March 2009 Archives

Tempranillo from Toro, the Termes from Numanthia is a nice example of what Northwest Spain can do. Fruit forward, nice cherry, licorice, spice, with a medium mouth feel, good finish, and some tannins with acidity balanced with the alcohol, it's a great wine to drink with company and savor. Goes ok with cheese, but cheddar may not be the right one. Tasted March 27, 2009. 

A 2005 Bordeaux Grand Cru, the Faugeres is outstanding. It's dark, purple, almost ruby in color. The nose is dark fruit, blackberry, dark cherry, and some minerality. It's got intense fruit, great acidity, and is well balanced with subtle tannins. Went well with a ribeye. Spectator and Parker both rated it above 90. Tasted March 27, 2009.

I am so buying these flashcards - all the great wine grapes!





How can you go wrong?

This Oregon Pinot was a nice compliment to the Cobb salad. The wine didn't overpower the grilled chicken and it went well with the Maytag blue cheese crumbled on top. Bright, beautiful claret red, and clear through the glass, gorgeous in the sun. The nose is red fruit, raspberry, strawberry, cherry, and earthy, with notes of olives and mushroom. Light to medium (for Pinot) mouth weight and a nice finish. It's a nice example of an Oregon Pinot Noir that's more on the fruity side than terroir-driven Burgundy. About $30 in upstate NY, again from the Wine House in Manlius. Tasted March 23, 2009. 

Dense purple, viscous both in look and mouth feel, this is a luscious fruit forward Shiraz. Dark fruit, cassis, licorice, and a bit of earthy aroma (surprising in an Australian Shiraz). The taste is somewhat intense fruit, lengthy and makes me want another sip. Well balanced, high alcohol, but good fruit, some acidity, and velvet tannins. There is some cherry syrup as well. Nice wine, but I prefer the Angel's Share over the Gnarly Dude for everything except the label picture and the name. Tasted
March 21, 2007.

I came across an interesting book today when I was grocery shopping.





It looks to be an interesting read, and the author takes from her experience representing various stakeholders in the wine industry. I know that the laws are far more complex than she discusses in her book, but it's an interesting read nevertheless. Maybe I'll write one on all of the wine sales, transport, and growth laws around the country - may as well take advantage of the law degree somehow!

On Saturday we had the opportunity to taste six Burgundy barrel samples from Louis Jadot thanks to the distributor, Kobrand, and The Wine House. I'm not going to do regular tasting notes because that wouldn't be fair to the wines - my experience won't let me tell you how they are actually going to taste after they've been finished! We tried three whites. The first was Savigny-les-Beaune Clos des Guettes, Domaine Andre Gagey, I noticed the tartness, lots of acidity, apricot and citrus, and this one will be about $43. The second was Puligny-Montrachet Clos de la Garenne, Domain du Duc de Magenta and will be about $94. The third was Corton Charlemagne Domaine des Heritiers Louis Jadot. This wine was more finished as it had been in oak for a short period before it went into the sample bottle. It was already fuller bodied than the others (of course, it's a Grand Cru, compared to the first two which are Premier Cru). It will be about $170 on release.

The next three were reds. The first was a Beaujolias, Chateau des Jacques Grand Carquelin Moulint-a-Vent. It was bright, fruity, cherry, acidic, and I wasn't at all interested though it was nice and different. It will be about $48. The second red was a Pinot Noir, a Premier Cru Beauce, Boucherottes Domain des Heritiers Louis Jadot. Soft, easy, round. This will be about $46. The last sample was a Cote de Nuit Grand Cru, Clos de la Roche, which had the traditional Pinot Noir earth, loamy, but still with red fruit. It has a good mouth weight already. It will be about $162.

This was a terrific opportunity, most consumers don't get the opportunity to taste barrel samples in the U.S., and my thanks to the Wine House and the distributor rep. He knew the wines inside out, had lots of information about Louis Jadot, all of Burgundy, their competitors, the issues with each recent vintage, and the things to look for to get great values and the best drinking wines from Jadot. He recommended across the range, and was one of the best distributor reps, both from his knowledge, and his willingess and ability to share that knowledge.

