Archives for March, 2006
Trade Tasting Notes
I’m drunk. Not shitfaced, but drunk. It was my first trade tasting and it was a bit overwhelming. 161 tasting booths and about three hours to sample as many wines as we could. I think we managed to visit 21 booths and tasted anywhere from 40 to 100 different wines (probably 65-75 but it was hard keeping track - we didn’t take notes). Because it was a trade tasting, Ms. Oh So Much and I were forced to attend under false pretenses, neither of us actually being in the industry. I was tempted to try to attend as a wine blogger but our blog is too new and we really don’t have any credentials so I thought it would be wiser to just lie to get in.
The short version of this post is that I had a blast. The long version, however incomplete, follows.
Polly was impressed by several Pinot Noir contenders but I’m still not finding many Pinot’s that I like. I think the absence of food and the abundance of other wine flavors make this grape a hard one to evaluate for this unsophisticated tongue. The one time I most enjoyed Pinot was as an accompaniment to a meatloaf dinner and I’m convinced that it just doesn’t work well on it’s own. I’ll keep working on it but for now, you won’t see many Pinot Noir notes from me.
Overall, I tasted far too much cabernet sauvignon, pinot noir and merlot. I was hoping
Here are some brief tasting impressions (in no particular order and with minimal detail)….
Domain Alfred - My first taste of the afternoon was their Vin Gris, ros� made from 100% pinto noir. I didn’t like it at all - it had a tinny metallic flavor that dominated. In fact, I was so put off by it that I decided to forego tasting their other wines. A little while later, someone suggested I try their Da Red, a nice red blend. I don’t remember the grapes but I think it was Rhone varietals.
Emmolo - This is a small Napa winery that makes two wines and they make them well. A Sauvignon Blanc and a Merlot. I’m always looking for unusual wines but these were a very pleasant surprise.
Biltmore Estates - I’ve never given any though to tasting anything form this North Carolina winery until I read an article on wineloverspage.com in which a group of people did a comparison of 20 Syrah and Shiraz wines. The Biltmore ‘03, ‘04 Syrah was voted the Best of Tasting. Unfortunately, the Syrah wasn’t available for tasting. I tried a few of their wines but none of them left much of an impression. Not bad but not noteworthy in any way.
Matanzas Creek - Unexceptional Chardonnay, Cabernet, Syrah. The chardonnay was one of the few I actually spit out.
Hahn Estates and Cycles Gladiator - I’ve blogged about Hahn Estates Cabernet Franc before and I had an opportunity to ask the winemaker why this one was so different from the other Cab Francs that I’ve tried but he wasn’t very forthcoming. He modestly suggested that the proof was in the vineyard but I still have to wonder why this wine is so unique. It’s sweeter, thicker and more fruity than the others I’ve tried. The surprise at this booth was the discovery of Cycles Gladiator 2004 Syrah - a very nice inexpensive syrah with 10% petite sirah. I’ll be trying more from this label.
Peacock, Borra & High Flyer - I met Craig Becker who apparently has something to do with each of these labels and more. The amazing thing is that I liked everything he had to offer from the High Flyer 2004 Viognier, 2004 Borra Vineyards OV Zinfandel, 2002 Peacock Family Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon and… shit, I don’t remember the specifics but there was a cabernet franc that I liked a lot.
Four Vines Winery - Several times I’ve noticed this winery’s “Anarchy” wine at Tower on Piedmont Road. It’s hard to miss with the classic anarchy logo painted on the front of the bottle. Better yet, the blend is in the Rhone style. Still, I haven’t tried it yet because I’m kind of disgusted with the appropriation of countercultural symbols for mainstream marketing, even for something as potentially cool as wine. Also, it retails for $35 and I don’t like to spend that much on an unknown. So, as the clock was running out on the event, I asked my personal wine rep if there was one booth I should visit before leaving and she sent me to Four Vines, makers of Anarchy, which, unfortunately, wasn’t offered for tasting. Instead, we tried the 2003 Heretic Syrah, the 2004 Naked Chardonnay and two others whose names escape me (I’m pretty sure one of them was called Loki but it hasn’t been released yet and had no label. I wasn’t thrilled with the chardonnnay, although it was good, but I absolutely loved all of the reds. I’ll be revisiting all of their wines as soon as I’m able.
