This past weekend I headed back over to Elvino wine shop to do another tasting. This time, Bart had put together a $10 “Couch Potato Flight” for a lazy post-Thanksgiving weekend. All 3 wines were under $20, which was a bonus!

The first wine was the lovely, easy-drinking NV Cantine Riondo Prosecco

At Elvino it is sold for $13, which is totally reasonable… BUT you can definitely find this sucker for under ten bucks (haaaaaay.) It’s aromatic, bright, has a light perlage (fancy word for tiny bubbles) and has lovely notes of straw and green apple. I really loved this Prosecco- it would make a perfect easy-drinking picnic wine (or a perfect sitting-on-the-couch-while-watching-Arrested-Development-DVDs wine.) However you choose to indulge, I would highly recommend you drink this wine while doing so.

Next up was the 2008 Chateau d’Oupia Les Heretiques, a red blend of Carignan from 70-year-old vines and Syrah. It’s a steal at $10.99 (which is how much it sells for at Elvino) but guess what? You can find this wine for as little as EIGHT BUCKS (I know, it’s criminal.) It’s a light-bodied red table wine- fruit forward, easy-drinking, with nice tannins and a long finish (thanks to those old vines.)  It’s definitely a good bang-for-your-buck.

The third and final wine in the “Couch Potato Flight” was the 2007 Fabre Montmayou Malbec from Patagonia, Argentina. I had never tried a Patagonian wine, but I must say “well done, Patagonia.” It’s much more direct than most Malbec I’ve tried- it packs quite a punch. It’s on the dry side, nicely structured and balanced, with dark red fruits and a bit of spice. Elvino sells this wine for $19.99, but you should be able to find it for around 18 bucks. It’s a good one- 92 points from Robert Parker.

All 3 of these wines got my thumbs up- let me know which wine you’ll be sipping on your couch!

]]> http://anurbansip.wordpress.com/2009/11/30/no-party-crashers-at-slanted-house/ Mon, 30 Nov 2009 22:08:40 +0000 citterman http://anurbansip.wordpress.com/2009/11/30/no-party-crashers-at-slanted-house/

If you have the chutzpah to crash a White House party, admittedly, you’ve got balls!  Big ones!  But, here’s the deal… It takes more than that to bust in at Slanted House.  No faking, not a chance.  Slanted House, 2006, Syrah, Moreseco Vineyard in Napa is all about the tongue behind closed doors. A solid punch of acid slaps down mid-center, while choco-cherry and blackberry ripples around the edges.  Solid fruit is buried under that acid, and who knows what else you’ll find buried a few layers down. If you stay with it…dig deeper – jammy and juiciness eventually is revealed with solid tannins in a suck-harder, coffee-caramel fuzziness wrapped up in a simple, clean finish.  Slanted House, 2007, Syrah Drystack Vineyard is dark and vibrant with velvet inkiness. Soft black plum, cherry and blackberry revels in its nudity across your palette.  Good stuff here with black coffee deepness, bold tannins and a generous finish.  All I’m saying is if I’m the party planner and you’re not on the list…don’t bother.

Photo: Slanted House Wines

One of the bottles of red I pulled out to go along with Thanksgiving dinner was the 2006 Cline Sonoma Coast Cool Climate Syrah. I bought this one at the winery a few years ago and I can’t recall how much I spent, but the 2007 vintage is being offered on the Cline website for $16.

In general, I enjoy Cline wines. Of course, there are a few offerings I don’t care for and sometimes their wines can be a bit too fruit-bombish for me. But, all in all I like what they produce, including the Cool Climate Syrah. In the glass, the wine is very dark, with a purplish tint. The aromas and the flavors were identical, displaying prominent wild berry, black pepper, black pepper, and black pepper. If you don’t like your wine peppery, you certainly will not enjoy the Cool Climate Syrah. Although the wine is 14% alcohol by volume, the mouthfeel is very smooth and balanced.

This was a great selection and very enjoyable, and I think the $16 salel price is fair. If you like deep berry and pepper flavors, you’ll definitely like this wine.

Mission Codename: Three’s Company

Operative: Agent Red

Objective: Send Agent Red to Hollister, California, for a Rhone-style red blend, a style of wine that is very popular with our Operatives. Local an incredible example and secure an ample quantity for our Operatives

Mission Status: Accomplished!

Current Winery: Léal Vineyards

Wine Subject: 2006 Threesome

Winemakers: Franco Léal

Backgrounder: Wine Spies Operatives love Rhone-style red blends whose primary composition is usually Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre (sometimes referred to as a ’GSM’). Today’s red Rhone could be called a SMG as it leads off with 66% Syrah – then gives way to 25% Grenache and 9% Mourvedre. Read Red’s tasting notes and mission report below for the full details on today’s great wine

Wine Spies Tasting Profile:

Look – Dark garnet to with a deep heart of pure burgundy, this wine shows deeply concentrated color right out to the slightly lighter, purple edges at the wall of the glass. On swirling, this wine shows a fast-moving and bouncy surface that settles quickly, leaving behind clusters of chubby, slow-moving legs

Smell – Deep, lush and very aromatic with a pronounced rush of dark blackberry with blueberry, blackberry bramble, cherry, medium chocolate, cigar box (cedar) and soft spice

Feel – Supple and smooth on entry, then the wine coats the mouth and a tender complexity emerges – eventually evolving into a much larger wine than originally thought as medium tannins grip in at the edges of the palate, adding a soft mineral dryness

Taste – Delicious and lush, with concentrated fruit that starts with smoky dark flavors of plum, black cherry and overripe blackberry. These sit atop additional flavors of white pepper, dark chocolate and smoked cassis

Finish – Big and bold, long and lingering, with brightly delicious fruit that changes and evolves, long after you sip

Conclusion – This is a truly delicious and very intriguing wine that is big on flavors and lush aromatics. While I find most GSM blends to be overly harsh and well out of balance, I find this wine to be smooth and beautifully balanced. Add to the delicious flavors, the fact that the wine evolves and emerges in your mouth and, well, you have a wine that is also great fun to drink. Make no mistake, this is a big and heartily flavorful wine, but it also has great acidity and a real balance that keeps it from overpowering your senses. I give this wine a very hearty Wine Spies recommendation!

