron 2003 Condrieus were all strikingly different with the Vertige showing the greatest balance and elegance. The La Challets was all apples and pears with La Petite Cote being very drinkable now and the most classic in style.
Philippe Faury has had his wines imported for over ten years by Kermit Lynch, and I've been drinking them ever since. Both his 03 and 04 Classic style Condrieus are outstanding with rich, muscular and fleshy fruit of honeydew, apricots, plus the 04 showing off more extracted cantaloupe, peach and honey notes. But as nice as the Faury wines are at the traditional level, it is his 03 La Berne that really turned my head. Showing off lovely fruit, the peach and honey based wine has a brisk acidity that works great with the honeydew and apricot base.
The 2004 Domaine Pierre Gaillard Condrieu is young and developing while the 2003 Domaine Boisonnet which we were directed to by Morgan, shows perfect balance as it is a smooth, soft and lush Condrieu.
Yves Gangloff has made a very big and still evolving 2004 Condrieu. It really needs time to settle down, but first impressions are it will be a hit. I can't say the same for the 04 Les Vins de Vienne Condrieu which was hot with off putting acidity. The 04 La Chambee is the better wine showing more balance and length.
Negociant Eric Texier has some hits on his hands, despite a tiny white wine production. His 2003 Condrieu Janrade is very good, as its smoothness and balance let's the apricot, peach and melon flavors pour through. The 04 from the parcel is even better, but only 75 cases were made with about 15 exported to the USA. Texier's classique 04 Viognier is also showing very well, revealing a finished wine full of peach, melon and pear flavors. Texier also sneaked me a taste of his 2004 Brezeme, a 100 percent Roussanne wine that was sawdust and sweetgrass on the nose, with crenshaw melon and peaches through to the finish.
I really enjoyed the 2004 M. Chapoutier Condrieu. Easily one of the top wines of the morning, it is really lush and complex but sadly all the red Chapoutier's I tasted were just so-so both here and at the Hermitage tasting.
Earl Mouton produced two different Condrieus the past two vintages. The 03 Bonnet is even and lush on the palate, with flavors of honeydew melon, apricots and pears on top of the flinty and wet stone base.The 2003 Chatillon is a better wine, showing more balance and a more forward structure. The 04's dis not show as well, being more backwards at this point.
2003 Philippe Verzier Condrieu shows off good length, with a touch of crème caramel, violets, bananas and cantaloupe fruit. The 2003 Porte Vincent Condrieu is very balanced, showing off floral scents and honey highlights. The 2003 Porte Vincent Nobelese de Vernon is even more impressive with a dry style and well balanced pear, apricot and honeydew flavors. I cannot say the same for the 2003 Lauren Betton Condrieu, which was hot and acidic. Equally disappointing was the 2004 Georges Vernay that was just average.
Paul Jaboulet Aine's 2004 is better than the surprisingly stunning 03 delivering more balance and forward fruit.
Now it's time for lunch and the Bistrot a Vins de Serine where some amazing dishes were served and where we had a very fresh 2004 Cotes du Rhone blanc and a pot of 2003 Cotes du Rhone rouge. The white was very easy to drink while the red showed a garnet color and delightful black raspberry and plum flavors.
Now the reds beckoned for Saturday....Cote Rotie..then Hermitage and Cornas on Sunday and more....
Saturday, March 19, 2005
Cloître
2 r. des Cloîtres
Vienne, France
Phone +011 33 4 74 31 93 57
This very nice tiny two story gourmet oriented restaurant offers exceptional
cooking and a smart, well chosen wine list.
We drank a wonderful 2003 Pochon Crozes Hermitage Blanc
Very fresh, clean, well balanced and delicate. After a day of almost nothing but Viognier as a white wine the idea of having a Marsanne and
Rousanne blend was more than appealing, it was a pre-requisite. The pale straw colored wine gives off fresh limes, wet stones and green
pears. On the palate the pear flavor drives through followed by citrus flavors of pink grapefruit and Crenshaw melon.
Even though we were in the Rhone, given the cooking and the varying flavors, I wanted something less intrusive and more delicate. The 2002 Comte Lafond Sancerre Rouge was the perfect choice. Many people forget that Pinot Noir exists beyond Burgundy in France.
While some recall that it is made in Alsace, not that many realize that there is Pinot Noir in the Loire. This one from Lafond is charming to say the least. Think of Saintsbury Garnet, with a smoky overtone and bright bing cherry, wild cherry and sour cherries all blended together.
Is this Burgundian? No. It's Loire and its wonderful as the slight cedar overtones but with lovely coffee and raspberry flavors in the finish.
Cloitre is one of those kinds of places where you feel like the only people dining. The service is very personal, yet also very polished. That said, if you ever find yourself in the Rhone Valley, put this moderately priced spot on your list. Dinner for two with the wine, bottled water and an aperitif was $139 Euros.
In my book, that's a find.
2 r. des Cloîtres
Vienne, France
Phone +011 33 4 74 31 93 57
This very nice tiny two story gourmet oriented restaurant offers exceptional
cooking and a smart, well chosen wine list.
We drank a wonderful 2003 Pochon Crozes Hermitage Blanc
Very fresh, clean, well balanced and delicate. After a day of almost nothing but Viognier as a white wine the idea of having a Marsanne and
Rousanne blend was more than appealing, it was a pre-requisite. The pale straw colored wine gives off fresh limes, wet stones and green
pears. On the palate the pear flavor drives through followed by citrus flavors of pink grapefruit and Crenshaw melon.
Even though we were in the Rhone, given the cooking and the varying flavors, I wanted something less intrusive and more delicate. The 2002 Comte Lafond Sancerre Rouge was the perfect choice. Many people forget that Pinot Noir exists beyond Burgundy in France.
While some recall that it is made in Alsace, not that many realize that there is Pinot Noir in the Loire. This one from Lafond is charming to say the least. Think of Saintsbury Garnet, with a smoky overtone and bright bing cherry, wild cherry and sour cherries all blended together.
Is this Burgundian? No. It's Loire and its wonderful as the slight cedar overtones but with lovely coffee and raspberry flavors in the finish.
Cloitre is one of those kinds of places where you feel like the only people dining. The service is very personal, yet also very polished. That said, if you ever find yourself in the Rhone Valley, put this moderately priced spot on your list. Dinner for two with the wine, bottled water and an aperitif was $139 Euros.
In my book, that's a find.
Friday, March 18, 2005
Now this is what I like. A hotel with a wine bar that actually has wines you have to think about which ones you want to try. At the Mercure in Chasse sur Rhone, a nice 3 star property not far from the motorway, they offer six different wines, including a Condrieu for dessert.
We opted to try two nice 2002 vintage releases that were complimentary with our stay.
The 2002 M. Chapoutier Crozes Hermitage Petite Rue was despite the vintage, an absolute stunner. Deep dark ruby purple, tremendous grace and elegance, and even though the wine was from the worst vintage in many in the Rhone, Chapoutier found a way to make it well. Nice blueberry and black cherry flavor, hints of plums and just a kiss of herbs de Provence.
Then there was the 2002 Domaine du Roncree Clos des Marronnieres Chinon from the Loire Valley was extremely refined, long on the palate and gobs of fun to drink. With Cabernet Franc like this, Merlot in the USA would easily be pushed away. Great flavor, lots of forward fruit with cherries and black currants, the soft red has a hint of green bell pepper in the finish.
Then we left for dinner !
We opted to try two nice 2002 vintage releases that were complimentary with our stay.
The 2002 M. Chapoutier Crozes Hermitage Petite Rue was despite the vintage, an absolute stunner. Deep dark ruby purple, tremendous grace and elegance, and even though the wine was from the worst vintage in many in the Rhone, Chapoutier found a way to make it well. Nice blueberry and black cherry flavor, hints of plums and just a kiss of herbs de Provence.
Then there was the 2002 Domaine du Roncree Clos des Marronnieres Chinon from the Loire Valley was extremely refined, long on the palate and gobs of fun to drink. With Cabernet Franc like this, Merlot in the USA would easily be pushed away. Great flavor, lots of forward fruit with cherries and black currants, the soft red has a hint of green bell pepper in the finish.