Clayhouse - Very nice Syrah, Petite Sirah and… Zinfandel, or was it Cabernet? I visited this booth late in the afternoon and my mouth was feeling pretty mushy. Definite repeaters, though.
Summation - What a fun afternoon. I’ve never been to such a large tasting event and I had a lot of fun but it’s not exactly an ideal environment for tasting wines. I hate to admit it but it was easily too much of a good thing. My mouth quickly turned to mush and I wasn’t able to discern much more than either, “I liked it,” or “I didn’t,” and I usually liked it. I didn’t spit out much but I did try to only sip tiny amounts of most wines. I still got drunk but not too.
I reserve the right to edit these notes tomorrow… (I’ll add some more links, too)
update - 04/06/06 - OK, it’s a week later and I still haven’t had time to edit or elaborate — too busy with some unexpected projects. I’ll get around to it.
wine as far as the eye could see
Can I tell you how much fun it was to attend the “Trade Tasting” associated with the High Museum’s wine tasting and fund raiser? There seemed to be more than 100 vineyards represented today - many were familiar and even more new. There were a few white wine surprises like the Jacque Schlumberger’s Pinot Blanc.
For the most part, I find that Pinot Noir’s tend to be a little boring. On the other hand, I still enjoy seeking Pinots out because I love being pleasantly surprised like today. Lynmar in Sebastopol, had two really great Pinot Noirs. One they had sold out of but reappeared out of somewhere, just at the right time (when we were standing there for a taste).
Matanzas Creek was one of my first. Early in my explorations of wine, there was a Matanzas that was really exciting but today - nothing was of interest. I wasn’t impressed at all. I’m looking for Big and Bold. There wines weren’t.
We were also turned onto the Four Vines Vineyard today. The wine maker was quite a character . He was a lot of fun, entertaining, and engaging. The “Heretic” was a 2003 Petite Syrah. It was big and bold and something I would definately buy. I liked the wines and the wine maker, so much so that I now have a tattoo on my neck. Its hot!!!
Now, home, with a big old buzz, we realized there were a lot more wines we didn’t even get too. We’ll be more prepared for next year?
One has to hope the wine’s aroma isn’t reminiscent of it’s namesake.
Alan Tardi, in the April issue of Wine & Spirits magazine, in an article titled, “Undiscovered Italy,” writes about a wine called Pelaverga. Considered to be a great “date wine,” pela means “to peel” and verga refers to a penis. Now that’s something to think about when peeling the foil off the cork. Tardi goes on to say the wine goes well with salami…
Nothing Meek About This “Small” Verdot (A)
The first words out of my mouth after the first taste were, “Wow! That’s a lot of tannins!” Petit Verdot is a black grape with origins in Bordeaux which doesn’t make any sense because it apparently doesn’t grow well there. It ripens late in the season and so will do better in a warmer climate than Bordeaux where it’s use has been in decline. Because it’s possesses such dark, strong and tannic qualities it’s mainly used as a blending grape and then only in very low quantities, usually not more than 1-5%. Warmer wine growing regions such as Australia and California are better suited for Petit Verdot and so we will probably be seeing more use of it in the near future.
If you’re a fan of big, bold, tannic monsters then you will be as glad as I am to know that Meeker Vineyards in Mendocino is ahead of the curve. We had their 2002 Petit Verdot last night and it was amazing. Wines like this are said to age well and in fact some suggest that they need considerable age in order to soften but we found it to be perfectly drinkable right now. The primary sensations were earth, smoke and leather but there was also some small amount of caramel and almost no fruit. We were just finishing up our pasta salad when we opened the bottle and while I’m not usually much of a dessert eater I was overwhelmed with a desire for some thick, moist chocolate cake to wash down with it.
Our first visit to Meeker was by accident and we just happened to stumble in on a little party that was underway in the converted bank that they use as a tasting room. We enjoyed their wines and on a subsequent visit we also just happened to arrive while a party was underway. Either they like to party or we have incredible luck or both. Our visits were lots of fun and the wines were well suited to our tastes.
