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I’m racking 2007 Sauvignon Blanc from barrels now. In these photos, you can see the clean wine that I’m racking from the lees, and then the lees being poured from the barrel into a bucket. 50% of this wine was fermented in old french oak barrels and the other half was fermented in tank. I can take and post all the photos I want of this process, but it’s hard to convey the aromas that fill the winery at this time. This is one of the most hedonistic times, at least for me.
The lees are the dregs, the “bottom of the barrel”, and largely viewed as waste but in a winery they can be useful and wonderful. Lees is composed of grape solids, yeast bodies, nutrients, bacteria that have settled out of the wine during aging, but it is also a way to “diagnose” or ascertain the condition of the wine itself. Sweet, clean, ethereally aromatic lees is the sign of healthy grapes, a good fermentation, a clean wine.
I do this process myself because I want to make sure we get a very clean wine from this racking as it will not be filtered. So, all of the barrels are “racked in place”, ie, the barrels are not moved or disturbed until racking. That’s a rule for all of the wines we produce here, but it is particularly critical with the Sauvignon Blanc as it is packaged in a clear bottle!! I will probably fine it with a little bentonite to make sure it settles out as much as possible before bottling.
After five long days in Verona, and our after work gatherings in the local restaurants, the wine trails after Vinitaly 2008 led us to an array of wonderful restaurants. I have listed them below, with the exception of the little osteria in the hills above Trento. That one is my little secret.
In the last two weeks since returning from Italy I have posted about these restaurants. But I am sure someone will ask me someday for a nice list of places to eat and sleep in Northern Italy and this post will be my answer.
In the time I have been back from Italy, it has been a wild ride. All across Texas in four days, all the major markets, and back to Dallas for a Cotarella event, that was super VIP and muy importante. Traveling across the state and holding seminars and talking, all undertaken while sick, has taken its toll on this old dinosaur. For the past week I have been laying low, working from home when not out in the market with clients, and have been trying to piece myself back together, after taking myself to the edge.
But I am returning to health and sanity, and just in time for a little R&R to one of my favorite islands.
Before I sign off, a few pictures of folks in my world, at the table, enjoying food and wine, as it is meant to be in the Italian way.
One of the Great Gentlemen of Italian Wine
Dream Big
Laughter is the best digestivo
Entertained by Chef Ropeton's insults
Always take your consigliere with you to Italy
It's Passover and you can't find a Menorah, how about a sorbetto-labra?
Continuing in the vein of my first regional wine and food review of the Napa Valley, I will now travel south down the Central Valley to another loved wine region, Carmel Valley [WL]. Carmel Valley sits due Southeast from the beautiful and famous hamlet, Carmel-by-the-Sea, and is overlapped by the ...
Yesterday when I got into the car, after a day of work, the temperature read 98°F. Today when I went into work everything seemed like it had all gone South, like I?d landed smack dab in a bowl of idiot soup. Some days, in this business, you don?t know if you?re a Seer or a Sucker. So, let?s celebrate our blissful ignorance on this Wednesday in May.
A few weeks ago I was walking around the Tompkins Square Park area in NY with a few friends and noticed one of them was wearing a seersucker blazer. We proceeded to taunt him (and to subsequently cyber-bully him), but there was a prophetic air to his apparel of choice. Now it is hotter than blazes and I gots to get me one of them seersucker blazers.
In the meantime, a little pre-summer exercise on wines that match with seersucker. Not just any seersucker, but special selections of seersucker, some designer, some just out-and-out ridiculous. But not every wine is for everyone, isn?t that right my dear friends in the Bowery?
Lyric header host for this heedless post is Steve Miller, a good ?ol Dallas boy.
Puttin' her rouge on, Slippin' her shoes on, My baby's gettin' ready to dance Speaking of blissful ignorance, the first is a light-hearted trio of Bubbly?s fromBarefoot: a Chardonnay and Pinot Grigio and a White Zinfandel. Marks off for calling them Champagne (not a Growers one, I snarkfully presume). But major kudos for supporting a cause that is near and dear to me, the Pacific Coast chapter of the National MS Society. (And no, I am not talking about sommeliers here. Those who know me, know what I?m talking about).