Then we left for dinner !
Les Saveurs du Marche
34 cours de Verdun, sud du plan, Vienne
+011 33 4 74 31 65 65
This small city restaurant in the town of Vienne, at the Northern end of the Rhone Valley is the perfect Friday night date spot. Looking around the room there were at least five couples all enjoying the expertly chosen wines and perfectly cooked Rhonesque cooking....The food was Arterra level, but not so sophisticated that one would feel intimidated. While not a * type establishment the wine and food were outstanding and this is exactly the kind of place I would come to time and time again.
The wines were super...and choosing was a problem...a good problem that is...Here's what we tasted, um..drank....
2003 Cuilleron, Gallard and Villard Cotes du Rhone
Ruby purple color, rich and juicy, not the candied cherry that some CdR's through off. Black raspberry and blackberry, cassis and red currants.
This is my kind of Cotes du Rhone as it drinks bigger and deeper than the Guigals we see so many of in the USA.
2000 Yves Cuilleron L'Amarybelle St. Joseph
Obviously grown on chalky soil, this northern Rhone red is still youthful with flavors of blueberry, black raspberry and kirsch. The wine has a deep black fruit mid palate and a wonderfully smooth finish.
After about thirty minutes of being exposed to air the Cuilleron just takes a major step up. Those who like Santa Barbara Syrah should think MacPrice Myers And his 2003 Larner Vineyard release. The wine has become more black olive and cherry, with herbs de provence and black pepper.
Possessing an amazing level of concentration and great length, this wine is really coming into it own.
1998 Jamet Cote Rotie
Bacon fat, blueberry, black pepper, black olives....ooh, is this drinking nicely now, and at 19 euros for the half bottle, it's a steal. I mean, six year old Cote Rotie, which out of a full bottle would not be ready, but in the pint size version it's ready to rock.
Duval Leroy Champagne Sorbet
Just perfect...
Oh yes, the food...it was awesome, I'll have some photos in a few days as time permits.....The meal ended with dessert that followed the cheese course, which as Rich Spahl would say rocked, and that's saying a lot because each course was on Arterra level...
34 cours de Verdun, sud du plan, Vienne
+011 33 4 74 31 65 65
This small city restaurant in the town of Vienne, at the Northern end of the Rhone Valley is the perfect Friday night date spot. Looking around the room there were at least five couples all enjoying the expertly chosen wines and perfectly cooked Rhonesque cooking....The food was Arterra level, but not so sophisticated that one would feel intimidated. While not a * type establishment the wine and food were outstanding and this is exactly the kind of place I would come to time and time again.
The wines were super...and choosing was a problem...a good problem that is...Here's what we tasted, um..drank....
2003 Cuilleron, Gallard and Villard Cotes du Rhone
Ruby purple color, rich and juicy, not the candied cherry that some CdR's through off. Black raspberry and blackberry, cassis and red currants.
This is my kind of Cotes du Rhone as it drinks bigger and deeper than the Guigals we see so many of in the USA.
2000 Yves Cuilleron L'Amarybelle St. Joseph
Obviously grown on chalky soil, this northern Rhone red is still youthful with flavors of blueberry, black raspberry and kirsch. The wine has a deep black fruit mid palate and a wonderfully smooth finish.
After about thirty minutes of being exposed to air the Cuilleron just takes a major step up. Those who like Santa Barbara Syrah should think MacPrice Myers And his 2003 Larner Vineyard release. The wine has become more black olive and cherry, with herbs de provence and black pepper.
Possessing an amazing level of concentration and great length, this wine is really coming into it own.
1998 Jamet Cote Rotie
Bacon fat, blueberry, black pepper, black olives....ooh, is this drinking nicely now, and at 19 euros for the half bottle, it's a steal. I mean, six year old Cote Rotie, which out of a full bottle would not be ready, but in the pint size version it's ready to rock.
Duval Leroy Champagne Sorbet
Just perfect...
Oh yes, the food...it was awesome, I'll have some photos in a few days as time permits.....The meal ended with dessert that followed the cheese course, which as Rich Spahl would say rocked, and that's saying a lot because each course was on Arterra level...
Helene and I are enroute to the Rhone Valley, and spent the night on the Lufthansa flight to Frankfurt. The wines and food service were impeccable. The flight smooth and actually restful....
As for the wines.....they were each well chosen...
2003 Oberrotweiler Trilogy Spatlese Trocken
A blend of Riesling, Pinot Blanc and lively Sylvaner, the fruit is forward, while the acid is reduced as is the sugar. Layers of fresh lemon, hints of lime, lots of green apple and just a kiss of pears. The wine is very refreshing and pleasing to the palate.
2004 Stellenbosch Neethlinghof Sauvignon Blanc, South Africa
This is not a Sancerre clone like Neil Ellis makes, as the off dry flavors, big, ripe and round fruit makes this more of a Chardonnay replacement. Its got an almost marzipan like flavor along the bottom that comes after the orange blossom finish. The bouquet, which is more exciting than the flavors offers up grapefruit and green apple scents.
2000 Maison Champy Savigny Les Beaune Burgundy
I really enjoy the negociants of Burgundy and nice enjoyable wines that don't break the bank. This middleweight red is soft, easy to dring, and has notes of cherries and raspberries, with just a smack of dark chocolate in the finish.
2000 Falesco Montiano Umbria Italy
Always a stunning wine, and one that never disappoints, the deep and dark blackberry and blueberry flavors of the wine makes this a lip smacking good way to get into big reds. Great length and super concentration. This wine is nowhere near peak.
Look for Road Reports to Continue...
As for the wines.....they were each well chosen...
2003 Oberrotweiler Trilogy Spatlese Trocken
A blend of Riesling, Pinot Blanc and lively Sylvaner, the fruit is forward, while the acid is reduced as is the sugar. Layers of fresh lemon, hints of lime, lots of green apple and just a kiss of pears. The wine is very refreshing and pleasing to the palate.
2004 Stellenbosch Neethlinghof Sauvignon Blanc, South Africa
This is not a Sancerre clone like Neil Ellis makes, as the off dry flavors, big, ripe and round fruit makes this more of a Chardonnay replacement. Its got an almost marzipan like flavor along the bottom that comes after the orange blossom finish. The bouquet, which is more exciting than the flavors offers up grapefruit and green apple scents.
2000 Maison Champy Savigny Les Beaune Burgundy
I really enjoy the negociants of Burgundy and nice enjoyable wines that don't break the bank. This middleweight red is soft, easy to dring, and has notes of cherries and raspberries, with just a smack of dark chocolate in the finish.
2000 Falesco Montiano Umbria Italy
Always a stunning wine, and one that never disappoints, the deep and dark blackberry and blueberry flavors of the wine makes this a lip smacking good way to get into big reds. Great length and super concentration. This wine is nowhere near peak.
Look for Road Reports to Continue...
Wednesday, March 02, 2005
I had a wine rep buddy stop by today while I was lunching at Arterra in Del Mar, CA.
2003 Guilheim Durand Syrah Vin d’Pays d’Hautrive
From the region near Corbieres, the rich and chewy fat red is loaded with dusty blueberry fruit, has good balance and is a good value wine for near term drinking. It’s a wine you would find for about 12 dollars or so at most retailers on the west coast. Perfect for backyard BBQs and with burgers.
2003 Domaine Gauby Les Calcinaires Cotes du Roussillon Village
The wine is tight, very coiled, and not at like other Gauby wines I’ve had in the past. Candidly, other wines from the Roussillon available now like Clos de Fees and even Gardies blows this away. As a fan of Gauby since the early 90’s, I was saddened to see how the wines have so increased in price, as they have and yet, the basic wine has dropped to where it’s not a consideration any longer for my cellar. I need to try this wine again, for a winemaker of Gauby stature couldn’t have dropped this far this fast.
