I was all ready to post my notes last weekend--early, by my recent standards--when an incredibly painful back spasm put me in bed for three days straight. So I'm only now getting back in the swing of things, just in time for the next tasting. Alas, the best laid plans of mice and men . . . .
1. Chateau Guiraud "G" 2006 ($15.99/bottle)
Essentially (if not legally) a dry Sauternes, this wine offers a complex nose of kiwi, lemon, muskmelon, brioche, and honey and flavors of creamy citrus, bread, and fresh herbs. The smooth, medium body is defined by a nice balance between crispness and roundess, with just the faintest touch of sweetness.
2. Chateau Gloria 2004 (St. Julien; $24.99/bottle)
The nose knows on this wine. Still shiny-new and very tight, the flavor begrudgingly yields some dark berry with hints of tar and leather, all sheathed in a cloak of youthful tannin. But the aroma offers a glimpse of what this wine may be in 5-10 years, with a balanced, rich array of sweet black currants, blackberry, earth, clove, and tar.
3. Chateau Lagrange 2004 (St. Julien; $34.99/bottle)
This wine, like the Gloria, needs time, though it doesn't keep quite so much in reserve. An interesting nose of cherry, toasty oak, and stewed tomatoes with peppers gives way to flavors of black cherry, tangy new leather, tar, and earth. Reasonably smooth for a young wine.
4. Chateau Beychevelle 2004 (St. Julien; $39.99/bottle)
Now we're getting into some wines that--while no doubt themselves still young and worthy of 10+ years of cellaring--have enough ripe fruit, balance, and depth to be enjoyable now, especially with a few hours of decanting (if you can plan ahead). The nose on this medium-full-bodied red is rich, ripe, and well-integrated, suggestive of black currant, black cherry, oak, and sweet spice. On the palate, shining through a curtain of assertive tannins, come sweet, bright red and purple fruits, toasty oak, and a cocoa-laced finish.
5. Chateau Bourgneuf 2004 (Pomerol; $39.99/bottle)
This merlot-based blend (whereas the others are mostly cabernet) offers a nose of blackberry, black cherry, pungent earth, and sweet spice and flavors of ripe black fruit infused with pepper, licorice, earth, and toasty spice. As with all the wines in this lineup, assertive tannins suggest aging potential, though with some decanting and a juicy steak there's nothing to stop one from enjoying this wine right now.
6. Clos du Marquis 2002 (St. Julien; $49.99/bottle)
Predictably, the wine that's two years older than the others (and from comparable vintages) is also the smoothest one of the bunch, with a nice, velvety texture that goes a long way toward ameliorating the still-brawny tannins. Aromas and flavors of plum, blackberry, peppery spice, black licorice, and leather make for a complex and enjoyable glass of wine right now, though cellaring for 5-10 or more years would no doubt yield an even smoother, more complex Bordeaux experience.
7. Chateau d'Yquem 2001 (Sauternes; $299.99/375 ml bottle)
Yes, you read the price right. Chateau d'Yquem is France's most legendary dessert wine, and this bottle is from what is universally considered to be a stellar vintage. And you can tell. Just smelling the super-rich, concentrated nose of honey, baked pineapple, minerals, candied lemon, and a whole field of honeysuckle is, all by itself, an intense and pleasurable experience. The flavors are just as astounding, with impossibly dense lemon syrup, apricot preserves, smoke, and herb flavors. The very long finish turns floral after about a minute. As one might expect, this wine has an almost syrupy consistency on the palate, though there's enough acidity to keep things in something like balance. (If I am to be totally honest, though, I think the still-expensive but much more affordable Royal Tokaji Wine Company 5 puttonyos from the Jan. 3 tasting has as much depth and sweetness as the Yquem and better acidity, creating an overall ethereal, transcendent quality that this Sauternes doesn't quite achieve. If that makes me an iconoclast, then so be it.)
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Is Zinfandel Dead?
This question was recently posed in an online wine forum, and the reaction was surprisingly (to me) split down the middle. Many of the posters discussed Zin's lack of "flair", too-high alcohol levels, and a general disinterest for the grape. Others were singing the praise of Zinfandel, lauding the fact that they are generally great values, are perfect matches for heavier foods, and exhibit more complexity than most people think.