Wine Spies Vineyard Check:

The location of the Leal Winery can be seen in this satellite photo.

Hope you all had as nice a Thanksgiving holiday as we did!

Tomorrow (Saturday) will be a fun day at the sampling table. As usual on every Saturday, we’ll be pouring free tastings.  Tomorrow you can try:

• Boom Boom Syrah – a big, smoky fruit bomb of a syrah/shiraz.
• North Coast Scrimshaw Pilsner – included in our Crazy Beer Sale
• North Coast Bro. Thelonious Abbey Ale – also included in our Crazy Beer Sale (see older posts for details on the Crazy Beer Sale, which continues through this weekend)

We’ll crack bottles around noon and continue pouring free samples until 10pm or until we run out, whichever comes first. If you’re out shopping or just interested in learning more about wines and beers and trying new things, be sure to stop by.

See you then!

Who knew that there is a revolution going on in Wine?

Let’s look at the confluence of events that have resulted in the unprecedented explosion of value, accessibility and knowledge.  The US will soon become the largest consumer of wine in the world and we have access to more world wines and types of wine than ever before.  This increase in demand has driven increased exports and planting in countries like Argentina, New Zealand and Chile by 100-800% in the last 5 years alone.   Shipping around the world has become very inexpensive and during this recession it is almost free.  You can load a container and ship it around the world easier than you can ship your car across the country.    The internet has created a seamless transfer and sharing of knowledge that creates communities based on energy and engagement as opposed to geographic boundaries, and yet for all the transparency that exists in this era, physical boundaries have become more important than ever.  The climate of regions like Anderson Valley differentiate themselves from areas even 1 hour away given their proximity to the cool ocean breezes (flowing from North to South – unlike the Atlantic) and daily sunshine.  Marlborough has always been a great agricultural production region and their world wide recognition of bright and drinkable Sauvignon Blanc has resulted in a staggering amount of new plantings which will only support a stronger wine community and hopefully more value based wines for the world market.  Knowledge sharing leads to opportunities like Carmenere (believed to be Merlot until 1985), Malbec and Pinots from regions like Patagonia (which can be found at France & 44 wine shop – Humberto Canale) becoming wines that can easily be obtained at the corner wine shop or many small but good restaurants (like Cafe Maude).

Additionally, in the US we have an amazing selection of $7 to $15 wines.  Wines like Torrentes from Argentina, excellent Bordeaux blends, etc.. make trying a new wine easier and less of a risk than ever.  If you travel across the world, you will see how good we have it in the US (even given our three tiered distb. system and state by state shipping laws), where a $10 bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon costs $40 (China) to $90 (Russia) around the world.  So, take advantage of it.

We are celebrating Thanksgiving with one of our favorite wine makers, Londer Pinor Noir and Syrah.  Speaking of Syrah, with its darker fruits and earthy acids, WineTribe offers up a blog from a distinguished lover of wine, Charles P Donly, who has been drinking the best of French wines for over 40 years.  We are lucky enough to have him share his love of Rhone wine with us.  The Rhone region is south of Burgundy to the east of Paris and before you get to the Mediterranean.  The best of these wines provide a beautiful blend of plum fruits mixed with earth and a beautiful long finish without being as heavy or serious as a big burgundy.  So, enjoy this gem over the holiday and let it inspire you to pick up a few new wines from these regions we describe.

My tip to you from this blog is to pick up an appellation map of France and the next time you open a bottle, figure out where it is from.   Then, take the extra step to look for the regions surrounding it.  You can usually find great values by picking a wine near a well known appellation (like Gigondas vs. Chateauneuf-de-Pape).  Or, you can go one step further and find others who create similar blends, like the “Rhone Rangers” in California (e.g., Marilyn Remark in Carmel Valley).

Bon Appetit et a vous Sante!

C&C

The Journey Is Complete

The Red Wines Of The Rhone Valley by Charles P Donly

I am not a wine connoisseur or a collector and, point in fact, I am simply a daily wine consumer and have been for the past fifty years.

Nor do I have a dazzling enology vocabulary that many of the nouveau wine world find even more enjoyable to articulate than the consumption of this magnificent gift from Bacchus.

I live by the philosophy of two men I greatly admire for many reasons and wine is certainly one of them.  Dr. Samuel Johnson, an English writer in the seventeen nineties, was quoted as saying:

“A day without wine is like a day without sunshine”

while Ernest Hemingway succinctly stated:

“Wine is the most civilized thing in the world.”

My journey through the fascinating and constantly evolving world of enology started about 1960. From that time to the present I have religiously drank nothing but wine, most always with dinner, and stayed almost exclusively, by choice, in the  French Burgundy and Bordeaux regions.

Toward the end of the eighties we were blessed here in Minneapolis when the D’Amico Corporation opened a restaurant downtown called The Azur (check out any of the alums at Tavern on France, The Local, La Bell Vie, Sea Change, and Black Sheep pizza). It featured French Mediterranean cuisine and the wine menu was dominated by French red wines from the Rhone valley.

As I subsequently learned the Rhone river valley is in Southeastern France and is a wine grape growing and wine producing area known for its red wines. The region is just under 150 miles long from North to South. It is located between the cities of Lyon in the North and Avignon in the South. All qualities of wine are produced there from Appellation Controllee to Vin du Table. Wine production is mainly red and rose, with only two percent white wines. Some of the vineyards there are very rocky. A wide variety of wine grapes are grown and blended in the region but the two most commonly used are Syrah and Grenache.

These wines were a totally new experience for me as Rhone wines were still virtually unknown in the United States. It was, far and away, my favorite restaurant with an outstanding cuisine, flawless service, an ambiance that led you to believe that you were in Southern France and that newly discovered and fascinating wine list. I spent many hours talking to the manager and key staff of The Azur and they told me that some of them had been sent by the owners to France with the mission to tour the vineyards of the French Rhone region prior to the opening of the restaurant. Without any real planning, analysis or classes on the subject, I just followed my taste dictates and soon was exclusively converted to those wines.

At this juncture I will have to point out that, like many of us Americans, I am not wealthy but I do earn, and always have, slightly higher than average income, and I have had the advantage, on occasion, due to my marketing profession, to be the beneficiary of New York City style expense accounts, so I have enjoyed the best wines from most regions.