2003 Domaine les Grands Bois Cairanne Cotes du Rhone Villages Cuvee Maximillien
A thin, watery, light wine. Considering how great the 2003 vintage was in the Rhone I was shocked at how poor this wine showed. It lacked any depth, complexity or flavor that one would expect from a Villages wine from the southern Rhone. While those who don’t know what good is would like this wine, those who have had better, i.e. Guigal, Trignon, etc. would know that in the southern Rhone wines like this are sold in plastic jugs.
2002 Bucklin Old Hill Ranch Zinfandel
Made from century old vine from a vineyard which has more than Zin planted in it, this classic California Zinfandel is made by the family that supplies grapes to Ravenswood. The old school style red is chock full of flavors that remind me of 80s era Zinfandel before it was a hot wine to buy. This brambly and black current flavored wine is smashingly chunky, with an elegant mid-palate and flavors that linger on for what seems like a minute. This is one outstanding wine and worth seeking out.
Cheers,
Andy
2003 Guilheim Durand Syrah Vin d’Pays d’Hautrive
From the region near Corbieres, the rich and chewy fat red is loaded with dusty blueberry fruit, has good balance and is a good value wine for near term drinking. It’s a wine you would find for about 12 dollars or so at most retailers on the west coast. Perfect for backyard BBQs and with burgers.
2003 Domaine Gauby Les Calcinaires Cotes du Roussillon Village
The wine is tight, very coiled, and not at like other Gauby wines I’ve had in the past. Candidly, other wines from the Roussillon available now like Clos de Fees and even Gardies blows this away. As a fan of Gauby since the early 90’s, I was saddened to see how the wines have so increased in price, as they have and yet, the basic wine has dropped to where it’s not a consideration any longer for my cellar. I need to try this wine again, for a winemaker of Gauby stature couldn’t have dropped this far this fast.
2003 Domaine les Grands Bois Cairanne Cotes du Rhone Villages Cuvee Maximillien
A thin, watery, light wine. Considering how great the 2003 vintage was in the Rhone I was shocked at how poor this wine showed. It lacked any depth, complexity or flavor that one would expect from a Villages wine from the southern Rhone. While those who don’t know what good is would like this wine, those who have had better, i.e. Guigal, Trignon, etc. would know that in the southern Rhone wines like this are sold in plastic jugs.
2002 Bucklin Old Hill Ranch Zinfandel
Made from century old vine from a vineyard which has more than Zin planted in it, this classic California Zinfandel is made by the family that supplies grapes to Ravenswood. The old school style red is chock full of flavors that remind me of 80s era Zinfandel before it was a hot wine to buy. This brambly and black current flavored wine is smashingly chunky, with an elegant mid-palate and flavors that linger on for what seems like a minute. This is one outstanding wine and worth seeking out.
Cheers,
Andy
Monday, February 21, 2005
The 2003 The ZIN from longtime Napa Valley producer Mitch Cosentino is one of those wines you really want to love, but end up saying no to. While it is very good, with dusty tanins, a full body profile that says it will age and is a blend of fruit from zin hotbed Lodi California and Napa, plus some other sources I just can't justify the $30.00 retail price point it has. There are just too many better Zinfandel wines at lower price points out there. That said, at $18.00 this would be a great buy.
The Zin is also a rather bold name for a wine with no track record. While I like Cosentino's idea, I think better this wine sells for half the price and outperforms the market, rather than being just another cash cow type of wine for his winery.
The Zin is also a rather bold name for a wine with no track record. While I like Cosentino's idea, I think better this wine sells for half the price and outperforms the market, rather than being just another cash cow type of wine for his winery.
Monday, February 07, 2005
I've been cellaring wines from the early part of the 90's that were from the Languedoc for many years. Like wonderfully made Rhone reds, the wines produced in the Languedoc are able to age for a very long time, often rivaling the best Gigondas or Chateauneuf du Pape's made, but at fractions of the price. Over the weekend, on two successive days, I was able to work through a couple of the wines from Peyre Rose.
The Domaine Peyre Rose 1992 Clos Syrah Léone Coteaux du Languedoc was a blockbuster tour de force. This voluptuous red wine, which is 90 percent Syrah and ten percent Mourvedre has a full hit of crème de cocoa on the first taste, all backed up by scintillatingly rich and ripe blueberries, hints of "la garrigue"--rosemary, thyme, sage, as well as black pepper. The wine finishes with a delightful black raspberry flavor. In a word, Yummy.
The Domaine Peyre Rose 1992 Clos des Cistes is a more traditional Languedoc/Rhone style blend made up of Syrah and Grenache. Unlike the blockbusting richness of the Syrah Leone, the Clos des Cistes is more angular and refined, offering up more stony fruit flavors and minerals. If the Syrah Leone is fruit wrapped, this is fruit encased. It is loaded with jammy blackberry and strawberry flavors, with a healthy oriental tea appeal.
Both these wines showed almost no advanced aging, as the corks were pristine, revealing a long life ahead for both.
The Domaine Peyre Rose 1992 Clos Syrah Léone Coteaux du Languedoc was a blockbuster tour de force. This voluptuous red wine, which is 90 percent Syrah and ten percent Mourvedre has a full hit of crème de cocoa on the first taste, all backed up by scintillatingly rich and ripe blueberries, hints of "la garrigue"--rosemary, thyme, sage, as well as black pepper. The wine finishes with a delightful black raspberry flavor. In a word, Yummy.
The Domaine Peyre Rose 1992 Clos des Cistes is a more traditional Languedoc/Rhone style blend made up of Syrah and Grenache. Unlike the blockbusting richness of the Syrah Leone, the Clos des Cistes is more angular and refined, offering up more stony fruit flavors and minerals. If the Syrah Leone is fruit wrapped, this is fruit encased. It is loaded with jammy blackberry and strawberry flavors, with a healthy oriental tea appeal.
Both these wines showed almost no advanced aging, as the corks were pristine, revealing a long life ahead for both.
Thursday, December 30, 2004
The last few days in Santa Barbara County's wine region has been as always, a total blast. Tasting bottled wines, finished wines still in barrel and wines in barrel that are still fermenting is always a great way to see how a wineries past, present and future will be. While it's too soon to tell what the 2004 wines will be, based on tasting those wines from Doug Margerum, David Corey, Jim Clendenen (Au Bon Climat), Morgan Clendenen (Cold Heaven) and their Clendenen Family Vineyard, Bob Lindquist (Qupe) and Luisa Lindquist (Verdad) I can safely say if you enjoyed 2001 and 2002 then watch out for 2003 and 4.
The two years are different. O3 is a fat, ripe and voluptuous vintage, while 04 promises more structure, balance. 03 seems to be more of a winemakers vintage, while 04 is truly on where the vineyard will have done its magic on the grapes long before the winemaker can mess with the grapes future.
Margerum, Clendenen and Corey are all playing and still experimenting with new wines. For Corey it will be a line of whites made from Grenache Blanc, Rousanne and Marsanne. His Grenache Blanc is already full of ripe tropical fruit, bananas, peaches and fleshy apricots. The Rousanne is almost Sauvignon Blanc like right now with herbal notes, but a nice fruit base. The Marsanne is the oddest and still most backwards, but his 03 and 04 reds are humming right along. Clendenen is playing, so what's new. He found a new vineyard source named de la Cuna where Syrah and Viognier are planted. As a result Jim is making a real Cote Rotie style red, cut with a small portion of Viognier. I already told winery sales manager Mike that I want a case when this is finally released, likely in 2006 or later. It's just gorgeous. The pure Syrah is hedonistic, backwards, old school. Think August Clape, only chunky and big from California. Then there's Doug Margerum. He's making more different wines, but still small lots, but still keeping all the favorites as the best and highest quality vineyards from all of the county supply grapes to the restaurateur turned winemaker to carry the Margerum Wine Company label. We even tasted before a sumptuous winery lunch a special blend of the end of each fermentation tanks grapes that goes into the M5, his version of Santa Barbara style Cotes du Rhone. I jokingly called it La Coeur de Cinq (the heart of five) and Doug actually liked the name. Time will tell if the wine and the name sticks.
Cheers, from the Vineyards...
The two years are different. O3 is a fat, ripe and voluptuous vintage, while 04 promises more structure, balance. 03 seems to be more of a winemakers vintage, while 04 is truly on where the vineyard will have done its magic on the grapes long before the winemaker can mess with the grapes future.