Undoubtedly the best Pinot Noir of the entire tasting, the Beaux Freres showed how well Oregon Pinot can be made. It was a great, bright, clear garnet color. It's nose had blackberry and cherry very evident. The taste was red fruit, with candied apple, and a bit of cherry syrup. It had a dusty mouth feel, and was incredibly balanced, with an outstanding, long finish. Jim and Joanne were responsible for this terrific wine, and it was a fabulous way to finish the tasting. About $75, it was the top 25 wine for 2004 from Wine Spectator, and rated 95 points. Stunning. Tasted March 6, 2009.

The second Oregon Pinot Noir of the tasting was from the Justice Vineyard. Dark ruby, somewhat opaque, it had earthy notes, and a bit of barnyard. It was more in line with Burgundy in the nose, but with California in the color and alcohol. It was a bit tannic, had dark fruits, but was relatively balanced. It could use a few more years to integrate though. About $55. Tasted March 6, 2009.

Phil's contribution to the tasting was an Oregon Pinot Noir from McMinnville. (McMinnville by the way has a fantastic air museum - the Spruce Goose, an SR-71, a variety of WWII planes, great place for a tour!) It was somewhere in between the Chambolle-Musigny and the Vosne-Romanee in style and flavor. It was similar in color as well. The Oregon Pinot was definitely different than the California. The mouth-feel was light, but somewhat viscous. The flavor was tart, red cherry, almost like cherry Koolaid. It's a tiny production, 1150 bottles from 1.5 acres. About $60 for the bottle. Tasted March 6, 2009.

The color was bright, clear garnet, almost identical to the Chambolle-Musigny. A California Pinot, it had much more fruit than the Burgundies. Cherries, spicy, but high alcohol (15.1% claimed). It went really well with dark Lindt 90% and 70% chocolate and strawberries. The winery has good tasting notes, as well as information on the way it's made. 250 caseswere all that were made. It's similar in style to some of the other wines - big, bold, but maybe that's different than Pinot should be. It will be interesting to see where this winery goes with their Pinot in future years. About $48. Tasted March 6. 2009.

The second red Burgundy of the tasting last night was bright, clear garnet. The nose had some bramble bushes and red fruit. It was tart, high acid, but tannic and not yet fully integrated. The taste had candied cherry and raspberry. Nice wine, some chalky minerality, About $84. Tasted March 7, 2009. 

This Pinot Noir was a relatively light, clear, rust/garnet color. It's nose was earthy, with cedar, and somewhat subtle strawberry jam.It was a medium weight wine, good acid, nicely balanced, with a good finish. It was a nice example of a Cote de Nuits from Beaune. The first Pinot of the night. Thanks to Jim and Joanne for this one! Tasted March 6, 2009.

Minerality on the nose, hints of fruit, peaches, and definitely old-world terroir. The taste has intense flavor, and high acidity. The wine was well balanced between fruit and minerality, no oak readily apparent, but a bit of spicyness is there that must be from the barrels. Another example of Chardonnay that I wouldn't have ever purchased but was extremely enjoyable. It's about $65, and after having had it I understand better why people enjoy good Chardonnay from Burgundy. Still, I probably wouldn't spend $65 for it as I'm still a bigger fan of red wines. Tasted March 7, 2009.

The final wine education class of the series focused on Burgundy, both white and red, as well as Burgundian style Pinot Noir from Washington, Oregon, and California. The first wine of the night was the Pernand-Vergelesses Clos de la Croix de Pierre. It had a nose of pears, stone fruit, minerality, but it reminded most of us a bit of a Gewurtztraminer. It had good acidity, and a somewhat dry, but long finish. It was a nice example of a non-California style Chardonnay (which is what I usually have had in the past). Still had fruit, and a sweet nose, and a bit of oak and mild malo-lactic. Terrific wine, about $32. Tasted March 6, 2009.