Coming to you baby on a midnight train It goes with alligator and polo; it walks the walk and talks the talk. The wine is light but it isn?t simple. It?s a Matrot Meursault with a Stelvin instead of a cork. So it says cool and groovy at the same time as it says refined and sophisticated. Great for hanging around Tompkins Square Park in a brown bag till all hours of the night while waiting for the bars to open up in the morning, so you can order a Harvey Wallbanger or Ramos Gin Fizz.
I?m a joker, I?m a smoker, I?m a midnight toker This begs to be Bio-dynamite from Berkeley, a home made garage wine from a former SDS activist in a seersucker suit. That would count out Kermit and Neal, but there?s got to be another Big Boy out there still in hiding. Actually, we found him west of the East Bay, hiding in the hills on the Ridge estate, where a Chardonnay can be found in small amounts. From their Santa Cruz Mountain vineyards, first planted to Chardonnay in the 1940?s. Our lyric host, Steve Miller said it best when he sang:
You're the cutest thing That I ever did see I really love your peaches Want to shake your tree Lovey-dovey, lovey-dovey, lovey-dovey all the time Ooo-eee baby, I'll sure show you a good time
Ooe-ee Baby!
I?m a picker, I?m a grinner, I?m a lover and I?m a sinner Like it cool and dry, but need something ripe and ready? A little tango teaser from Argentina might be the perfect match with this swatch of seersucker. We popped a bottle of Astica Torrontés the other night and it was my Johnny Walker Red son who said, ?What is that? I like it!? Great floral aromas, slightly moscato-like with shades of tropical gardenia. Sweet young thing, not too dry, very seer-sucker and slurp-worthy. We even found a pair of seersucker tango shoes to go with it.
Go on take the money and run It woulda-shoulda been a Brunello, but now I?m betting on those new ?03 Toscana IGT?s. Can?t tell you who they?ll all be ?till after June 10, but there?ll probably be a swarm of them. Or not. Might be better with a seersucker coppola hat, as shown. Helps to cover-up your eyes from all the bright lights putting the spotlight on the garbage in Naples that has found its way to the dumps in Tuscany?
Her lips are red, Her body is soft, She is a movin' volcano That would be a red wine from Sicily, what else? From Tenuta delle Terre NereEtna Rosso: Nerello Mascalese with a little Nerello Cappuccio. With a little up tick in the activity on the slopes of Etna, and here we go lookin? for some grass fed Baw?b que. Enough to turn a vegetarian into a flexatarian for a night. Livin? in the USA.
Tired of the war and those industrial fools You know what I?m talking about, maybe it?s that wealthy industrialist whop made a gazillion bucks in the gas and oil industry who decided to chuck it all and set up shop in the Rutherford Bench? Now he?s planning on how to save the world from low-scoring unoaked wines. This calls for a seersucker selection from Rosenthal wines, n'est-ce pas? A Cassis Blanc from Domaine du Bagnol: Marsanne, Clairette and Ugni Blanc in a fruity aromatic cease fire from the madness of making the daily bread. I had this wine a few weeks ago, after a night of Gravner, and I can still taste, and remember this wine for its clarity and its joyful purity. Peace, y?all.
Abra-abra-cadabra, I want to reach out and grab ya From Puglia a Fiano-Greco , Prima Mano. Reaches right out of the glass and grabs ya and doesn?t wrinkle the seersucker. Clear flavors, bright and not spoofed up. No smoke and mirrors, just a clean shake and a hangover-free morning.
Some people call me the space cowboy, yeah. Some call me the gangster of love From the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, a Sauvignon Blanc from Linden Vineyards. I like what the winemaker says, "Rather than having a wine defined by oak and alcohol, I prefer a wine that is defined by its ?sap? ?. Less than 300 cases made, so you?re gonna hafta call yore relatives if?n you wants some.