Margerum, Clendenen and Corey are all playing and still experimenting with new wines. For Corey it will be a line of whites made from Grenache Blanc, Rousanne and Marsanne. His Grenache Blanc is already full of ripe tropical fruit, bananas, peaches and fleshy apricots. The Rousanne is almost Sauvignon Blanc like right now with herbal notes, but a nice fruit base. The Marsanne is the oddest and still most backwards, but his 03 and 04 reds are humming right along. Clendenen is playing, so what's new. He found a new vineyard source named de la Cuna where Syrah and Viognier are planted. As a result Jim is making a real Cote Rotie style red, cut with a small portion of Viognier. I already told winery sales manager Mike that I want a case when this is finally released, likely in 2006 or later. It's just gorgeous. The pure Syrah is hedonistic, backwards, old school. Think August Clape, only chunky and big from California. Then there's Doug Margerum. He's making more different wines, but still small lots, but still keeping all the favorites as the best and highest quality vineyards from all of the county supply grapes to the restaurateur turned winemaker to carry the Margerum Wine Company label. We even tasted before a sumptuous winery lunch a special blend of the end of each fermentation tanks grapes that goes into the M5, his version of Santa Barbara style Cotes du Rhone. I jokingly called it La Coeur de Cinq (the heart of five) and Doug actually liked the name. Time will tell if the wine and the name sticks.
Cheers, from the Vineyards...
Tuesday, December 28, 2004
Helene and I are up in Santa Barbara, a very unseasonably rain soaked region, but compared to the disaster in the Indian Ocean coastal regions I'll pick the Central Coast this week. So as our hearts go out for the victims of the Tsunami we will keep on with our plans to taste throughout the region this week as long as the roads stay open.
Last night at the suggestion of Brian Loring, from Loring Wine Company, we went to a mom and pop Italian in Lompoc called La Botte on H Street. What a find. Perfectly prepared cooking, fresh and crisp Caesar salad that I long for at Flemings or Arterra. I don't quite understand why the lettuce in San Diego just plain sucks compared to a region only four hours away. The romaine was a brilliant green, crisp, tasty. The pizza was home made with cheese that was rich and creamy. The two pasta dishes, one traditional Bolognese with meat sauce and home made oven baked meatballs and the other, Linguine with Clams in red sauce were both perfect too. Full of flavor, zesty and of course the love from a kitchen that makes Italian food the Sicilian way. There was also the sautéed mushrooms which had just enough garlic/ Every dish was just delicious.
As for the wine, we went for the house Italian red by the glass, knowing that it was pouring outside and that many wines await us the next few days (and nights), the 2001 Monte Antico, was a perfect choice. This is a wine that I have been tasting since 1990 and know that it ages quite a while. Both the 2000 and 1997 were equally impressive in my tastes, and while no one will ever call this a Super Tuscan, it really is a super wine made from Sangiovese, with a dash of Cabernet and maybe some Merlot. The wine has the kind of pasta red body, but a lot more fruit, hints of tar and plums with a bright berry character, and tons of fruit. The wine is full-bodied, with velvety tannins and a long finish. While I don't know if this wine will surpass the 1990 in my mind, it is clearly one of the best VALUE reds on the shelves today and perfect with all those Italian dishes you want when its cold outside.
Last night at the suggestion of Brian Loring, from Loring Wine Company, we went to a mom and pop Italian in Lompoc called La Botte on H Street. What a find. Perfectly prepared cooking, fresh and crisp Caesar salad that I long for at Flemings or Arterra. I don't quite understand why the lettuce in San Diego just plain sucks compared to a region only four hours away. The romaine was a brilliant green, crisp, tasty. The pizza was home made with cheese that was rich and creamy. The two pasta dishes, one traditional Bolognese with meat sauce and home made oven baked meatballs and the other, Linguine with Clams in red sauce were both perfect too. Full of flavor, zesty and of course the love from a kitchen that makes Italian food the Sicilian way. There was also the sautéed mushrooms which had just enough garlic/ Every dish was just delicious.
As for the wine, we went for the house Italian red by the glass, knowing that it was pouring outside and that many wines await us the next few days (and nights), the 2001 Monte Antico, was a perfect choice. This is a wine that I have been tasting since 1990 and know that it ages quite a while. Both the 2000 and 1997 were equally impressive in my tastes, and while no one will ever call this a Super Tuscan, it really is a super wine made from Sangiovese, with a dash of Cabernet and maybe some Merlot. The wine has the kind of pasta red body, but a lot more fruit, hints of tar and plums with a bright berry character, and tons of fruit. The wine is full-bodied, with velvety tannins and a long finish. While I don't know if this wine will surpass the 1990 in my mind, it is clearly one of the best VALUE reds on the shelves today and perfect with all those Italian dishes you want when its cold outside.
Thursday, December 23, 2004
Last night I had a fast bite over at Arterra and pulled out two bottles to drink with Nick, David, Sara and the rest of the staff who does such a great job feeding me when I'm too tired to cook or drive far.
The 2002 Jean Louis Donis La Riviere from the French Limoux region in the Languedoc is a wonderful blend of Chardonnay and Chenin Blanc. The wine is all apples and pears and full of lively fresh spring day aromas. This is great white for Sushi.
The 1993 Terres Blanches Coteaux d'Aix en Provence is easily a poor mans Trevallon or a more elegant Mas de la Dame. At age 11 it is vibrant. Even with a slight band aid nose the wine is glorious. Pekoe tea, black raspberry and lots of tarry cherries through the middle with a long blackberry and blueberry finish. While I suspect there may be a dose of Mourvedre in this wine too.
Cheers,
Andy
The 2002 Jean Louis Donis La Riviere from the French Limoux region in the Languedoc is a wonderful blend of Chardonnay and Chenin Blanc. The wine is all apples and pears and full of lively fresh spring day aromas. This is great white for Sushi.
The 1993 Terres Blanches Coteaux d'Aix en Provence is easily a poor mans Trevallon or a more elegant Mas de la Dame. At age 11 it is vibrant. Even with a slight band aid nose the wine is glorious. Pekoe tea, black raspberry and lots of tarry cherries through the middle with a long blackberry and blueberry finish. While I suspect there may be a dose of Mourvedre in this wine too.
Cheers,
Andy
Sunday, December 19, 2004
Last night the love of my life, Helene and I went to dinner at Enotria in Sacramento, after an afternoon of finding an authentic Philly Cheese Steak shop (it was as close to Philly as I've had in California) then shopping at the Galleria in Roseville and some wine tasting at a neat wine bar in Rocklin, CA called Eureka and Wine where we met Chris the owner and tasted three reds-a wonderful Storybook Mountain Zin, a nice Erhardt Petite Sirah and some Napa Cab that I forget the name of. My SoCal friends that know me well would say I really must be in love if I'm forgetting wine names and notes, because they know I never forget to remember a wine.
Well, I guess I'm a bit distracted these days and nights. You see, in life we go through trying and tasting many wines, always looking to find that one special wine to call our own.Well folks, I've found mine !
She's a 1963 Vintage white, with sweet golden delicious overtones. Tight, firm and with good grip, along with a long lingering finish, my limited edition bottling, only one was ever hand crafted, is that special bottle you find that you know is for long term aging, but is vibrant and youthful and most enjoyable right now and for many years to come.
Contrary to how some may think, this one is not like any of my bargain priced favorites like Terra Rosa, Castle Rock or Grove Street, but like those, she is really a "must have." Besides, she's sure no Two Buck Chuck--even though I did find two bottles of that so called wine in her kitchen which are enroute to being forever banned from her house. But excuse me, I'm whining about that, but rightfully so some would say who have experienced the same Andy exorcism of that label.
No, my "find" of the year is perfect blend of Margaux (for aging) and Romanee Conti (for style) with enough spicy Lucien Barrot Chateauneuf du Pape thrown in to always keep me coming back for more. We met over red wine and the glass has been full ever since. If I'm posting less, it's because I'm sharing wine and great times in a truly special manner with a really special lady. Who knows, there may even be a "second" label in our future in the next vintage.