However, on a day to day basis, I look for reasonably priced wines and it’s been my experience that the red wines of the Rhone Valley are the best priced for the quality they deliver. In particular, most of the reds are full bodied, have the exclusive French “terroir” aspect to enhance them, and therefore, are, as a group more earthy, full bodied and food friendly than any other wine region.

Whether you’re at the very top of their price range ( Cote-Rotie, Hermitage, Cornas, Chateauneuf-du-Pape) or at the lower scale with the Cotes-du-Rhones all Rhone wines have that earthy, very real and substantial characteristic to them. I would like to single out Gigondas as my favorite when I consider price and product represented. They are in the price range of $25-35 and seldom disappoint so I would say that’s what I’ve uncovered as my choice for the best buy in wine today. They never seem to fail and it’s bite and muscularity translate into one word – real. They are almost always robust, well balanced and aromatic. A close second to Gigondas but in a slightly lower price range, and with similar qualities, is Vacqueyras.

In the $10-20 price range I’d rather take my chances with various Cotes-du-Rhone selections than the Argentine Malbecs or the Chilean reds which although adequate, on a random basis don’t match up to the Cotes-du-Rhones. American Reds in that grouping? If you’re prepared to do encyclopedic cogitation and traveling you’re blindly looking for the proverbial “needle in a haystack.”

In this “Opinion Paper” I’ve made it abundantly clear that I’m focused in on Reds of the Rhone Valley. Nevertheless, I’d be remiss if I didn’t cover White wines. I’ve occasionally had White Hermitages and Chateauneuf-du-Papes but my favorite moderately priced white wines are still from the Chablis region. On the other hand, I never turn down, when opportunity strikes, to truly enjoy a Meursault or any of the magnificent Montrachets from the Cote-Du-Beaune region.

- CP Donly

Sommarens klockrena röda! slog en vanligtvis välunderrättad källa fast i den här tråden hos Finare Vinare i juli. Långsamt mal Creutzgatans kvarnar – men vi snor på för att hinna lirka in ett test före första advent.

Men det kan stå vad det vill i almanackan, för sommaren hoppar ur glaset som grodorna kring midsommarstången. Hemgjord hallonsaft! Rabarber, jordgubbssaft – hemgjord. Björnbär, pallade i grannens täppa och gäldade med underarmarnas blod; man känner grädden från snipan i näsan, självsuggestion eller ej. Grillat kött, sommarblomster, stallbacken hos bonden vid skogsbrynet, och varm, stenig jord. Massor av salmiak passar också in i längesensomrarna med lite god vilja. Tyvärr växte inte lavendel, rosmarin och resten av garriguekompaniet vid de väschötska grusvägarna.

Vid sådär 17 grader är Campredon ett vin man klunkar i sig som den där hallonsaften efter en solstekt dag på fiskebryggan. Slankt, syrligt, lätt i munnen, mycket salmiak och järn, och så ett torrt avslut fyllt med mineral. Pricken över i: litchie! Grrrand vin, nja, kanske inte, men sweet Jesus vad gott. Få flaskor har försvunnit så fort i år.

Brynt majskyckling, vitlök, rödlök, citron, pyttetomater, rosmarin, oliver, en skvätt vin och lite grädde, och sjuss in i ugnen. You say november, I say nånstans kring 15 juli.

//anders

PS: Tack till Ulrik som tog tag i sambeställningen. Men jag borde ha tagit en tolva själv.

*Disclaimer: I received this wine as a sample from Roberts Fine Wines.

I felt like something jut a bit different the other night, so I pulled the 2006 Domaine La Combe Blanche Minervois La Liviniere La Chandeliere from a sample box. An online store, Roberts Fine Wines sent me a couple of bottles from their selection. They carry only small production French wines and the La Chadeliere had a pressed cork, clocked in at 14.5% alcohol by volume, and retails for $24.  The wine is a blend of 75% Syrah and 25% Grenache. (Mmmmm, Grenache….)

On the nose I got black cherry, blackberries, black fruit, black currants, pepper, spice, crushed violets, cedar, and chocolate.  In the mouth I found black cherry, currants, leather, spice, tart red berries, spice, and pepper.  I thought the wine had great acidity and nice tannins. I think I’d serve this with one of my lamb dishes as a substitute for a full on Syrah, just for something a bit different.  I always think that I need to expand on my wine experiences and try more French wines, though at the moment my wine budget is all tied up in my wine clubs!

Happy Tuesday before Thanksgiving! I have the rest of the week off so we are celebrating (natch). We started our evening with an icy-cold martini (up) while reading the newspaper. Now, we are having a glass of this lovely California Syrah as we get ready for our dinner of braised pork chops, fresh beets, mashed potatoes and green beans.

I really like this wine. . .which is why I am blogging tonight. I find that I tend not to post a blog when we have a wine that I am not crazy about. I should change that because blogging about less tasty wines is important, too. Nonetheless, I was motivated to blog about this wine because it is very, very good. The color is opaque and dark. The nose is fruity with some licorice and spice. And, oh, the taste, the taste. . . some pepper, some strawberries and cranberries, and a bit of citrus makes for an explosively tasty treat. The finish is long and licorice-y.  This is a wonderfully juicy quaff.

I purchased this wine for $12.99 at the A & L Wine Castle in Ann Arbor.

Happy Tuesday-before-Thanksgiving.  .  .cheers!

I’ll be out for the rest of the week, so in honor of the coming holiday, I’d like to offer a spontaneous list entitled “Things I’m Thankful For …”

The twin loves of my life: my astonishingly wonderful missus Amy, and my magical, beautific daughter Clara Bay

Our parents

Our collective friends and relations

The 1991 Monte Bello

The music of Sleepy John Estes

Coupe glasses, and those that drink champys from them

Rivers

Ireland

Haig’s Hummus

Han-Shan’s Cold Mountain Poems

Single-Vineyard wines

Pocket watches

Pomade

People who know how to shake hands properly

That I don’t own a Kindle

Rock skipping

Son House

The movie “Casablanca”

