Archive
Three Young Wines Over (Midweek) Sunday Night Italian Dinner
Having gone to this midweek Sunday Night Italian dinner directly from the Sherbrooke portfolio tasting, with a brief stop at home to pick up some bottles and La Piazetta in my neighborhood for cannolis, there are a few new wines that need mention. I don’t review many new wines and never bother with a point scale and while my tasting notes are sparse from yesterday’s trade event, several things must be said. First, Henri Boillot is currently making some of the finest white Burgundy I’ve ever tasted. The Puligny Montrachet Clos de la Mouchere 2009 is as round as it is deep with intoxicating aromatics and can only improve for at least another 5 years and sustain for at east another 5. The Boillot Corton Charlemagne is attractive though currently much bigger and more pungent than the Puligny. Another year or two in bottle will likely find it rounder, more complete, but it is certainly not lacking in character today. While tale of the quality of 2009 in many of the most significant regions in France has spread farther and wider than the actual wines (to date), it speaks volumes that the Boillot Pommard ’08 and Volnay Les Fremiets ’07 are also drinking quite nicely today and these wines clearly have many years to evolve.
Oh iphone 3G, how dost thou camera suck?
As the price of the average Chateauneuf du Pape and much of the rest of the Rhone creeps skyward, some of the few deals left to be had in that region come from Gigondas and the Dauvergne Ranvier Gigondas Vin Rare 2007 was a standout amongst the hundreds of bottles represented, particularly at it’s price point. Also noteworthy were two (very) sweet whites at the dessert table, both new to my palate: Ca’ Rugate La Perlara recioto Di Soave 2008 and Chateau Perray Joannet Bonnezeaux Les Menus Clos 2009. Try either of these with a tarte tatin, or cheese plate with artisanal honey.
At dinner, an impressive array of meat products and red sauces were prepared (thanks Bill!) and as such, I brought some meaty syrah. But first, there was a selection of meats and cheeses with which with which I opened a nicely chilled bottle of Donelan Family Venus 2009 (90% Rousanne 10% Viognier). For all the sins that American wines are often accused as related to the nose, this one escapes, having almost no apparent alcohol with which to obscure the abundant fruit. The Venus had rigid acidity, lending to the notion that it intends to drink well for a good few years, and a lightly creamy mid-palate that stood up to a moderately diverse cheese plate in the creamier and saltier directions. The palate is briefly buttery, showing light minerality at the end, but it’s the crsip acidity that carries the apple-pair and hint of citrus through the finish. As with just about every new wine of any varietal, another 6 months in bottle should smooth over that tiny bite that lingers. After a long breath, the last of the Venus made a palate-smacking intermezzo en route to various meat and pasta dishes.
In the background: Starmaiden of Brooklyn rockers, Sloppy Heads.
Very recently I found some 2006 Milbrandt Syrah The Estates Wahluke Slope on one of the better discount sites that have been springing up and this selection became the first big red of the evening. I have tasted and thoroughly enjoyed several vintages of Syrah produced from these same grapes under Charles Smith‘s K Vintners label and was anxious to taste the wine made by the Milbrandt family themselves. Upon opening, the nose was almost non-existent* with small amounts of black and red fruit intermingling beneath glycerine and a little alcohol, but aromatic expansion would occur. Rather than a single block of a single vineyard as the label may seem to indicate, the ’06 Milbrandt Estates Wahluke Slope is 100% Syrah from three estate Wahluke Slope vineyards (67% Northridge, 22% Talcott, 11% Pheasant). The concentration is considerable as is the complexity, though slightly shy of what Charles Smith achieved is his ’06 Milbrandt bottling. While the nose opened up somewhat over time, the palate became thick (in a good way) and the distinct presence of boysenberry and soft earth rose to the top over bramble, with hints of spice and a trace amount of something almost menthol; followed by a deceptive, lingering finish. While less inherently forward than the K Syrah, the overall weight is quite similar and will make an interesting side by side tasting in the coming years (both new vintages and past). *This wine was tasted two days after shipping, which can affect it’s showing.
Boring picture of an unusual foster child wine.