I invite you to share in our wine experience of yesterday, and going forward, for I've surely met my real, one and only true WinePal !
2003 Miner Viognier
A very light, one dimensional Viognier with light lemon and a hot finish. This wine while good, pales in comparison to both the Cooper Garrod and Wildrotter Viogniers I've had recently.
2002 Voss Sauvignon Blanc
Ripe and round flavors of pears and lemongrass. This easy to drink white offers up a deep pear finish. While not like a traditional Sancerre, or even an New Zealand SB, the Voss was flavorful and tasty, and a great start before dinner.
2001 Fournier Sancerre Loire Valley
Very concentrated with minerals, limestone, wet stones, slate all backed by a lemon and lime mid palate. The wine is grassy and herbaceous but not overblown. Think fresh cut hay and saw grass with a hint of palmetto.
2002 Keller Sonoma Coast Chardonnay
Green apples and golden pears, with a hint of almond and hazelnut and fresh cream. This is typical California Chardonnay, and one more reason why I look for Austrian and Spanish whites, along with Rhone grapes in my glass.
2002 Grove Mill Marlborough NZ Pinot Noir
Possessing a real deep core of black cherry and plums and some subtle Pinot spice all wrapped around a long rich middle of raspberry. The wine has good balance and is only marred by its need to be drunk soon.
2001 Las Rocas Grenache Catalayud Spain
This Spanish bargain offers up all kinds of black raspberry, kirsch and red plums and a light black pepper base. While not CdP or Gigondas or even Rioja, this wine is a big and bold warrior that works perfect with garlicky linguine.
1997 Krutzler Blaufrankisch Austria
Somewhere between Pinot and Grenache this indigenous grape from Austria, is round, ripe, fruity and fully ready now. Showing off flavors of star anise, licorice and black cherry wishniak, the ending is summed up with a very evident dried sweet blackberry flavor.
2002 Ehrhardt Petite Sirah Clarksburg
We actually had this earlier also in the afternoon at Eureka and Wine in Rocklin. This very much old vine red is massive, with chunky red plums and berries on the advance and wild cherry and blackberry flavors, all saturated inside an encasement of blueberries and tar. If you like hedonistic and rustic non-stop thrill rides this is one for you.
Cheers,
Andy
Well, I guess I'm a bit distracted these days and nights. You see, in life we go through trying and tasting many wines, always looking to find that one special wine to call our own.Well folks, I've found mine !
She's a 1963 Vintage white, with sweet golden delicious overtones. Tight, firm and with good grip, along with a long lingering finish, my limited edition bottling, only one was ever hand crafted, is that special bottle you find that you know is for long term aging, but is vibrant and youthful and most enjoyable right now and for many years to come.
Contrary to how some may think, this one is not like any of my bargain priced favorites like Terra Rosa, Castle Rock or Grove Street, but like those, she is really a "must have." Besides, she's sure no Two Buck Chuck--even though I did find two bottles of that so called wine in her kitchen which are enroute to being forever banned from her house. But excuse me, I'm whining about that, but rightfully so some would say who have experienced the same Andy exorcism of that label.
No, my "find" of the year is perfect blend of Margaux (for aging) and Romanee Conti (for style) with enough spicy Lucien Barrot Chateauneuf du Pape thrown in to always keep me coming back for more. We met over red wine and the glass has been full ever since. If I'm posting less, it's because I'm sharing wine and great times in a truly special manner with a really special lady. Who knows, there may even be a "second" label in our future in the next vintage.
I invite you to share in our wine experience of yesterday, and going forward, for I've surely met my real, one and only true WinePal !
2003 Miner Viognier
A very light, one dimensional Viognier with light lemon and a hot finish. This wine while good, pales in comparison to both the Cooper Garrod and Wildrotter Viogniers I've had recently.
2002 Voss Sauvignon Blanc
Ripe and round flavors of pears and lemongrass. This easy to drink white offers up a deep pear finish. While not like a traditional Sancerre, or even an New Zealand SB, the Voss was flavorful and tasty, and a great start before dinner.
2001 Fournier Sancerre Loire Valley
Very concentrated with minerals, limestone, wet stones, slate all backed by a lemon and lime mid palate. The wine is grassy and herbaceous but not overblown. Think fresh cut hay and saw grass with a hint of palmetto.
2002 Keller Sonoma Coast Chardonnay
Green apples and golden pears, with a hint of almond and hazelnut and fresh cream. This is typical California Chardonnay, and one more reason why I look for Austrian and Spanish whites, along with Rhone grapes in my glass.
2002 Grove Mill Marlborough NZ Pinot Noir
Possessing a real deep core of black cherry and plums and some subtle Pinot spice all wrapped around a long rich middle of raspberry. The wine has good balance and is only marred by its need to be drunk soon.
2001 Las Rocas Grenache Catalayud Spain
This Spanish bargain offers up all kinds of black raspberry, kirsch and red plums and a light black pepper base. While not CdP or Gigondas or even Rioja, this wine is a big and bold warrior that works perfect with garlicky linguine.
1997 Krutzler Blaufrankisch Austria
Somewhere between Pinot and Grenache this indigenous grape from Austria, is round, ripe, fruity and fully ready now. Showing off flavors of star anise, licorice and black cherry wishniak, the ending is summed up with a very evident dried sweet blackberry flavor.
2002 Ehrhardt Petite Sirah Clarksburg
We actually had this earlier also in the afternoon at Eureka and Wine in Rocklin. This very much old vine red is massive, with chunky red plums and berries on the advance and wild cherry and blackberry flavors, all saturated inside an encasement of blueberries and tar. If you like hedonistic and rustic non-stop thrill rides this is one for you.
Cheers,
Andy
Sunday, November 28, 2004
Pascal Sauton, a friend of David Abella's has a great little French Bistro in SW Portland called Carafe. It's my kind of place. French. Parisian. Good hearty bistro fare. A sensational wine list with great choices under $40.00, and like its namesake, you can get wines by the Carafe, or as they are better known, as by the pichet in 1/4, 1/2 and a full litre sizes.
We opted for three different wines to go with the excellent cooking and superb service.
2002 Gaillec Blanc Terresiers
This was likely Ugni Blanc. It's refreshing, light, perfect with a plate of forest mushrooms cooked in butter, garlic and a hint of black pepper, with just enough fruit to stand up to Foie Gras. Yes, Sauton is not shy about his desire to keep Foie Gras on his menu.
2002 Clos du Vent Corbieres
This red from the Languedoc is a great bistro wine. Nice and fruit forward, with enough character and balls to stand up to hearty cooking on a cool late fall night. Lots of brambly black and blueberry and pepper from the Syrah, with enough light strawberry from the Grenache. Don't worry about aging this wine, it's meant to be drunk soon.
2002 O'Reilly Pinot Noir
When in Oregon, drink local. Well made, smooth. Burgundian in character. Nice and soft. Easy to drink. Black cherry and raspberry flavors with a long and lingering finish.
We're off to Wine Country....Winemakers Studio in Carlton and David Hill are already awaiting....See you there?
Andy
We opted for three different wines to go with the excellent cooking and superb service.
2002 Gaillec Blanc Terresiers
This was likely Ugni Blanc. It's refreshing, light, perfect with a plate of forest mushrooms cooked in butter, garlic and a hint of black pepper, with just enough fruit to stand up to Foie Gras. Yes, Sauton is not shy about his desire to keep Foie Gras on his menu.
2002 Clos du Vent Corbieres
This red from the Languedoc is a great bistro wine. Nice and fruit forward, with enough character and balls to stand up to hearty cooking on a cool late fall night. Lots of brambly black and blueberry and pepper from the Syrah, with enough light strawberry from the Grenache. Don't worry about aging this wine, it's meant to be drunk soon.
2002 O'Reilly Pinot Noir
When in Oregon, drink local. Well made, smooth. Burgundian in character. Nice and soft. Easy to drink. Black cherry and raspberry flavors with a long and lingering finish.
We're off to Wine Country....Winemakers Studio in Carlton and David Hill are already awaiting....See you there?