The novels of John Fante

That I’ll be serving the 2006 Monte Bello Chardonnay on Thanksgiving Day

Duct Tape

Winnie The Pooh

California

The poems of William Matthews

Pre-fusion Miles Davis

Tasting Room Staff that can, when tested, pour perfect 1 0z. pours every time

Capitola

That I’ll be serving the 2005 Lytton West Syrah on Thanksgiving Day

T-Shirts that cleverly deploy swear words

Champys, and the people who drink it out of Coupe glasses

The magnums of 2002 Home Ranch Cabernet that we served at our wedding

Our wedding

The book “Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind”

Peanut Butter Toast — actually, toast of just about any sort, especially baked beans on toast, next to a peat fire, in the west of Ireland

That I got to know Donn Reisen before he passed

Jumbo Paper Clips and #2 Pencils

Curtis Mayfield’s soundtrack to “Superfly”

That I’ll be serving the 2006 Santa Cruz Mountains Estate Cabernet Sauvignon on Thanksgiving Day

Typewriters made before the 1960s, and especially typewriters from the 20s through the 40s, preferably the ones made by Underwood, Royal, and Remington

My unbelievably wondrous missus Amy, and my heart-achingly stupendous daughter Clara Bay

That Nicole was willing to grant me a phone interview from a truck stop in Wyoming

The surround-sound speakers I hope to have in the tasting room next year

John Coltrane’s album “A Love Supreme”

The 2007 vintage of the Buchignani Carignane

Dice. Especially Boss Dice

Swear words

Ankle boots

Sharpies with sharp points

Ah So Cork Pullers

Hand-harvesting

Haiku

The Clash

Really excellent neckties

People who still call refrigerators “Iceboxes”

People who say “undershirt” instead of “wifebeater”

That I’ll be serving the 2007 Geyserville Essence on Thanksgiving Day

National Steel Resonator Guitars. Specifically, mine

Vertical Tastings of Monte Bello. Specifically, when I’m invited

Red Sauce

The music of Bukka White

Autumn

Every single person who works for Ridge

My job at Ridge

Ridge.

And every thing else I haven’t written down yet, like Fred McDowell, Dylan Thomas, the 2006 Carmichael, brand-new  foil cutters, really well made chopsticks, walking not running, upright bass players that can really swing, kindness, the constellation Orion, Thelonious Monk, the 2002 Lytton Estate Petite Sirah, my daughter’s Ramones t-shirt, that no one I know eats Fudge with any kind of regularity, bicycles that don’t require the wearing of weird footwear, music, literature, the visual arts, beaches, rivers, forests, and WINE!

On this lovely holiday, may your hearts be filled with thanks, your rooms filled with loved ones, and your glasses full of wine! Cheers, and Happy Thanksgiving!

Layer Cake Cotes Du Rhone French Wines LAYER CAKE COTES D – PFI Western Store.

Behöver ni mer än rubriken? Sveriges egen kravallcrozes är testad och klar och försedd med en sån där tvåa som svenska tidningar delar ut till Micke Nilsson när han inte bidragit aktivt till motståndarmålen. Och då fick den gärna knapra lite på sin prislapp.

Jag gillar verkligen Graillots tjurigt slimtrimmade charkdiskar, även om jag också plirar förvirrat när kön rensar Mörby C på fem minuter. Tidigare årgångar har slitit hårt och framgångsrikt i köket på Creutzgatan. Men medan man kan köpa 2007 års sydrhônare med förbundna ögon blåste det mer motvind uppe hos Alain.

Alltså finns det mesta man önskar sig i doften: seniga charkuterier utan en massa fett, granbarr, örter, järn, ett helt lass vitpeppar, någon violton och mörka hallon (eller röda björnbär… välj det som känns minst ansträngt). Ett kul blindprovarvin om man vill glänsa med att spika producenten på tre sekunder. Medan smaken har hela listan – utan riktig substans. Graillots crozes brukar behöva några år, je le sais bien, men stoppning och djup lär inte materialiseras i garderoben. Och så en lite omogen känsla i svalget, trots att tanninerna är överraskande milda.

Lammfärsbiffar med bacon och rosmarin i färsen, trattkantareller i såsen, och Alain och vi har det rätt bra när dottern har somnat. Men slank och senig är inte samma sak som tunn och blodfattig.

//anders

PS: Roligast med den här flaskan: vårt sent påkomna gästköande i systembutiken i Nordstan, i Sveriges stolta framstjärt. Hundratals människor. Och tre parallella, spontant uppkomna köer, plus ett förvirrat försök med kölappar som tog slut alldeles för tidigt. Hätska dispyter i trängseln? Blod blandat med 2000 Pol Roger BdB upp till fotknölarna? Nä då. Bara en bygdens son som till slut sjunger sanningen ut över massorna.
-Men nu får ni la änna styyyra opp detta…

I used this wine as my entry for Wine Blogging Wednesday this month, but felt it also deserved a full review since I liked it so much. I chose the 2006 Wertzberger Syrah as my “Wine Muse” for this month’s meeting of the internet winos. I’ve met Bill Wertzberger a couple times now out at Teldeschi winery where he is the assistant winemaker. He also makes his own wines there, tiny itty bitty little lots ranging from about 25 cases to about 50 cases of each kind.  I’ve long pined after his Grenache (which is finally in bottle, half a case of which is resting in my basement!) and he suggested I might enjoy his Syrah as well, so I purchased a bottle for around $25 on one of my recent CA trips. The 2006 Werztberger Syrah clocked in at 14.5% alcohol by volume and had a plastic closure.

On the nose I found the wine to be floral.  I got aromas of chocolate, violets, spice, vanilla beans, plums, and pepper. I wrote in my notes that it “smelled purple” and “perfumey,” almost exotic with spices and crushed flower notes.  In the mouth I found red fruit, raspberries, strawberries, black cherries, spice, and slight hints of chocolate.  The wine seemed so smooth to me that I wrote down it was like liquid velvet with a fresh red fruit kick on the finish.  Overall, just a great bottle of wine.

Hey winos!

Sorry it’s been a few days since my last post! One of our Austin winos, Katie, surprised me and is in town with her husband… as such I’ve been entertaining! Don’t worry, though- I plan on making up for lost blogging time. I just got back from a Syrah tasting at my new favorite wine shop, Elvino Wines on Abbot Kinney in Venice. LA-area winos, I would definitely encourage you to make it out to Venice to check out this super happening, super knowledgable store, particularly during one of their tastings. Tastings start at 5pm on Fridays and 1pm on Saturday and Sundays, during which time you can try three featured wines for $12. Often times the wines they feature are le expensive, so this is a great opportunity to try amazing wine without having to fork over the cost of a week’s worth of groceries. This particular tasting featured three Syrahs: one from Washington state, one from France, and one from California. When I first started drinking wine, I used to not be a huge fan of Syrah… it’s amazing how my tastes have changed over the years.