The final wine that accompanied our savory feast was Pax Syrah Cuvee Christine 2007. But before the tasting notes, full disclosure. The wine was made and barreled by Pax Mahle, but due to a split between Mahle and the Donelans, it was blended by then new Donelan Family winemaker, Tyler Thomas. Further disclosure, I was on the mailing list when the label was Pax and and remain on the Donelan mailing list. I actively follow the winemaking of Pax Mahle and have a number of bottles of his various wines going back to his 2000 Lauterbach Syrah and I am on the mailing list of both of his current projects: Wind Gap and the remarkable Agharta. What can I say, I like a nice syrah.
Pax Syrah Cuvee Christine 2007 is a lighter wine (Rhone) styled to be more approachable early in it’s life than previous vintages and as such, it doesn’t have the palate encompassing weight of the ’05 or ’06. Still it’s a full bodied wine by any standards and exhibits cassis amongst it’s distinct berry characteristics. It’s earthy and broad on the palate and finishes with a flourish of spice. It’s the kind of wine that begs to be consumed with the powerfully savory, not unlike the Italian feast with which this one was enjoyed, but it would have been just as contented to hang with barbecue, or a really good pepperoni pizza.
With a Heavy Heart, Notes on Loring Pinot Noir
A few days ago, I sent out some reasonably disparaging tasting notes, in the form of a tweet, regarding Loring Pinot Noir The Llama ‘03. These were, to date, my harshest words toward any wine I’ve bothered to mention which is because I review wine the way I used to review records. I would rather not take the time to review something I didn’t enjoy at all. And I’d like to think that this is why so many latter day wine reviewers seem to rate on 100 point scales that start at 88 points. I only write a truly scathing review if the finished product is so unpleasant that I want that amount of time of my life back (as well as the money spent). Every Loring Pinot Noir to cross my palate to date has left me with this feeling.
Nose of aging pumpkin and wet dog.
While I am neither sommelier, winemaker, nor grape grower, I have tasted thousands of wines, most specifically, I have taste wine made from Garys’ Vineyard grapes by almost every winemaker who has ever worked with them, going back to 1999. Wine from this fine fruit made by Lucia, Arcadian, Miner, Capiaux, Lorca (RIP), Novy, Vision, Antiqv2s, Roar, Copain, Morgan, Siduri, Tantara, Testarossa, Pessango, Ryan, and even the shockingly overpriced Kosta Browne are amongst the finest American pinot noir and syrah ever to pass my lips. In the right hands, this fruit is simply magic.
Like the label image, the wine is scattered.
In fact, I first started buying Loring Pinot Noir specifically because they buy grapes from some of the best growers in the country, but I have been perplexed by Loring’s expression of every vintage of Garys’ vineyard grapes. Before writing this, I consulted Loring’s own website where I found that they recommend these wines be enjoyed in their youth, which is a dubious claim that many wine producers use to better sell their most recent vintages. But perhaps in this case, it was true, and I decided to purchase a couple of bottles of ’07 Loring Pinot to taste, given that this was an outstanding vintage for Pinot Noir in that region and it’s still a relatively young bottle. Then I did the math on how much I’ve spent on Loring Pinot against the enjoyment gained and decided to just open the most recent bottle from my favorite vineyard that I already own.
Being St. Patrick’s Day (when everyone is drinking and you couldn’t pay me to enter Manhattan), I stayed home and opened a Loring Pinot Noir Garys’ Vineyard 2005 at 1:02pm to find a slight Burgundian funk barely apparent under the burning throb of alcohol. The palate had some nice components to it, but they seemed rather disparate, causing the mouthfeel to come off as somewhat biting. After significant breathing time, the alcoholic nose subsided a bit, to reveal some faint earth tones. The palate is still somewhat sharp and is showing little sign of noticeable integration, though some red fruit is present. It’s not a terrible wine, but given the quality of the fruit from Garys’ in ’04 and ’05, this one just isn’t worth the price. Everyone’s palate is different. Loring Pinot Noir just doesn’t jibe with mine.
If anyone out there enjoys these wines, I’ll gladly pass off the rest of my Loring collection with a reimbursement below original cost. Look me up.