Andy
Friday, November 26, 2004
The saying is "Glass or Sip" and they pour in both sizes. Run by a charming young women who hails originally from Montreal, then Toronto, the 750 ML bar is my kind of wine bar, akin in a way to very modern Willi's of Paris. A nice list, a two page menu with small plates priced ten dollars or less and an enjoyable, conversational atmosphere.
2003 Bosco Trebbiano
A nice off dry white, with a tasty lingering fruity finish. The flavors of anise, licorice, Asian pear ad honeydew melon make this Italian wine a winner.
2003 Piero Mancino Vermentino
Now this is a classy white wine with some balls. It's got staying power and length that won't stop.A wonderful wine with nice and firm fleshy white pear and golden apples. The wine finishes with green apples and a light lime peel finish.
2001 Brooks Pinot Noir Coral Creek Oregon
This smells like Burgundy. Fresh out a newly opened bottle the ruby red colored wine has a lovely bouquet that reminds one being in Beaune. A lovely cherry cola and menthol attack on the palate with deep briary mid palate and a black cherry finish.
2003 Bosco Trebbiano
A nice off dry white, with a tasty lingering fruity finish. The flavors of anise, licorice, Asian pear ad honeydew melon make this Italian wine a winner.
2003 Piero Mancino Vermentino
Now this is a classy white wine with some balls. It's got staying power and length that won't stop.A wonderful wine with nice and firm fleshy white pear and golden apples. The wine finishes with green apples and a light lime peel finish.
2001 Brooks Pinot Noir Coral Creek Oregon
This smells like Burgundy. Fresh out a newly opened bottle the ruby red colored wine has a lovely bouquet that reminds one being in Beaune. A lovely cherry cola and menthol attack on the palate with deep briary mid palate and a black cherry finish.
Vigne
417 NW Tenth Avenue
Portland, OR
www.vignewinebar.com
2001 Thalassitis Santorini
Ripe forward and easy drinking white. Peach and apricot fruit flavors, with a cantaloupe finish. A nice Greek wine that is very soft on the palate and enjoyable all by itself.
2000 Nigl Riesling Kremsleiten
Ultra ripe lemons and oranges in this Austrian blockbuster. The bottle aging the wine has seen has in no way taken away any of its youthfulness. Backed up with sub-tropical pineapple favor and a hint of Hawaiian coconut the wine is just sweet enough with sending a warning to go visit the dentist.
417 NW Tenth Avenue
Portland, OR
www.vignewinebar.com
2001 Thalassitis Santorini
Ripe forward and easy drinking white. Peach and apricot fruit flavors, with a cantaloupe finish. A nice Greek wine that is very soft on the palate and enjoyable all by itself.
2000 Nigl Riesling Kremsleiten
Ultra ripe lemons and oranges in this Austrian blockbuster. The bottle aging the wine has seen has in no way taken away any of its youthfulness. Backed up with sub-tropical pineapple favor and a hint of Hawaiian coconut the wine is just sweet enough with sending a warning to go visit the dentist.
Andina Restaurant
1314 NW Gilsan,
Portland, OR
97209
A Peruvian wine and tapas bar with a large windowed view of the street became my first in a series of stops on the so called Black Friday. Avoiding shopping was the key, but this place, was far from empty, yet not so crowded on a lazy afternoon in a calmly overcast Portland. My opening course was a Cebiche, made from scallops, fresh water shrimp and calamari in a tropical passion fruit juice was a delight.
2003 Torres De Casta Penedes Rose
Given the fruit sauce base that complimented the fresh fish Cebiche the choice of a white or Rose wine was tough, but I opted for the cooling sensation that the Rose from Spain would offer. The deep, almost red looking rose from Spain is lush and has a polite spicy undertone with enough forward fruit to stand up to the pinch of heat in the dish. The wine offered up lots of raspberry fruit and a hint of late harvest Strawberry making the choice a great way to start an afternoon of tapas and wine bar exploration.
My second dish is Pimentos Piquillo Relleno, mid sized red pepper cones stuffed with cheese, quinoa and Serrano ham. I chose to also go for some additional small plates, one of Causa Cangrejo, a traditional dish of lime flavored potato mixture that is pressed into a cake with savory fillings. I chose crab as the filling, but I could have just as easily opted for chicken, smoked trout or vegetables. I also picked a plate of chorizo from Rioja.
With those three dishes the rose was still perfect. But, I was yearning for red wine and something which would stand up to the Lomo Saltado, a traditional Peruvian dish of tenderloin beef strips that have been wok fried with onions, tomatoes, soy sauce, garlic and aji with rice and fried yuca. That meant an Argentinean 2002 Trumpeter Malbec-Syrah blend from Tupungato. This very lush, fruit forward blend of a Bordeaux and Rhone grape mix is ultra soft and ready for action. Offering up a deep purple color, the wine has a very deep fresh plum fruit base, with cassis, cherries and blueberry flavor. This is a perfect grilled red meat kind of wine as the flavors and fruit are able to stand up to pepper and herbs, while retaining their core structure and balance.
I ended lunch with a cappuccino mousse with Peruvian fruit and crème. It was like crème caramel, only fruitier.
1314 NW Gilsan,
Portland, OR
97209
A Peruvian wine and tapas bar with a large windowed view of the street became my first in a series of stops on the so called Black Friday. Avoiding shopping was the key, but this place, was far from empty, yet not so crowded on a lazy afternoon in a calmly overcast Portland. My opening course was a Cebiche, made from scallops, fresh water shrimp and calamari in a tropical passion fruit juice was a delight.
2003 Torres De Casta Penedes Rose
Given the fruit sauce base that complimented the fresh fish Cebiche the choice of a white or Rose wine was tough, but I opted for the cooling sensation that the Rose from Spain would offer. The deep, almost red looking rose from Spain is lush and has a polite spicy undertone with enough forward fruit to stand up to the pinch of heat in the dish. The wine offered up lots of raspberry fruit and a hint of late harvest Strawberry making the choice a great way to start an afternoon of tapas and wine bar exploration.
My second dish is Pimentos Piquillo Relleno, mid sized red pepper cones stuffed with cheese, quinoa and Serrano ham. I chose to also go for some additional small plates, one of Causa Cangrejo, a traditional dish of lime flavored potato mixture that is pressed into a cake with savory fillings. I chose crab as the filling, but I could have just as easily opted for chicken, smoked trout or vegetables. I also picked a plate of chorizo from Rioja.
With those three dishes the rose was still perfect. But, I was yearning for red wine and something which would stand up to the Lomo Saltado, a traditional Peruvian dish of tenderloin beef strips that have been wok fried with onions, tomatoes, soy sauce, garlic and aji with rice and fried yuca. That meant an Argentinean 2002 Trumpeter Malbec-Syrah blend from Tupungato. This very lush, fruit forward blend of a Bordeaux and Rhone grape mix is ultra soft and ready for action. Offering up a deep purple color, the wine has a very deep fresh plum fruit base, with cassis, cherries and blueberry flavor. This is a perfect grilled red meat kind of wine as the flavors and fruit are able to stand up to pepper and herbs, while retaining their core structure and balance.
I ended lunch with a cappuccino mousse with Peruvian fruit and crème. It was like crème caramel, only fruitier.
Hello from Portland Oregon. I ventured off for the weekend to explore the Portland wine and coffee house scene. What I'm finding is a wine lovers paradise, as wines by the glass establishments are everywhere, the selection of boutique producers is astounding and the prices rather reasonable. What's more, Oregon's proximity to so much fresh, organic and natural foods makes Portland possibly one of the best foodie and wine lover towns around. Add to it what appears to be more coffee shops with Internet access than anywhere I've been in months and this is heavenly for me.
Yesterday I cancelled reservations at Portland's oldest seafood restaurant, Jakes, and opted to try my luck at a small bistro and bar called Mothers. Did I luck out. The place was sold out, but they had an open seat or two at the bar. Given I'm never opposed to sit at the bar, it was the perfect match for me, for once I saw there list of wines, with every wine available by the glass I knew I had chosen the right place to have a traditional Thanksgiving dinner.