The first Syrah was a 2006 Saint Laurent from Washington:

The nose had plenty of black pepper, blackcurrant, and black raspberry, which all carried over into the palate, as well as a little slate. It opens up floral and as Bart (the owner of Elvino) puts it, “It’s a feminine approach to Syrah.” Elvino sold this for $21, though you can find it for $19.

Next up was the 2007 JL Chave Selection Crozes-Hermitage “Silene” from the Northern Rhone region in France:

This Syrah had a lot more earth than its Washington counterpart, which I liked. The nose had  little bit of that earthy funk, a bit more red fruit (black cherry, black raspberry), and a little pepper, which all carried over to the palate (especially the pepper) along with a long, dry finish. Elvino sells this wine for $28, though you might be able to find it at around $25 (yes, it’s a bit of a splurge for most of us, but if Syrah is your thing, this wine is worth purchasing for a special occasion.)

Finally I tried the 2007 Samsara Syrah from Santa Barbara:

I found this wine to be fresh, fruit-forward, with a little bit of earthy funk. It didn’t seem to have as much pepper as the other two Syrahs, though I liked that it was rounder, more full-bodied, and softer, with hints of chocolate. It got 93 points from Robert Parker and I found it for $29.99 at K&L. Again, I know these wines are more expensive than I’ve been featuring, but that’s the beauty of going to wine tastings: if you’re unwilling or unable to fork over the money for an entire bottle, you get an opportunity to try some amazing, high-quality wines without breaking the bank!

Tomorrow, Katie and I are driving up to Santa Barbara to do “research” aka wine tasting aka day drinking galore! Can’t wait to tell you all about our findings! Enjoy the rest of your weekend, winos!

lieu dit Malakoff Pyrenees

$24 from Santa Ana Wine Club

Doug: Better aerated.  Not bad, but a poor value.

Jan: Pepper bomb.  Not bad.

Once again, I fall for the cute bottle.  The bottle is completely black except for this bright smiley face.  I haven’t been the most cheerful person this week, so a wine titled ” Project Happiness ” sounded good to me.

The wine isn’t that great, but its not terrible.  It tasted dryer than most syrahs I have had, but the aroma was pleasant.  The price of the bottle completely ranges online which is quite confusing to me.  Luckily I bought this at Trader Joe’s for about $6.  I think it was worth the $6, but if it had a frown face on the front – probably not.

2.5 stars

(NM) Eine mehr als perfekte Lokation für unsere reguläre Montagsprobe zum Thema Toskana bot uns die Weinrebe im Herzen von Giessen. Gastgeber war diesmal der Besitzer der Weinrebe Marc Colavincenzo.

Die Probe gestalltete sich durch das recht “offene” Thema “Toskana” sehr spannend, denn jeder Verkoster schaute in seinen Keller und packte seine Interpretation zu diesem Thema ein. Also standen neben internationalen Blends auch einige Klassiker aus den bekannten Regionen der Toskana auf dem Tisch. Ein buntes Feld:

2005 Felsina I Sistri Chardonnay

100% Chardonnay

Ein “Barrique Chardonnay”, ohne überladen zu wirken, feines Holz, Vanille sehr fein, obwohl ein 2005er ist die Säure recht frisch, Hibiskus, karameliserte Ananas und Apfelstrudel, cremig, voll, gut eingebundes Holz

2003 Gattavecchi Vino Nobile di Montepulciano

90% Prugnolo Gentile (Sangiovese) – 10% Canaiolo Nero

Reife Frucht, schon etwas muffig in der Nase, Haselnußarome, erinnert an “billiges Snickers vom Aldi“, Lederaromen, trockene Gerbstoffe, Rumtopf, kräftige Säure, nicht so spannend

2004 Avignonesi Vino Nobile di Montepulciano

85% Prugnolo Gentile – 10% Canaiolo Nero – 5% Mammolino

Frisch, fruchtig, feine Kirsche, aristokratisch, runder Geschmack, leichte trinkbar, angenehm frische Säure, jetzt reif auf dem Punkt

2005 Villa Antinori Toskna IGT

55% Sangiovese – 25% Cabernet Sauvignon – 15% Merlot – 5% Syrah

Flach, langweilig, gefällig, etwas für die breite Masse, bittere Tannine, zu teuer.

2006 Brancaia TRE Rosso Toscana

80% Sangiovese – 10% Merlot – 10% Cabernet Sauvignon

Internationaller Stil, lebendig, gefällig, Feilchen, gute Holzintegration, elegant

2006 Castello Banfi „Cum Laude“

30% Cabernet Sauvignon – 30% Merlot – 25% Sangiovese – 15% Syrah

Unterholz, nasse Erde, Paprika, Schwarze Johannisbeere, Bitterschokolade, leicht herbes Finale, gefällig internationaler Stil. (danke an Berna Gruber von Vinexus für die Spende!)

2007 Le Macchiole Bolgheri Rosso

50% Merlot – 30% Cabernet Franc – 10% Sangiovese – 10% Syrah

“Step up” zu den vorherigen Weinen, lebendig, volle Frucht, gut eingebundene Säure, feinkörnige Gerbstoffe, Traubenzucker, gutes Potential

2004 Castagnoli Syrah Toscana IGT

hauptsächlich Syrah – bisschen Merlot

Blaubeere, Kirsche, rund, weich, perfekte Trinkreife, weiche Tanine, Schattenmorellen, unerwartet Reinsortig, “easydrinking” lecker!

2006 Spadaio Piecorto Chianti Classico

100% Sangiovese

Animierend, feine Säure, Sauerkirsche, mineralisch, elegant, aber ein wenig zu durchschnittlich

2004 Poggio Bonelli Chianti Classico

100% Sangiovese

Käse, überlagerter Rumtopf, unharmonisch, fehlerhafte Flasche?