Anybody Interested?
Wine Tasting over World Class Pizza at Motorino Brooklyn
For those of you who live in the greater NYC area and have not yet been to Motorino, there really is no excuse, and you are simply missing out. I know that hyperbole is the source of all web content but there are far too many varieties of pizza available in Brooklyn, let alone NYC, and it would be futile to claim any one as the best.
Pretty bottle, prettier wine.
That being said, Motorino Brooklyn makes world class pizza. The quality and consistency of the crust, the brick oven firing, and every ingredient used is as high as can possibly be expected, per dollar spent. Food-wise you cannot go wrong on their menu, and besides the legendary Brussels Sprouts and Pugliese pizzas, the meatballs w/ pizza bread app is fairly profound in it’s comfort-foody simplicity. However, for a pizza place (even a really good one) without a significant wine program, $25 corkage fee per bottle of outside wine is a little high for Brooklyn. But on to the wine tasting.
Gotta dig the nerdy font and label design.
Our first wine of the evening was the Lucia Chardonnay Sta Lucia Highlands ’07. I simply can’t say enough about the quality of fruit grown in this relatively recently designated AVA. The Pinot Noir, Syrah, and Chardonnay produced in this region are as much a player on the world stage amongst their finest international counterparts as is the pizza at Motorino. The ’07 Lucia Chardonnay is bolstered by those particular ripe, round characteristics that so many CA wines of the ’07 vintage are displaying in their youth.
It’s pale/white gold in the glass with a soft, somewhat muted, but undeniably burgundian nose. The acidity strikes first (with a memory foam pillow rather than a 2×4), embracing the palate and unifying the flavors. The palate is rich and buttery through the ample, bordering on vast, mid-palate, tapering into a lightly sweet strawberry finish. As beautifully and firmly as an ’02 of the same wine showed not long ago at my table, I’ll likely put the rest of these ’07s down for a few seasons nap. While tonight’s “I only drink white” reveler stuck with the Chard, the rest of the table moved on to Pinot Noir.
Barnyard capsule art.
The Orogeny Pinot Noir Sonoma Green County 2002 was by far the most unusual of the lineup. With a somewhat murky nose of coffee and black fruit over the slow burn of the alcohol, this wine currently comes off more like an unfiltered field blend twice the age than a Sonoma Pinot Noir. Somewhere into the second hour after opening, the initially sharp mouthfeel softened and broadened to reveal a complex palate dominated by black and red fruit and culminating with pepper and ash. Given the weight, the ’02 Oregeny really should’ve been batting clean-up, rather than playing opening act (not to mix mediaphors). It’s unique enough in it’s moment that I can’t honestly be sure if this wine is nearing the back end of it’s drinking plateau or just settling into itself. Perhaps we’ll talk again in a year or so.
Our last wine of the evening was EIEIO Pinot Noir Broadley Vineyard 2005. I’ve been buying and drinking EIEIO for some time now, and am particularly fond of their Swine Wine and Cuvee E and Cuvee I Pinot Noir. Some of their single vineyard offerings get a little pricey, but they are all hand-crafted wines made from some of the region’s finest vineyards. As indicated by the label, pictured below, I excitedly snatched this one up at a recent end of bin sale. I’ve always enjoyed the artifact that is a bottle of wine almost as much as the glorious juice it protects and I admire both the whimsy and visual design of EIEIO’s capsules.
Attractive capsule beheaded, cork removed, and the initial pour reveals a purposeful pinot that perhaps wasn’t ready to awaken from it’s nap. The nose is muted and the palate unwinding, but blackberry over cool earth is apparent, and there’s just a hint of spice peaking out from under the weight of alcohol. Across the board with OR Pinot Noir, the ’05 vintage has further to go than the average ’06, ’07, or ’08, and this ’05 seems to corroborate.
After it’s had a breath, the EIEIO Pinot Noir Broadley Vineyard ’05 is an attractive pinot of reasonable depth and complexity (and sonorous color). After an hour and then closer to two, the palate broadened considerably and the red fruit and trace minerals became more prevalent. Still it seems not yet fully mature, and significant personality should emerge from further integration from bottle age. If I had another, I’d give it a taste in about 2 years. So, if the fine folks at EIEIO would like to send me a bottle around this time 2013, that would be very much appreciated. Talk to you then!