The Clerc Milon is a blend, 48% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, and 12% Cab Franc. It's a 2005 Bordeaux, the first I've had. It was #11 on Spectator's top 100 for 2008. I found a half-bottle to try since I don't want to open the ones in the cellar for a few years. I decanted it for about 30 minutes, because it's still young. When I poured it into the glass, I found the wine as a deep, deep crimson/purple, pretty opaque in the glass. It's bright, beautiful wine. The nose is intense, old world but with fruit. Dark, luscious fruit and tar, earth, pencil lead, just the way I like French red wine blends. The first sip surprised me with the acidity and intensity of the fruit. The second was the opportunity to taste the wine - a fifth growth. It outperforms that ranking of course!!! Black currant, cherry, remarkable intensity in the flavor. It's a medium weight wine, and balanced tannins with the acidity and fruit. The alcohol is present, I think higher than rated. The finish lasts a little while, but it is a bit tannic. It's terrific wine, and I'm looking forward to having it in its peak in the future. About $75 for a regular bottle. Tasted March 5, 2009. 

The Frog's Leap Zin has a fun label - black and white with some green and gold. They show the frog jumping away from a water plant of some sort. That may be the best part of the wine. It's 87% Zinfandel, 10% Petit Sirah, 3% Carignane. The Zin is good, but it's not the BIG Zin I like. Even the winemaker acknowledged this, which is great - they tell you what this wine is, and it's true to their description.

True to our tradition, our 2006 Zinfandel is a field blend that relies on the vitality of zinfandel and the depth of petite sirah for its trademark character. Intense aromas of wild berry and fresh fruit are punctuated by spices that include clove, cinnamon, and white pepper. Lush layers of cherry and boysenberry fill the palate, while the nuances of oak and earth never overwhelm. The wine's bright acid and soft tannins offer a plush, lingering finish. Rich yet quaffable; our 2006 Zinfandel is a wine that both complements a meal and is delicious on its own.

The wine has non-fruit components, brambly, and oaky. The white pepper is present, and I can agree with the clove. The wine is red, somewhat dense, medium mouth feel, and the finish is relatively short. It's fine, but probably a wine I'd like at $15, not at $30. Food enhances it a bit. Tasted March 2, 2009.

From the Barossa Valley this is a 60/40 blend of Shiraz and Grenache. Opaque, purple, somewhat bright. Ripe berries, red and blue, are on the nose. The taste is nice, round, supple, fruit forward Australian Shiraz with a bit of the Grenache to add some body. Great Australian blend, it's an example of what I like about Aussie wines. Most that I like are about $30 as is this one. I'd buy it again. Tasted March 2, 2009.

The Royal Tokaji Aszú 5 Puttonyos Red Label 2003 from Hungary was an astounding dessert wine. It was a deep gold, not bright, and had a fabulous nose. Citrus fruit, apricot, peaches, and more. It had a typical nose of a fabulous Sauternes. This should have gone in the "fringe wines" entries since it's from Hungary, and most of us won't have ever had wines from Hungary, but I couldn't put it there because it deserved its own entry! The taste followed up the amazing nose, acidity, stunning, intense, flavorful fruit. It has some minerality in the mouth, and its almost an extra light peach syrup in mouth weight. (That may sound bad, it isn't!) And it's a bargain compared to Sauternes, $45 to $50. Tasted February 27, 2009.