I’m pretty sure you can’t find Meeker in Georgia. I bought it as a member of the Meeker “Tribe,” their version of a wine club. This one retails for $25 but I got it for $20 — when you add the shipping I guess I ended up paying retail but it’s still a great value. Their web site is down but I found a brief history of Meeker on this site.
If it smells like Sauvignon Blanc and tastes like Chardonnay it must be Viognier. (B)
I haven’t been blogging but I guess that’s obvious.
It’s been a hellish week and I’m pissed off, stressed out, tired, anxious and feeling really small about some stupid decisions and naive assumptions I’ve made. What else to do but drink. I’ve polished off most of a bottle of…
2004 Jacques and Francois Lurton Les Salice Viognier
I used to be a theatrical lighting designer and the color of this wine reminds me of Roscolux 08 Pale Straw. I assume most readers won’t have a clue about the Roscolux 08 but pale straw is pretty clear, I think. I wish I had still had my lighting filter swatch book - it occurs to me that it would be a fun way to reference wine colors.
The nose is a lusty honeysuckle — oh wait, that’s the corn plant sexing up my living room with it’s amazing blossom. Have you ever smelled a banana plant in full bloom? The most luscious wine aromas don’t even come close but the corn plant does. If I stick my nose all the way in the glass and cover what’s left open with my hands I can detect some earth and lemon - an odd juxtaposition of fruit and leather, something more expected in a red. The taste is all white, though: butter, vanilla, apricot, it tastes like a chardonay. It finishes with a nutty pineapple taste that lingers on the tongue.
My first glass was only at 54 degrees and the taste and texture was lush and full. By the second (and third and fourth) glasses, the bottle had been in the fridge a little longer and dropped down to 51 - seemingly a minor difference but the taste suffered. Laugh at me when I pull out my laser thermometer and stick in my glass but I’m telling you that temperature can make or break a wine. You might ask why I kept putting it back in the fridge if I thought it was getting too cold and I can only say that each time I thought I was done but you know how that goes. Or don’t you?
[update a few weeks later - This wine holds up after having had a couple more bottles, although my chardonnay characterization didn’t. This is a viognier through and through. I let it warm up even more and it really shined at 60 degrees. Always keep an open mind about things.]
Matching wine to olives has always been a challenge for me but this one went fabulously with some fresh baguette and young, fresh, herbed green spanish olives. The brine in olives usually kills the taste of any but the most astringent and acidic wine but these were only mildly cured and soaked in olive oil.
I’ve heard that viognier tends to be high alcohol but this is a nice 13% - a lot of wines I’ve been drinking lately run upwards of 14 to 15 percent, which is really high for someone prone to quaffing and not sipping.
I bought this at Whole Paycheck for $13 so I figure it can be had almost anywhere else for 8 or 9 bucks. At 13 it’s still a great value so I look forward to finding it elsewhere at a more reasonable price.
I realize I haven’t said anything about viognier, the grape. Here’s a link, if you’re interested in learning more about it. I could plagiarize and/or summarize but linking is easier in my present state of mind.
Trinchero Main Street Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2001 (B-)
I confess I bought this wine because of a number. It was a recommended sale item at my local wine store and they touted the score of 94 given by The Wine Report. I’ll grant you that this may not be the most prestigious wine journal in print — in fact, I’m usually suspicious that free magazines like this aren’t merely shills for their corporate advertisers — but still, at least one person who claims to know a little about wine thought pretty highly of this one. Also, it was being recommended by someone I (sort of) know and the sale price was more than reasonable. The wine retails for $45 but it was on sale for $20. Huge discounts like this are also something that makes me suspicious, in this case that the retail price is hyper-inflated. A quick look online showed that it does indeed sell for $40-$45 from a number of online retailers but that it also can be found on sale for as little as $24 from a select few. I’m reasonably assured that $20 is a good price and that by tasting it, I will be able to get a sense of what The Wine Report thinks is a high quality cabernet, for what it’s worth.