2003 Isenhower Cellars Snapdragon Viognier-Roussane
This is one of the most round and ripe white Rhone blends from Washington State I've had to date. It is full of ripe oranges, pears and peach flavor. The finish is smooth with just a hint of lemony tartness. What made it so appealing was the freshness of the wine. Lots of great fruit, no acidity. It was perfect by itself and surprisingly with the Mushroom soup.
2002 Maysara Pinot Gris Willamette Valley
From coastal vineyards this a very opulent and almost decadently lush Pinot Gris. It has the mouthfeel of a pinot blanc as the very over ripened citrus and melon flavors engulf your palate. There is a slight spritz to the finish but not in a negative way. Ripe honeydew and peach fruit along with tangerine and nectarine flavors round out this ultra impressive white wine. This wine and the Isenhower are the kind of wines that would stand up so well to Sushi dishes or the cooking of friends Evan Cruz and David Abella of Roy's or even Jean Marie Josselin at his Hawaii establishment, "A Pacific Cafe."
2002 Maysara Reserve Pinot Noir
This the kind of Pinot Noir that is perfect with turkey and gravy, but even better with stuffing. Pinot Noir spice right from the start on the nose, with truly an Oregon flavor palate. This is not Burgundy nor is it Santa Barbara. It is a very soft wine that is ready now to please your palate with soft strawberry and raspberry flavor notes. I hope to find more of this producer for they are one that should not be overlooked by those who want small batch wines in their collection.
1998 Griffen Creek Merlot Syrah Rogue Valley
Loaded up with blueberry fruit and bing cherry flavors, this unique blend from Southern Oregon is soft and easy to drink. The spicy Syrah and the red plum notes of the blend are an interesting counterpoint as the blend is very atypical and yet these two seem to work so well. The wine is soft and very much like a meritage in balance. The blueberry and coffee flavors along with cherry and cola make the wine a nice post Pinot and Turkey glass of wine to enjoy with pumpkin pie.
Happy holiday....
Yesterday I cancelled reservations at Portland's oldest seafood restaurant, Jakes, and opted to try my luck at a small bistro and bar called Mothers. Did I luck out. The place was sold out, but they had an open seat or two at the bar. Given I'm never opposed to sit at the bar, it was the perfect match for me, for once I saw there list of wines, with every wine available by the glass I knew I had chosen the right place to have a traditional Thanksgiving dinner.
2003 Isenhower Cellars Snapdragon Viognier-Roussane
This is one of the most round and ripe white Rhone blends from Washington State I've had to date. It is full of ripe oranges, pears and peach flavor. The finish is smooth with just a hint of lemony tartness. What made it so appealing was the freshness of the wine. Lots of great fruit, no acidity. It was perfect by itself and surprisingly with the Mushroom soup.
2002 Maysara Pinot Gris Willamette Valley
From coastal vineyards this a very opulent and almost decadently lush Pinot Gris. It has the mouthfeel of a pinot blanc as the very over ripened citrus and melon flavors engulf your palate. There is a slight spritz to the finish but not in a negative way. Ripe honeydew and peach fruit along with tangerine and nectarine flavors round out this ultra impressive white wine. This wine and the Isenhower are the kind of wines that would stand up so well to Sushi dishes or the cooking of friends Evan Cruz and David Abella of Roy's or even Jean Marie Josselin at his Hawaii establishment, "A Pacific Cafe."
2002 Maysara Reserve Pinot Noir
This the kind of Pinot Noir that is perfect with turkey and gravy, but even better with stuffing. Pinot Noir spice right from the start on the nose, with truly an Oregon flavor palate. This is not Burgundy nor is it Santa Barbara. It is a very soft wine that is ready now to please your palate with soft strawberry and raspberry flavor notes. I hope to find more of this producer for they are one that should not be overlooked by those who want small batch wines in their collection.
1998 Griffen Creek Merlot Syrah Rogue Valley
Loaded up with blueberry fruit and bing cherry flavors, this unique blend from Southern Oregon is soft and easy to drink. The spicy Syrah and the red plum notes of the blend are an interesting counterpoint as the blend is very atypical and yet these two seem to work so well. The wine is soft and very much like a meritage in balance. The blueberry and coffee flavors along with cherry and cola make the wine a nice post Pinot and Turkey glass of wine to enjoy with pumpkin pie.
Happy holiday....
Sunday, November 07, 2004
I'm up in the Bay Area on business the last few and next few days. Not driving means more wine time. Tomorrow is the Family winemakers event, so around dinner with some reporters tonight and the last few days and all, I get to hit that event too before more meetings on Tuesday.....oh and like I don't want to go to a trade tasting...RIGHT.
Anyway, tonight's dinner is partially about educating one of my good friends who writes for Business 2.0 about Indian food (his Ancestry) and wine (my habit). The promise is he teaches me about Indian food (something I can't get enough of, especially after my London adventures) and I teach him about wine. So with that in mind I called on my long time online wine colleague in SF, the MW herself, Melanie Wong, well known to many on the Compuserve Wine Forum, and within SF/Bay Area wine circles, to source the best Indian food in town. I went to K&L and was as always blown away by their super selection of Austrian, Alsatian, Germans and more importantly, their southern hemisphere selection. I pulled a killer Gruner Veltliner, a South African Cabernet Rose, a Loire Cabernet Franc and a German Kabinett.
While I'm waiting to head to lunch at my favorite Mexican joint on the left coast, Cafe Marimba, I'm sipping a superb Austrian too. 2003 Weingut Hirsch, Kamptal Gruner Veltliner. For those of you who love dull, boring, overoaked and butter Chardonnays, you can stop reading now. This is not your kind of wine. For those of you who prefer more interesting, thought provoking wines with character and style, and sophistication read on.
The wine is not fat. Instead you get a thick, well structured white, with gobs of tropical melons, oranges, Meyers lemon and substance. The wine is round, with hints of tangerine, honeydew melon and a nice non too acidic dollop of pineapple.
This is a perfect no food wine....fleshy without being flashy. Tasty without being tarty. Bold, without being boring.....
Boing Boing....
Anyway, tonight's dinner is partially about educating one of my good friends who writes for Business 2.0 about Indian food (his Ancestry) and wine (my habit). The promise is he teaches me about Indian food (something I can't get enough of, especially after my London adventures) and I teach him about wine. So with that in mind I called on my long time online wine colleague in SF, the MW herself, Melanie Wong, well known to many on the Compuserve Wine Forum, and within SF/Bay Area wine circles, to source the best Indian food in town. I went to K&L and was as always blown away by their super selection of Austrian, Alsatian, Germans and more importantly, their southern hemisphere selection. I pulled a killer Gruner Veltliner, a South African Cabernet Rose, a Loire Cabernet Franc and a German Kabinett.
While I'm waiting to head to lunch at my favorite Mexican joint on the left coast, Cafe Marimba, I'm sipping a superb Austrian too. 2003 Weingut Hirsch, Kamptal Gruner Veltliner. For those of you who love dull, boring, overoaked and butter Chardonnays, you can stop reading now. This is not your kind of wine. For those of you who prefer more interesting, thought provoking wines with character and style, and sophistication read on.
The wine is not fat. Instead you get a thick, well structured white, with gobs of tropical melons, oranges, Meyers lemon and substance. The wine is round, with hints of tangerine, honeydew melon and a nice non too acidic dollop of pineapple.
This is a perfect no food wine....fleshy without being flashy. Tasty without being tarty. Bold, without being boring.....
Boing Boing....
Thursday night I was able to showcase some wines that I have been holding in my cellar at a special dinner along with fellow WinePal Ray McKewon at a dinner associated with his fine company, Accredited Home Lenders.
We began with an experiment. I had found a bottle of 1992 Matanzas Creek Sonoma County Chardonnay. Over the years this wine has never let me down, but at age 14, one would have to say that what we had was almost timeless. The wine was a clear golden yellow color. It was almost pristine. The crispness and bright fruit was there, evidence of the proper storage it has had. The wine was all golden delicious apples, green apples, peach and pears. If I would have told someone it was a 2002 release, no one would have guessed I was pulling a fast one on them.