The Cadence is a great Washington wine Bordeaux varietal blend, 36% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Cabernet Franc, 20% Merlot, 12% Petit Verdot. It's from the Red Mountain Ciel du Cheval vineyard. It was a deep, dark, garnet red. It's nose was red fruit primarily, and the flavors were well integrated. It's interesting because there are many notes there, but they are so well integrated it was hard for me to pull any specific flavors out of the wine. It had a mouthfeel more typical of merlot, soft, mild tannins, and some structure but the structure took a backseat to the flavor. It was, to quote a friend's typical measure "yummy" and I think it's a great example of how Washington state is making wines comparable to French Bordeaux. I've had several wines recently from the Red Mountain district, and every one has been exceptional. This wine is about $62, but to get an equivalent Bordeaux would be about triple. Wine Spectator gave it a 93. There were only 415 cases made, so it's hard to find. The Wine House in Manlius is probably the only place outside of NYC and the west coast where you'll find the wine. Outstanding. Tasted February 27, 2009.

I've noted several times that I'm a big fan of Adobe Road's Zinfandel and Cabernet Sauvignon. I subscribed to their mailing, and their director of consumer relations immediately exchanged a set of e-mails with me about how I found them, and responded positively when I shared that I'd like their distributor to make sure that the local wine store gets access to their whole line. In addition to the Zin and Cab I'm adding their Cabernet Franc to my list now. It was a dark, dark blue red. In the glass it showed great legs, looked to be a big wine. The nose was terrific, licorice, dark fruit, raspberry. The tast was great - excellent acidity made my mouth water, and had well integrated tannins and fruit. It also has some spiciness. The mouth weight was medium. It had a great finish, 30 seconds or so. I'd give this a 91 to 92. It has all the components I want in Cab Franc. About $40, and only 320 cases made. Tasted February 27, 2009. 

After the first two wines (see previous entry) we moved to another Alsace wine, Bott-Geyl Les Elements Gewurztraminer 2006. It was bright yellow, an unusual color in my experience. the nose was floral - everyone said rose petals as the first thing they found. It also had typical fruit, sweet notes, maybe some honey, and overall was a very pleasant nose. The first taste was entirely pleasant - sweet, fruit, great acidity. But then when the wine hit my mid-palate I noticed a distinct bitterness, like grapefruit. Some of the friends who were drinking it with us agreed that it had grapefruit notes, but they liked them, whereas I won't go near grapefruit without a tablespoon of sugar to throw on top of one! About $30, and it's a nice example of a wine in between sweet and dry from Alsace, France. Tasted February 27, 2009.

The next "fringe wine" of the night was Jermann Red Angel on the Moonlight IGT 2006 from Venezia Giula in northeast Italy. It's 90% Pinot Noir and 10% Merlot. The wine was a deep garnet color, it's nose immediately identified it as old world, and it was earthy, bright red fruit, and something else that I normally get from Sangiovese, a tobacco scent. The taste was cherry, rather one dimensional, and it was smooth and tart with a good finish. I prefer my Pinot Noir in Champagne to be honest. But, it was definitely an interesting wine, and fulfilled the mission of educating our class about the variety of things that Pinot Noir can be. Wine Advocate gave the wine 90 points. About $35. Tasted February 27, 2009.

The last of the fringe wines for the night was a Sattler Zweigelt from Burgenland, Austria.I felt badly for this wine as it wasn't decanted. There was some disagreement among the people giving the class on whether or not it needed to be decanted, and in fact the discussion in part was about whether to even pour it or not - one wanted to pour it as an example of another fringe wine while the other wanted to skip it and poor a great wine. Obviously we know which of them won. But that produced "Angry Wine Man" who decided "I'm not going to decant this wine. We'll pour it, but we're not going to give it a chance." Anyway, when it was poured it was a bright ruby color, and that's where the good things ended. The nose was horrific, musty, old, wet feathers, or something like that. None of us could get past the nose, though the taste was reasonably fine if you held your nose! But I felt badly about pouring it out so I set it to the side and proceeded with a new glass. About 30 minutes later my wife arrived and picked it up, tasted it and said it was nice, and asked what it was. All of us in the room looked at her like she was crazy, but we picked it up again, and sure enough the awful nose had blown off. Lesson of the day - angry wine is bad! We decided the flavors were cooked prunes in a sauce, plums, and other similar, but didn't really give it enough of a chance to really get this wine. Tasted February 27, 2009.