Cabernet Sauvignon is a clone of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc and is a major grape of Bordeaux and possibly one of the most widely cultivated grapes in the world. To my tongue it’s one of the most readily recognized varietals — often an earthy blackberry. I haven’t had a lot of quality CS and I don’t often drink much of it these days — probably a result of years of drinking cheap or mediocre bottles. All the more reason to try this one, which is from Napa Valley.
Tasting notes:
Nose: cassis, must, humus, black cherry, oak and vanilla. Taste: blackberry, cherry, soy sauce and tar. It’s rich, full bodied and well balanced but a little too tart (not by much). I like it but wish it was a little softer. It will probably age very well and mellow out over the next few years. Unfortunately, I don’t generally have the patience (or budget) to hold wine for more than a year or two at the most. Worth revisiting or holding on to at this price but I wouldn’t pay full retail. Still, it beats the hell out of the sub $15 supermarket selection.
Hahn Cabernet Franc 2004 (C)
Deep raspberry color — almost violet. Sweet smell of smoke, oak, leather. Thick, soft, chewy texture. Chalky on the tongue (I think that’s the tannins - cut me some slack, I’m still learning). The flavor is raspberry cherry, plumb and… is that asparagus? I’m in love. $10 at Tower. Simply fabulous.
Update - That was written Feb 5, 2006. It is now March 16 and I’m having a different reaction with the next bottle. Tonight the wine feels syrupy and cloyingly sweet. It feels cheap and shallow. Maybe it’s because this time I drank it with food - barbecue chicken and brussell sprouts. More likely it’s because this time the wine is too warm. It’s been in the car and is reading at 76 degrees. I don’t think any wine should be served warmer than 65-68 degrees but I didn’t want to wait.
I’m re-thinking the use of grades on my tasting notes. I originally gave this an A but tonight I don’t think I would rate it higher than a C-. I’m going to put a cork in it and try again tomorrow at a more reasonable temperature.
WBW #19, When in Rhone
Four of us got together for this month’s Wine Blogging Wednesday #19: When in Rhone. We had three similar wines to compare, listed below. Unless otherwise noted, the remarks are the consensus opinions.
Domaine de Fondreche O’sud Cotes-du-Ventoux 2004 (Syrah, Grenache and Cinsaut)
As per usual we started drinking the wine immediately (without food) and initially weren’t very impressed. There wasn’t much aroma to discern, the flavor was somewhat bland and undistinguished and the alcohol was a little too prominent. It was drinkable (in our group we can say that about almost anything made from fermented grapes) but nothing to push an old lady out of the way for. Things changed after we got into the food…
Jaboulet Parallel 45 Cotes du Rhone 2003 (Syrah, Grenache)
Not surprisingly, this was similar to the O’sud only there was a little more to appreciate. Cinammon and clove on the nose and red berry (esp. raspberry) and cherry on the tongue.
Both of these wines were medium-bodied (with the O’sud on the light end of the medium body range, we thought) and dry but not very tannic. On their own they were somewhat ho-hum but when we got into the food, which included some spicy chicken sausage, they started to stimulate. Clearly these wines were meant to accompany a meal as, I suppose some would argue, are all wines but that doesn’t stop us from slugging some like a pint of beer. Which brings us to…
Domaine Du Vieux Lazaret Chateauneuf du-Pape 2003 (Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre, other)
This was the Naso du-Pape* of the trio. Musty odor, earthy pine-like flavor, full-bodied, more tannic and just a touch of what Ms. Oh So Much! refers to as that little white bottle with a green top by which we’re pretty sure she means Bactaid but not in a bad way. The evening favorite and one that doesn’t require food to appreciate.
My final note says something about Dumb Fuck Mountain. I guess we didn’t have any trouble finishing all three bottles.
- The expression “the Pope’s nose” is used to refer to a big fleshy rump-like lump of flesh on a roasted turkey. I’m pretty sure it’s meant to refer to a Pope that was rumored to be a heavy drinker and hence had one of those bulbous noses thought to be common among alcoholics. I use it here in the sense of “the bee’s knees”.
Funny
I was scouring the web for wine related images to steal for the background of this blog when I came across these two funny images. The smaller of the two is actually of a real corkscrew that was sold on eBay but the product page is long gone. I’d love to get one of them. The other image is just a silly thing that someone did for a laugh.