End of bin labels don't affect the wine inside the bottle.
Jordan and the Tiny Production Sticky
Three beauties on the chopping block at BP Wine.
Since 1972, Jordan Estate has been making high quality hand-crafted wines. Known primarily as a purveyors of fine Cabernet and Chardonnay, Jordan, like so many other American wineries, have occasioned over the years to produce tiny amounts of fabulous and unusual dessert wines, almost entirely in secret. In my years of tasting, some of the most impressive surprises in quality, uniqueness, and value, have come from rare bottles like Shafer Port and Joseph Phelps Delice du Semillon. So, last fall, when I received an e-mail offer of Jordan Cabernet from 1976-1991 and a small parcel of their Riveiere Russe from the early 80s, I quickly snatched up a pair of ’86 Cabs and a small handful of these rare and unusual (formerly) golden dessert wine from ’82, ’83, and ’85.
Properly stored wine is a beautiful thing.
During an informal tasting over New Year’s, the 1982 Jordan Riviere Russe showed impressively favorably against a much higher priced tokaji and a *gulp* ’95 d’Yquem. While several tasters preferred the Jordan outright, all agreed it to be worthy of it’s company that evening.
By the time I opened a bottle of ’83 Jordan Riviere Russe last night, my palate was too spent from the succession of flavors (Drouhin Cote de Beaune’05, Fiddlehead Estate Pinot Noir Seven Twenty Eight ’02, K Vintners Milbrandt Syrah Wahluke Slope ’06, d’Arenberg Riesling The Noble ’96, and the reasonably profound Joseph Phelps Johannisberg Riesling ’76) to properly note. Thanks to my trusty Vacu Vin, the wine in question is airtight and in the fridge awaiting tonight’s tasting and notes.
________________________________
In the glass, the 1983 Jordan Riviere Russe is darker in color and more viscous than the ’82. The ’82, ’83, and ’85 seem to be in reverse order, by color v. age in that the oldest here is clearly the lightest and closest to it’s original golden color. In almost every way, this ’83 mimics a fine 5 Puttonyos Tokaji a few years younger in age. A lighter amber in the glass than it appears pictured in the bottle, the ’83 Riviere Russe is viscous and sweet, but shy of syrupy, and too nimble to be heavy.
The ’83 Riviere Russe is a late harvest style blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon and much like the ’82, would find itself quite comfortable in a tasting against Sauternes and tokaji several times the price. The nose remains somewhat muted after some time in the glass, but the apricot that is more apparent on the palate is present. Soft caramel, apricot, citrus, and honey maintain through the unexpectedly long finish. The wine is surprisingly fresh with acidity to spare and it may have another handful of good years still to age. It will be interesting to see how the even darker ’85 has weathered it’s slightly fewer years.
But that’s a story for another night.
No Time Like The Present (Viva Charles Smith!)
Hello Wine Drinkers of the World!
As I actively switch wine related web presence in this direction, previously residing @:
http://twitter.com/#!/Jack2point0
I’m drinking a glass of K Vintners Milbrandt Wahluke Slope Columbia Valley Syrah 2006 (see comically low-fi iphone pic).
The two worst features of the iPhone 3G: the camera and the phone
The wine is a big concentrated fruit forward full-bodied red, as most Charles Smith wines tend to be. Much of the nose, after considerable breathing time, is still masked beneath a heavy waft of alcohol, but the dark berries that make up the most pleasurable aspects of the palate are beginning to make themselves known to the olfactory as well. I have tasted a number of these wines going back to K Vintners The Beautiful Syrah 2002, which was not just a clever name, and Smith continues to impress at a number of price points, even as those price points creep skyward with each vintage.
While today’s photo quality is poor and these wine notes abbreviated, soon you will find unreasonably in-depth reviews, interviews, research, hi-res images, and video.
Happy hunting,
WineGeist
winegeist 