Somebody give me a cheeseburger All those hot dogs earlier in the month, during a field trip to Brooklyn, got me to thinking about a reddish wine to go with them. The closest I got was thinking about a wine from Kermit Lynch from Corte Gardoni, a Bardolino Chiaretto (Rosato). I can has hot dog? And free range and grass fed if I wants to? Yes I can. Just in time for the Seersucker Invitational Park Slope Bocce Ball Tournament.
96-98 points Parker: "The 2006 Chateauneuf du Pape (15.2% alcohol, with essentially the same technical statistics as the 2005) is a completely different animal in terms of tasting. Opulent, full-bodied, and lush, it tastes as if someone had blended 65% of the 2003 with 35% of the 2005, and 2006 was the result. Deep ruby/purple-colored, with a sweet nose of framboise, raspberries, garrigue, spice box, and earth, the wine is gorgeously concentrated, with low acidity, and very ripe but high tannins. The overall impression is one of opulence, generosity, and a sexy, hedonistic style of Chateauneuf du Pape that puts it among the very finest of the vintage. Nevertheless, I still suspect 2-3 years of bottle age will be essential, and this wine will keep for 25 or more years. "
Greetings from Asia. I have begun my first tour of duty here in the Pacific Rim, and I started my trip off with a weekend in Shanghai. The fourteen plus hour flight did not seem so bad since I was able to sleep for close to nine hours of it; of course, that was only [...]
With demand booming, a radical overhaul is taking place of where the fizzy wine can be produced Standing on the path, Remi Brice looks out over the young wheat.
2005. Vincent Girardin Santenay 1er Cru Les Gravieres. Fruit, minerals, acidity, fine tannins - feels as if one could feel the sun shining down. I don't think you can really ask for more in a Santenay - I think this is an amazing value. True balance here, if this is a good representation of the '05 vintage then I would say that it takes the best attributes of '02 and '03 together. 91pts.
2004 J.F Mugnier Nuit St. George 1er Cru. Clos de la Marechale. Good depth of fruit, acidity, mid palate. Very good showing for a 2004. Unfortunately, the 2005 Santenay came before it. 90 pts.
2005 Felton Road. Block 5 Pinot Noir. Very Generous fruit and good tannins, aromatically less complicated than the previous 2 Burgundies. Given the price of this, I'm not sure it's really worth the money. It's just not as complex as the previous wines. 89pts.
I find myself about to debunk a product who?s claim I do not altogether doubt. The Eisch Glaskultur company of Germany has released a line of stemmed crystal that they claim ?aerates beverages within minutes.? Their packaging states ?A wine poured into a Breathable Glass for just 2 to 4 minutes will show signs of aeration equivalent to the same wine that has been decanted and aerated for 1 to 2 hours.?
Since I am on the record for saying that ?breathing? is a wine myth, I can hardly fault a product that claims to do nothing, and succeeds. Of course the implication that they are using to sell glassware is that this stem will improve your wine tasting experience. This is what I set out to test.
Let me start by clarifying my positing on wine breathing. I have conducted various experiments over the years and the results have not done much to make me a believer. I am not saying that there is no difference from a wine that is decanted for an hour or two from a recently opened bottle, I am just not sure the difference is either significant, or difficult to reproduce with a few good swirls in a glass.
The premise is that allowing a wine to breath opens it up. It has a very poetic sound to it, except that wine does not respire so much as exhale. Wine vents volatile compounds into the air. The whole glass swirling thing is about releasing these compounds to make them easier to detect.
To say that a sitting wine improves is to say that these volatile compounds were in present in too great a number to begin with. This is certainly true with some wines that have off odors or excessive volatility, and in those rare cases I highly recommend a forceable decanting (so the wine literally chugs out of the bottle and splashes violently into the decanter).