Ray brought along a delightful 1995 Dom Perginon. There is a reason why people like Dom. This bottle proved it once again. Nice and toasty almonds, a load of peach melba, some aromatics of fresh baked bread and a long finish of apples. Wow.
As for the rest of the evening, accompanied by some of Carl Schroeder's best cooking in town at Arterra the wines were all one knock 'em over after another.
2002 Mesh Australian Riesling was a charmer. It was devoid of saturated sweetness, and had the kind of high acid that stood up perfectly to fresh briny oysters. Lemon and lime, with a gasless 7Up flavor. Solid limestone base and a long lingering finish.
2002 Fourcharme 1er Cru Chablis. This wine, from Lacroix, never lets me down. It got a lot of smiles and raised eyebrows when it was served side by side with the Riesling. Had I known how great the Matanzas Creek was going to be, it would have been an interesting match up. The Chablis is crisp, but layered with dried tropical flavors.
We then switched to red. 1990 Ravenswood Old Hill Sonoma County Zinfandel and 1990 Ridge Geyserville. Both of these wines are from what can easily be called century old vines. The Ravenswood said 99 year old and the Geyserville, well, lets just say that the vines are as old as the hills. Early on the Ravenswood had the lead, as the Ridge took a while to open up. The Ravenswood was typical Sonoma style Zin. Fruity, jammy, youthful. It had a nice plum and black cherry flavor, all interlaced with copious notes of berries. About 20 minutes later the Ridge started to emerge from its sleepy mode and revealed some very Claret like aromatics before really coming on strong. It was classic Geyserville. Those who have had Geyserville will know what I mean. I put the glass aside to drink with some Bordeauxs I knew was coming later.
2000 Deydier and 2000 Vieux des Mas Papes Chateauneuf du Pape
This are two totally different types of wines. The Deydier is very primary fruits, sauvage, hedonistic and screams for Cassoulet. The Vieux des Mas Papes, the all Grenache wine from Vieux Telegraphe is more forward and lush. Both have years to go. Each has its own pluses and minuses, the biggest being that they are both very young and have the kind of builds that will prove out over time. If you have them in quantity, try one now and then judge when you think you want to open them again. My guess is five years or more.
1978 and 1986 Chateau Margaux. If purchased off of a restaurant list these two wines would have commanded over $1000 dollars easily. Both are monumental. The 1978, which was my last bottle, could not have been consumed at a better point in time. It was glorious, and the cork showed that it had done its job, but given how high up the wine had penetrated I would not be holding these more than another two years at best, but now at age 26 it was as best as this wine has ever been in the 14 years I've held it. It was old school Margaux, not the Margaux of the 80s. Still rustic in nature, the tar, black fruit, tobacco leaf and coffee notes were all evident. The 1986, which still can go another 25 years easily has lost its backwards, tight and tannic shell. At age 18 it is clearly ready to be drunk, as it may be one of the most elegant Margauxs I've ever tasted, even more than the 1985 or 1982. It was very smooth and lush. It has gobs of forward fruit and a pristine quality that lingers in the throat for minutes. While I have a few more of these in the cellar, I won't be in a rush.
1992 and 1993 Dalle Valle Napa Cabernet. Maybe these should have been drunk first, before the Margaux wines, I'm still not sure for they showcased how great Napa Cabs can be. The 1993 is clearly more further developed and forward compared to the better structured, more age worthy 92. But I'd be splitting hairs if I said one was better than the other. The 93 is open and more aromatic. The 92 is more elegant. Think of the 93 has a more carefree wine, that you won't ever feel bad opening at any time for the next 10 years. Then realize that when you have a special occasion that the 92 with decanting and aeration will be the wine to savor for a special occasion. Black cherries, plums, mint some stony minerals. They both have it, with the 92 having the edge in what would be more wine snob appeal. Give me the 93.
We began with an experiment. I had found a bottle of 1992 Matanzas Creek Sonoma County Chardonnay. Over the years this wine has never let me down, but at age 14, one would have to say that what we had was almost timeless. The wine was a clear golden yellow color. It was almost pristine. The crispness and bright fruit was there, evidence of the proper storage it has had. The wine was all golden delicious apples, green apples, peach and pears. If I would have told someone it was a 2002 release, no one would have guessed I was pulling a fast one on them.
Ray brought along a delightful 1995 Dom Perginon. There is a reason why people like Dom. This bottle proved it once again. Nice and toasty almonds, a load of peach melba, some aromatics of fresh baked bread and a long finish of apples. Wow.
As for the rest of the evening, accompanied by some of Carl Schroeder's best cooking in town at Arterra the wines were all one knock 'em over after another.
2002 Mesh Australian Riesling was a charmer. It was devoid of saturated sweetness, and had the kind of high acid that stood up perfectly to fresh briny oysters. Lemon and lime, with a gasless 7Up flavor. Solid limestone base and a long lingering finish.
2002 Fourcharme 1er Cru Chablis. This wine, from Lacroix, never lets me down. It got a lot of smiles and raised eyebrows when it was served side by side with the Riesling. Had I known how great the Matanzas Creek was going to be, it would have been an interesting match up. The Chablis is crisp, but layered with dried tropical flavors.
We then switched to red. 1990 Ravenswood Old Hill Sonoma County Zinfandel and 1990 Ridge Geyserville. Both of these wines are from what can easily be called century old vines. The Ravenswood said 99 year old and the Geyserville, well, lets just say that the vines are as old as the hills. Early on the Ravenswood had the lead, as the Ridge took a while to open up. The Ravenswood was typical Sonoma style Zin. Fruity, jammy, youthful. It had a nice plum and black cherry flavor, all interlaced with copious notes of berries. About 20 minutes later the Ridge started to emerge from its sleepy mode and revealed some very Claret like aromatics before really coming on strong. It was classic Geyserville. Those who have had Geyserville will know what I mean. I put the glass aside to drink with some Bordeauxs I knew was coming later.
2000 Deydier and 2000 Vieux des Mas Papes Chateauneuf du Pape
This are two totally different types of wines. The Deydier is very primary fruits, sauvage, hedonistic and screams for Cassoulet. The Vieux des Mas Papes, the all Grenache wine from Vieux Telegraphe is more forward and lush. Both have years to go. Each has its own pluses and minuses, the biggest being that they are both very young and have the kind of builds that will prove out over time. If you have them in quantity, try one now and then judge when you think you want to open them again. My guess is five years or more.
1978 and 1986 Chateau Margaux. If purchased off of a restaurant list these two wines would have commanded over $1000 dollars easily. Both are monumental. The 1978, which was my last bottle, could not have been consumed at a better point in time. It was glorious, and the cork showed that it had done its job, but given how high up the wine had penetrated I would not be holding these more than another two years at best, but now at age 26 it was as best as this wine has ever been in the 14 years I've held it. It was old school Margaux, not the Margaux of the 80s. Still rustic in nature, the tar, black fruit, tobacco leaf and coffee notes were all evident. The 1986, which still can go another 25 years easily has lost its backwards, tight and tannic shell. At age 18 it is clearly ready to be drunk, as it may be one of the most elegant Margauxs I've ever tasted, even more than the 1985 or 1982. It was very smooth and lush. It has gobs of forward fruit and a pristine quality that lingers in the throat for minutes. While I have a few more of these in the cellar, I won't be in a rush.
1992 and 1993 Dalle Valle Napa Cabernet. Maybe these should have been drunk first, before the Margaux wines, I'm still not sure for they showcased how great Napa Cabs can be. The 1993 is clearly more further developed and forward compared to the better structured, more age worthy 92. But I'd be splitting hairs if I said one was better than the other. The 93 is open and more aromatic. The 92 is more elegant. Think of the 93 has a more carefree wine, that you won't ever feel bad opening at any time for the next 10 years. Then realize that when you have a special occasion that the 92 with decanting and aeration will be the wine to savor for a special occasion. Black cherries, plums, mint some stony minerals. They both have it, with the 92 having the edge in what would be more wine snob appeal. Give me the 93.