2004 Capanna Brunello di Montalcino

100% Brunello (Sangiovese)

Feilchen, etwas Vanille, Marzipan, zugängliche Gerbstoffe, frisch, noch verschlossen, großes Potential

2006 Roccapesta Morellino di Scansano

96% Sangiovese – 4% Ciliegiolo

Echter Stinker, trozdem frisch und animalisch, Unterholz, explodierende Frucht, eukalyptisch, balsamig, liegen lassen, großes Potential!

nicht ganz Toskana aber sehr lecker:

2000 Tedeschi Capitel Monte Fontana Recioto della Valpolicella Classico DOC

30% Corvina – 30% Rondinella – 30% Corvinone – 10% Molinara, Rossignola, Oseleta, Negrara, Dindarella

„Heiliger Strohsack“ eingelegte Sauerkirsch, balsamisch, eukalyptisch, Zedernholz, Rumtopf, gekochte Früchte, Tannine, sehr kirschig, Abgang sehr überzeugend auf Grund der feinen Tanine und der bleibenden “Klebrigkeit”, langes Finish, erinnert ganz leicht an Zuckerrüben – mehr im Gaunen als in der Nase, sehr viskos.

Nach diesem Tasting war allen klar: die Toskana bietet wesentlich mehr als nur langweiligen Chianti und überteuerte “Super Tuscans”. Vielen Dank an dieser Stelle auch noch mal an Marc für die großartige Gastfreundschaft, die klasse Bewirtung (der Käse war super, aber die Oliven erst …!) und den genialen Abend!

Link: Die Weinrebe in Giessen

Shiraz/Cab.-S./Merlot Clancy’s Peter Lehmann Barossa 2006

Code SAQ : 10345707
CUP : 09311910 102069

Assez corsé/épicé donc accompagner d’un met assez goûteux…

Cote: 7.5/10

Here is some very exciting news, Perrin et Fils is at your local Costco for amazing prices. Among the bottles available are the Cotes du Rhone Villages (9.99-always great to find Villages, they are so much more reasonably priced than their counterparts), a Chateneuf du Pape (pricy), Vinsobres a Syrah/Grenache blend for 13.99, and the “bargin” brand, the Vacqueryas. The Vacqueryas is very interesting because it is being sold in Magnums (as a party wine) for 8.99. This is an amazing Thanksgiving deal!

So first week of school for Peanut, predictably, meant first week of the worst freaking tantrums since the dawn of time. (Not seriously. He’s a low tantrum dude. But on *his* Richter scale, this weekend was off the f–ing charts.)

We had him screaming in the supermarket, knocking down boxes of Top Ramen. We had him running full tilt through the freezer aisle and opening every door, just before I caught him and flung him over my shoulder kicking and screaming to make a speedy exit. We had him whining and sobbing and yelling at us, really yelling, with every single Lego piece that did not obey the laws of physics and geometry on whatever planet this non-Euclidean, non-Newtonian kid lives on. We had a day, basically, of “I will help you when you can treat me respectfully, but I will not stay in the same room with that voice,” all day, both days. And we had him yelling at my sweet little 94-year-old grandmother, on my birthday, that she was not allowed to talk to me, only *he* can talk to me.

Clean up! Aisle Six! Some lady is sobbing about something or other, and her puddle of tears is activating the Top Ramen secret flavor packets.

I knew we’d pay dearly for the first week of preschool. I know it’s a lot of change and his world is upside down (shut up, Drs. Sears, he’s in a co-op where I’m there and everything is all child-directed, for a grand total of three hours a day thrice a week, so don’t tell me from upside down world until you’ve lived with a highly spirited intense opinionated way-too-smart kid for three and a half years, and then I’ll show you upside down world) so he needs an emotional outlet. But must *I* be the outlet? Holy Freaking Meltdown of the Social Order, Batman, we need a tranquilizer dart from Babies R Us.

Upside of the whole insane weekend of terror, though? My mom watched the new person formerly known as Peanut for an evening in which Spouse and I saw a real, actual film on a screen and had a real, actual meal at a quiet restaurant. As in feature film rated something I didn’t have to check because who cares? and menu without crayons.

More important, uproariously funny Clooney and MacGregor flick at which the rest of the audience politely tittered and I laughed so hard and so loudly that people glared at me. Dumbest movie I’ve seen in years and absolutely pants-wettingly funny. See it. The Men Who Stare at Goats. I think. I don’t care. The title’s not important. When you see it, email me about the “what are the quotes for?” line. And the sparkle eyes scene. It’ll make me wet more pants. And I only have, like, two pair that fit right now, so what a laundry honor that will be.

And even more important, we found a fabulous restaurant I’ve never tried, in whose menu I was very pleased, and with whose policy of offering wine by the bottle, glass, or 2 ounce taste I was thrilled. Because a “taste” of wine is totally under the radar of *every* hyper-vigilant American obstetrician I’ve ever met or read. No, not a sip, and not a glass. A technical, measured, duly noted on the receipt, “taste.” Spicy syrah. Lovely. From what I tasted.

Did I mention George Clooney and Ewan MacGregor? Nobody laughed but me. And you know how much i don’t care that other people on the planet are too dumb to get good jokes?

Today was not much easier with Peanut, but he slept a full nap and I had a huge pot of homemade chili at my elbow as I thought about and refused to the the 20 really pressing things on my to-do list. And instead started a new book that pleases me GREATLY.

And you know what? Volcanic bullshit from my kid on a day where I get a few hours with Spouse, and whiny exhausting understandable but unbearable nonsense from my kid on a day where I have freshly made chili and a new book is totally a good weekend. Because his bullshit is, as of today, no longer going to be my bullshit. It will be my atmosphere and my backdrop and my full time g.d. job, but I’m gonna do my best not to breathe it in and let it rattle me. Cuz, dammit, I have George Clooney and chili and twelve choices of bruschetta and Ewan MacGregor and a new book, y’all.

Ewan MacGregor.

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Hosting less experienced wine drinkers to easily replicated and structured tasting formats appeals to my ritual instincts for making wine more accessible to more people.  On the one hand, it’s a refreshing personal break from the usual “club” and a way to strip away the bravado and bias brought to tasting tables by hardened wine aficionados.  On the other hand, it is a chance for me to witness the  joyous personal discovery that learning about wine is simple and just a little knowledge can remove years of intimidation that heretofore may have restricted a deepening appreciation.  I recently had this opportunity again fulfilling a charity obligation with an organized tasting for 14 people who, for the most part, would not consider themselves overly experienced wine consumers.  They were a smart and open group of really decent people seeking a fun evening doped with reasonable levels of education.  Perfect!