If the wine was sound to begin with, it by definition was not excessively volatile. Vinegar is wine with way too much volatility, as an extreme example. Few modern wines you open will be vinegar-like. Some other off odors, such as the wet rotten leaf smell of a wine that has undergone malo-lactic fermentation in a bottle, may be reduced by decanting. A wine that went through MLF in a bottle will usually be slightly sparkling as well.
The experiments I have conducted include opening a bottle and tasting it blind against another bottle of the same wine which had been opened and or decanted some time before. The decanted wine may well have a different aroma and taste, but after a few minutes of swirling either wine, the differences balance out.
For the Breathable Glass (BG) I created a simple experiment. So simple that I concede that I do not have definitive proof of my hypothesis. On the other hand, it is simple enough that anyone can try it.
I put the same wine in the BG and another tall, well shaped glass and let them sit for four minutes without touching them. I then poured both wines into identical tasting glasses and tasted them blind. I did the same test again, only this time I swirled each of the wines reasonably evenly for 2 minutes before switching glasses and tasting.
In neither case did the wine from the BG exhibit any significant aromas or flavors that varied from the wine which had been poured into the regular glass. Therefore I can state unequivocally that I did not find anything remarkable or impressive.
My wording here is deliberate since Ronn Weigand who is one of the few combination Master Sommeliers and Masters of Wine is quoted right on the packaging as saying ?I was especially impressed - Remarkable!?
The test I conducted were designed to be easily verified by my peers, and as always I urge them to do so. What I didn?t do is almost as important as what I did.
I did not test a wine that had been in the BG for 4 minutes against the same wine that had been in a decanter for two hours, as per the claim on the package. I did not run a spectroscopic analysis to determine if the crystal makeup of the glasses was richer in oxygen, the mechanism cited for the claim. I didn?t do many things, but I did what I did, and I didn?t find a difference.
The Breathable Glass line is fine crystal with a good feel to it, and at $20 a stem it is not outrageously priced. I got mine at Bed Bath & Beyond, and it is because it is being marketed to the main stream instead of to wine geeks that I felt compelled to try it.
My advice is to save your money and buy one of the $4 stems right next to it on the shelf, unless you like the feel of the glass and it is in your budget. Just don?t expect miracles.
Oh, and the title of the blog is indeed a nod to Robert Lynn Asprin?s entertaining Myth-Adventures series. I know a few of you were dying to ask.
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Clean and fresh, offering aromas of apple and cream. Full-bodied, with bright acidity and a long finish of stewed apple and lemon. Drink now. 45,000 cases made.
The Greeks called Italy Oenotria - the land of wine. A large, colourful wine map of Italy hangs on my study wall. I've been exploring the viticultural tastes and textures of Italy from Abruzzo, Piedmont and Tuscany to Sardinia, Sicily and Venice. Melgab, an Italian father-and-son company, import a wide range of fine wines and grappa? of origin from Argentina, France, Italy, Portugal and Spain to South Africa.
Treat your taste? buds to a range of new flavours? in classic Italian varieties such as Barbera, Chianti, Nebbiolo, Sangiovese and Trebbiano. The dry?, fruity?, minerality of Lamberti Santepietre Pinot Grigio or the fine, fruity bubbles of Teresa Rizzi Prosecco, the vino? spumante? of Veneto will take you all the way to Harry's Bar in Venice. I loved the herbal? quality of Medici Sangiovese Rubicone from Emilia, the main grape of the great Chianti Classico? wines. Last but not least, try the intense?, robust ruby red Montepulciano d'Abruzzo with its evocative forest fruit and liquorice flavours.
Watch out for Melgab's Italian wines in wine stores at R60-R85.
I discovered the seductive delights of limoncello? this summer - a traditional Italian liqueur? made from steeping the juiciest, fresh lemon peels in alcohol?. Commonly called limoncello in Tuscany, this zesty digestif is made in family cellars in the region? from age-old recipes. The rinds from lemons? freshly picked in the orchards are steeped in alcohol until they reach a perfect infusion of colour, flavour and zest. Made by A&G Distillery, Limonello is sold in an elegant frosted glass bottle in South Africa. Drink frozen, on the rocks or drizzle over ice cream? and fruit salad?.
A&G Limonello costs R86 per 500ml. Visit www.melgab.co.za for more information.
A visit to Beaucastel isn't complete without trying some so off to the tasting room....
2006 - Beaucastel Blanc. The Roussane grape is dominant with 80% (small percentage of 60 year old vines) and another 20% comprised of Grenache Blanc (10-40 year old vines). Honey, flowers, good acidity and a minerality. Good to serve on the cool side i.e. 10-12 centrigrade.
2006 - Beaucastal Blanc Vielle Vignes Again made of Roussane but this time 100% pure and straight up. The vines are old (I'm told 78 years). Production is absolutely miniscule at 6000 bottles per annum ( sorry now 5999 for '06). With the Roussane variety I am told you either drink it within 5 years of the vintage of 10 years later. The 5-10 year period is supposed to be a funky phase where the wine shouts down and appears oxidised. Strangely enough I have not it during this phase but have had ones over 10 years - you will be nicely surprised. The RVV belies it's age in comparison to Beaucastel Blanc - you can tell the age of the vines in the wine! If the regular version is a child then the RVV is a middle-age adult - more complex, more depth, more layers, more of everything. If you do have both and then go back to the regular version - you will find it lacking and "shallow". I would not be afraid to serve this warmer than the regular Beaucastel Blanc say 13-15 degrees.
2005 Beaucastel Comprised of 13 grape varieties. The various grapes bring their unique characteristics to the table and balance one another out. Mourvedre for it's tannic structure and ageing potential, Grenache for the warmth and texture as well as others. The CdP true to its roots. Given the various varieties and their maturation profiles that each variety would come forward at different times during the ageing process. You can try one young (i.e. within 5 years) but it won't reach a sense of harmony without 10 years of age - this is my own personal view of course. Right now too young but good raw materials should be fantastic.
1998 Beaucastel Here we are starting to get serious. IMHO still not quite there in terms of harmony but getting there and should do it within 5 years? Depth, breadth, fantastic stuff.
1986 Beaucastel IMHO has reached the stage of harmony. Leather, animal, dried fruits it's all there. Not a stellar vintage but drinking well and probably at it's peak.
* Note with food - Try something hearty almost rustic. The typical cuisine is Provencal - so olive oils, thyme, basil, tomatoes. Perhaps even Tuscan food may work ....?
Pax Mahle has been making some of the most interesting and complex Syrah in California for nearly a decade now. Although he makes other Rhone varietals, Syrah is his focus with several vineyard designated offerings each year. In tasting 2005 Pax Syrah from the barrel last year, I was impressed with the range of aromas and flavors he brings out with distinct wines even made from within the same vineyard.
All Pax Syrah have a similar thread running through them: they are big. Some are fruit bombs, others super concentrated and structured for aging and some are masterpieces of balance even at 15-16% alcohol. When I asked Pax about his process, he pointed to the traditional techniques of France’s Burgundy region where whole-cluster fermentation and the minimum of cellar treatment was the norm at the finest vineyards for centuries. Somehow, Pax has taken these Old World techniques and combined them with aggressive crop management in the vineyard to produce stunning wines.
The Syrah from Griffin’s Lair in the Sonoma Coast AVA is one of the most massive wines in the lineup with very concentrated fruit along with firm tannins. Although this wine is quite enjoyable right now, I would suggest at least another 5 years of cellaring before you will fully comprehend all the nuances this wine brings to the table.
I enjoyed this Syrah last night paired with traditional Steak Frit at a restaurant in San Francisco. I shared this bottle with Alan Baker who longtime listeners of the podcast will remember from Winecast 51 where we tasted Pax Cellars Walker Vine Hill Syrah. Over the 90 minutes we enjoyed this wine it evolved quite a bit but I would imagine even more aromas would have been present on day two. If you open a bottle now, decanting is highly recommended.