Here are the twelve wines we tasted in four flights of three, with all flights served blind except for the first flight of whites:

White:

2007 Burgans Albarino

2001 Kerpen Riesling Spatlese Bernkastler Bratenhofchen

2007 Pierson Meyer Chardonnay Charles Heintz  

Cabernet:

2000 Columbia Crest Grand Estates

1985 William Hill Reserve

1994 Chateau Margaux 

Mencia Grape (Bierzo, Spain):

2007 Losada 07

2007 Jose Palacios Petalos

2007 El Cayado

Syrah:

1999 Guigal Brune et Blonde Cote Rotie

2006 MollyDooker Boxer

2006 Pax Griffin’s Lair

As you can see from the lineup it was an unusual tasting, with a broad array of vintages and regions served in varied flight formats.  We started the night with a sparkling wine reception that included a simple Pinot Noir based Cava and California Brut.  The first sit down flight was an open look at three dramatically different white grapes, regions, and vintages.  All three wines are wonderful in their own right but didn’t show especially well in the context of each other.  The group voted the Pierson Meyer Charles Heintz Chardonnay as their favorite.  In full agreement, I deeply admired the eight year old Kerpen Riesling and how well the acidity had mellowed and the wonderful mouthfeel and advancing flavors it created. 

As we moved to the second flight, things started to get a bit more serious and we showcased Cabernet Sauvignon from three great geographies including Margaux, Napa, and Columbia Valley.  Vintages ranged from 1985 to 1994 to 2000.  The 85 William Hill was disappointing and while technically alive,  has given up all its fruit and is totally dried out.  The first growth 94 Chateau Margaux was strutting its stuff with smoke and lead pencil streaming out of the glass and classic currant flavors dominating this wonderfully balanced wine that is starting to really become accessible.  I bought some 1994 first growths in the futures market since they seemed like great bargains at just under $1200 a case in this unheralded vintage.  It was my favorite wine of the night…blind. 

The group, for reasons I totally understood, voted the $10 Columbia Crest Grand Estates as their favorite.  Without exaggeration, I went through 8 cases of this wine in the earlier part of the decade.  I never acquired and consumed that much of any one wine before in my life.  I continue to think of it as one of the most delicious and rewarding $10 wine values I have ever stumbled across.  Credit goes to Dr. Stephen Jones, a long time wino friend and early east coast fan of Washington State wines, for providing that tip.  Subsequent vintages have also been excellent values with characteristically true Washington State bones, but none as good again as the 2000.  This tasting proved that the wine does not age gracefully and its flavors get flat and muddier instead of advancing.  Still, the mocha aromas that were an intoxicating component of the wine in its earlier stages were still perceptible, and the round mouthfeel was also noticeable, but the richness of velvet fruit has become seriously muted.  Yet there were no flaws in the wine and the great accessibility of this wine’s style won the group over and they voted it as the flight’s favorite.

As I have mentioned before here and here again, I have fallen in love with the Mencia grape from Bierzo and this evening was a good chance to taste three 2007 versions blind.  Unfortunately we had a corked bottle of the Petalos, which in non blind tastings has proven itself to be a wine of great finesse and structure.  Of the two remaining bottles, the wines were quite different in style and the El Cayado edged out the Losada as a favorite.  Both were wonderful wines and continue to push me to explore this grape and region with mounting vigor.

The last flight was really interesting since it showcased three Syrahs of varied styles from Cote Rotie, Sonoma, and Australia.  In a validating moment proving less experienced groups can make legitimate personal preference decisions, they threw out the Mollydooker Boxer as something that did not feel representative of Syrah sensing that there must be something awry with the racy and overblown nature of this highly extracted wine.  If anyone continues to wonder why Australian wines have been failing miserably as of late in the American market, this small flight of three wines is a microcosm of the answer.   The 99 Guigal Brune et Blonde showed wonderfully soft grace and a classic bacon fat and floral nose, but the group legitimately favored the Pax Griffin’s Lair which was quite close to the Northern Rhone entry in overall style, but offered more power and intensity from its recent vintage.  Both were absolutely delicious and along with the Margaux, were the three wines I went back to for a last taste at the night’s conclusion.

We finished off the evening with some special deserts and a bottle of Lustau East India Solera Sherry while we celebrated a great evening of fun and learning.  The tasting gave everyone something to build on and replicate for more discovery and wine education.  I grabbed my 60 wine glasses and left everyone feeling a little more confident in tasting and discussing wines that grab their palate in all ways. 

p.s. Thanks to Doug Shattuck for taking some special photos (included in the post and here) while nobody was looking and to Betsy and Dan Kravitz for helping with the work of the tasting.  Also, thanks to Jesse and Valerie for hosting the evening and to everyone else for bringing your palates, open minds, easy ways, and wonderful food to accompany the wines.

Jabouletin Cornas löytyy Alkon tilausvalikoimasta, mutta myös Helsingin Erottajan hyllyvalikoimasta.

Kehittyneessä tuoksussa runsaasti eläimellisiä piirteitä, lantaa, punaisia marjoja ja paahdettua mantelia. Maku on keskitäyteläinen, viljainen, puolukkainen ja nahkainen. Kokonaisuus on komponenteitaan integroitunut ja miellyttävän hapokas. Vuorokauden aukiolon jälkeen lantaisuus haipuu taka-alalle ja korvautuu lihaisella savuisuudella ja kaalimaisella aromilla, josta huomaan pitäväni: nyt ‘burgundityylinen’ Pohjois-Rhônen viini on parhaimmillaan. Tallinnurkan ystäville pataruokien tai juustojen kanssa, miksei myös sellaisenaan.

4/5 pistettä

I’ve been wanting to try this wine since I saw it on the shelf in Grand Cru Wines and Gifts.  http://www.grandcruwineshop.com/  Charles Smith, superb winemaker and Food and Wine Magazine 2009 American Wine Awards Winemaker of the Year, has the ability to wave his hand and create some fantastic 99 and 100 points wines.  In fact, Wine Spectator gives this exact wine 95 Points.  Let’s give it a try!