Pax Cellars, Syrah, Griffin’s Lair, Sonoma Coast 2004 ($70) - Very dark purple-black in color with massive aromas of blackberry, meats, fennel, green olive, chaparral, leather and baking spices. Huge, mouth-filling blackberry fruit flavors with cracked black pepper finishing with firm, but fine-grained, tannins. The finish lingers for nearly a minute making this one of the most stunning wines I’ve tasted from Pax Cellars to date. This wine will continue to improve for at least another decade in the cellar.
14.8% ABV Natural cork closure Score: 96 Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
1992 Leasingham Classic Clare Sparkling Shiraz Cherry, raspberry and some leather and earthy elements to the nose. There is a delicious sweetness to the palate that is well countered by savoury nuances. Very enjoyable. 90/100
2000 Besserat de Bellefon Grande Tradition Champagne Cheesy and toasty nose. Rounded mouthfeel. Lacks depth and finishes short. 83/100
2002 Petaluma Hanlin Hill Riesling Lemon, orange peel and some toast aromas starting to develop. The palate is long and full, with incredible intensity. This wine holds so much future potential. 93/100
1978 Chateau La Tour Haut-Brion Tobacco, bramble, ash and smoke on the nose. The tannins are fully resolved, leading to a medium bodied palate with soft fruits and good aged character. Very pleasant to drink wine at its peak. 89/100
1996 Chateau Léoville-Poyferré Youthful nose of blackberry, spice, cassis and cedar. Intensely tannic on the palate, but the structure is good and this is going to improve greatly once the tannins soften and it takes on additional complexity. Needs time. 90/100
1981 Chateau Musar Cherry/kirsch, smoked meats, earth and honey. The palate shows amazing fruit sweetness that is balanced superbly by aged earthy, spicy characters. Complex and long. If this was deconstructed too much you may be able to pick out many faults, but amazingly all mixed together they have achieved harmony. 94/100
2000 Hochar Père et Fils Horsey, with earth, raspberry and a touch of VA. The palate is sweet and soft, it is quite drinkable but looked very simple in comparison to the older Musar had before. Will probably show better given time. 87/100
1995 Antinori Tignanello Cocoa, blackcurrants, graphite and cedary nose. Lovely medium bodied, savoury palate with excellent balance. 91/100
1991 Penfolds Bin 707 Cabernet Sauvignon A bold nose, with tobacco, cassis and blackberry. The youthfulness of the wine is evident on the palate as well, with primary fruit still dominant. The tannin structure and overall build of the wine is such that I think this has the potential for greatness. 92/100
2004 Gangloff Côte-Rôtie La Barbarine Must be close to 10% viognier in this, but it did not bother me as it did some others at the table. Very pretty nose, with lifted fragrant floral notes, apricot and pepper. Long and rich in the mouth with some spice evident. A little bit young still tonight, but very nice anyway. 90/100
2004 Tyrrell’s Shiraz Cabernet Vat 8 Earthy, with some raspberry notes as well. Bright, red fruited palate with some earthiness coming through in
Tecnorati
After five long days in Verona, and our after work gatherings in the local restaurants, the wine trails after Vinitaly 2008 led us to an array of wonderful restaurants. I have listed them below, with the exception of the little osteria in the hills above Trento. That one is my little secret.
Puttin' her rouge on, Slippin' her shoes on, My baby's gettin' ready to dance
Coming to you baby on a midnight train
I?m a joker, I?m a smoker, I?m a midnight toker
Go on take the money and run
Her lips are red, Her body is soft, She is a movin' volcano
Tired of the war and those industrial fools
Abra-abra-cadabra, I want to reach out and grab ya
Some people call me the space cowboy, yeah. Some call me the gangster of love
Somebody give me a cheeseburger