Aromatics:  This syrah is SUPER dense.  I mean, give it some time to try to pull anything through besides a ton of super dense berries and spice.  After 20 minutes and pouring this through a vinturi, this wine is finally showing its luscious layers.  Beautiful white pepper, blackberry pie, plum and black olives with a surprising hint of vegetal, rather than mineral characters.

On the Palate: Beautiful dark chocolate, dense yet restrained blackberries and plums with well integrated firm tannins.  Definitely hold this one for a while if you can. 

Drink 2011-2017.  91 Points.  Retail $50.

Three weeks ago saw us hosting a meal with a bride and groom to be, family, the bride’s parents, and Benyamin Cantz as usual.  To us they are all family and we were so honored to have them over a week before the wedding day.  In honor of this wonderful occasion, we cracked open some wonderful wines and Benyamin brought a pair of wonderful wines, one that we have had before, and one that is still under wraps.  We did have one dud that shocked me greatly given Daniel’s rating of it, but so it goes.  For this dinner we started with lovely roasted squash bisque.  Yeah, I said bisque – simply because most of the famous roasted squash soups calls for a ton of cream or soup stock and they render the soup into essentially a thin and boring presentation of such a lovely vegetable.  So we decided that this was not going to work.  Instead we went with a hybrid.  We roasted two sliced squash for 1 and a half hour.  While that was going on, we browned quite nicely a pair of diced/sliced onions while the roasting was going on.  Once that was done, we threw the lightly blackened squash into our large soup pot, and threw in a bottle of white wine.  We then puréed the pot until it was a bit mushy, but not creamy or thinner.   Instead it was thick bisque.  On top of that we threw in, what we thought was, a bit too much orange zest (which worked out in the end), thyme, and nutmeg.  Yes, this soup does match well with the season, but that was not the inclination for making the soup.  Rather, there was a cold spell coming through the area, and we wanted to have a thick and warm soup to start off the meal.

Roasted Squash Soup
2 butternut squash, peeled and cubed into large chunks
Olive Oil Spray
Garlic, Nutmeg
3 onions
Bottle of white wine
Vegetable Stock – if more liquid is needed
Grated Ginger
Orange Zest
Nutmeg
Cinnamon
Cooked chickpeas
Cayenne pepper (if you can handle it)

Peel and cube the squash and lay them in an oiled baking sheet.  Spray them with olive oil and sprinkle garlic powder and nutmeg over them.  Bake them at 400 degrees until slightly blackened.  While roasting the squash, we browned the pair of diced/sliced onions quite well.  Once that was done, we threw the lightly blackened squash into our large soup pot, and threw in a bottle of white wine.  We then puréed the pot until it was a bit mushy, but not creamy or thin.  Once the soup consistency starts to change, grate the ginger and orange zest, drop in cinnamon and nutmeg to taste.  Honestly, I rarely follow amounts.  I add till it tastes right.  Once the bisque is in motion and mixing well, we throw in the cooked chickpeas to add a cool twist of texture.  I personally love to add in cayenne pepper, but many do not.

After the soup we served meat lasagna, along with roasted green beans, spinach quiche, and fresh green salad.  The dinner worked well, and the wines paired wonderfully.  We had six bottles in total.  Benyamin brought three and we opened three as well.  Benyamin brought two experimental bottles that will remain undefined for now and one bottle of a 1999 Bustan Merlot.  I opened a 2001 Yarden Ortal Merlot, a 2001 Capcanes Peraj Ha’Abib, and a 2002 Capcanes Peraj Ha’Abib.  The Bustan was a massive dud, while the three that we opened up were fantastic – thank you .

I do not have an official tasting note for the 1999 Bustan Merlot, but to say the least it was DOA (Dead On Arrival).  The wine, to be fair, was full in the mouth, but it had almost no fruit and no real complexity at all.  What it did have was a nice mouth and that was about it.  Really a shame.  The other three wine notes can be found below in the order they were drunk:

2002 Cellar de Capçanes Montsant Peraj Ha’abib Flor de Primavera – Score: A
This was either the clear winner or it came in tied with the 2001 Yarden Ortal Merlot. The nose on this crazy black colored wine was screaming with rich tobacco, sweet oak, super ripe plum, blackberry, cassis, and raspberry. The mouth on this full bodied wine has now soft tannins, sweet oak, blackberry, plum, and tobacco. The mid palate is smooth with balanced acidity, and soft mouth coating tannins. The finish is super long and extracted in a polished manner, with more acid, tobacco, black fruit, and licorice. What a wonderful wine, I have no more, but again very happy that I drank it at a nice point in its life curve.

2001 Cellar de Capçanes Montsant Peraj Ha’abib Flor de Primavera – Score: A-
The nose on this deep black colored wine is popping with blackberry, plum, cassis, sweet oak, licorice, and tobacco. The mouth on this full bodied wine is still clearly tannic in nature and far from integrated. The mouth is layered with sweet oak, blackberry and cassis. The mid palate is packed with not yet integrated tannins, bright acidity, and concentrated black fruit that comes at you in layers. Where the 2002 vintage has integrated tannins, this vintage has mouth puckering tannins. The finish is super long and concentrated with dark chocolate, tobacco, more black fruit, and acidity. Quite a nice wine as well, but still not quite there yet. I have scored this bottle a bit lower than our previous tasting, because of the tannins, but the rest is holding well, though I missed the mint this time around.

2001 Yarden Ortal Vineyard Merlot – Score: A
Thank God this wine is back! The last time we tasted this wine it was as close to a dud as this wine can be . Now it is back, it is sleek and beautiful. The nose on this dark purple colored win is alive and talkative, with blackberry, ripe plum, licorice, and rich oak. The mouth on this full bodied wine is mouth coating and plush with layers upon layers of ripe plums, blackberry, and integrating mouth coating tannins. The mid palate is popping with balancing acid, chocolate, and roasted herbs. The finish is luxurious and long with more black fruit, chocolate, tobacco, and sweet oak. Thank goodness this wine is back. It was either a close second place finish to the 2002 Capcanes or it was tied. By score alone it was in second place, but thanks goodness man does not live upon score alone, but by the word, expression, and feelings that a wine leaves you with after it is long gone.