Well, the discussion inspired me....to buy a boatload of Zinfandel for my home cellar! Admittedly, I've overlooked Zin myself the last year; our last full-on Zinfandel tasting was almost a year ago at Stimmel's Market, and despite the fact that I've had two outstanding Zin-based blends the last six months (Orin Swift The Prisoner, JC Cellars Impostor), it's been a long time since I've popped any at home. So, I went and picked up several bottles of Schrader's Hell Hole Zin, a few bottles of Turley Juvenile, a bunch of stuff from Armida, and a few more bottles of The Prisoner. None of these bottles cost me more than $40 (even the Turley), and all will provide immediate gratification.
The best Zinfandels are full-bodied, show lush dark fruits, and tease with a touch of pepper on the finish. Unlike first-growths and cult cabs, Zin is often times best drunk young - not to mention you won't have to refinance your home to buy a case of good Zin. I'll be trying these Zins over the coming weeks, and will be picking up some other great bottles at Stimmel's as well. If you want to share in my Zinfandel odyssey, here are some terrific ones you can pick up at the market:
Seghesio - only $20 or so, this is a great bottle. One of Wine Spectator's Top 100 wines of 2007.
Rosenblum Rockpile - Rosenblum is regarded as one of the absolute best Zin producers, and the Rockpile is their showcase bottle. A little pricier (about $40), but a big, big wine.
Kuleto - under $30, this is a steal. Loads of fruit and spice.
Peter Franus - great texture and mouthfeel, a go-to Zin for me.
Cheers!
Well, the discussion inspired me....to buy a boatload of Zinfandel for my home cellar! Admittedly, I've overlooked Zin myself the last year; our last full-on Zinfandel tasting was almost a year ago at Stimmel's Market, and despite the fact that I've had two outstanding Zin-based blends the last six months (Orin Swift The Prisoner, JC Cellars Impostor), it's been a long time since I've popped any at home. So, I went and picked up several bottles of Schrader's Hell Hole Zin, a few bottles of Turley Juvenile, a bunch of stuff from Armida, and a few more bottles of The Prisoner. None of these bottles cost me more than $40 (even the Turley), and all will provide immediate gratification.
The best Zinfandels are full-bodied, show lush dark fruits, and tease with a touch of pepper on the finish. Unlike first-growths and cult cabs, Zin is often times best drunk young - not to mention you won't have to refinance your home to buy a case of good Zin. I'll be trying these Zins over the coming weeks, and will be picking up some other great bottles at Stimmel's as well. If you want to share in my Zinfandel odyssey, here are some terrific ones you can pick up at the market:
Seghesio - only $20 or so, this is a great bottle. One of Wine Spectator's Top 100 wines of 2007.
Rosenblum Rockpile - Rosenblum is regarded as one of the absolute best Zin producers, and the Rockpile is their showcase bottle. A little pricier (about $40), but a big, big wine.
Kuleto - under $30, this is a steal. Loads of fruit and spice.
Peter Franus - great texture and mouthfeel, a go-to Zin for me.
Cheers!
Friday, February 8, 2008
Tasting Notes (Feb. 7): Syrah Around the World
If you'll pardon a bit of wandering before I get to the subject of wine, I want to talk about language for a moment. Soviet philosopher and literary critic Mikhail Bakhtin said that there are always two kinds of forces at work when we use language. Centripetal forces (like official language laws, prescriptive grammars, and usage manuals) are forces that seek to push language toward a central point of conformity and sameness. They are the "rules," as it were. Centrifugal forces (like innovation, creolization, and even sheer accident), on the other hand, are forces that constantly work to push language out from the center, toward change and differentiation.
Rugged individualists that we Americans tend to be (apologies to the one Roman who I know regularly reads this blog) it may seem that we should enthusiastically root for the centrifugal while trying to boo the centripetal off the field--that we should, in short, vigorously celebrate difference, change, and innovation. But the fact is that language, and by extension human society, can only exist in that tenuous middle space between too much sameness and too much difference. If language becomes too centrifugal, then we end up with a kind of Babel--nobody communicating with anybody. If it becomes too centripetal, it becomes moribund, going the way of Latin--something for dusty textbooks and clerics.
So what does this have to do with wine? Everything, actually. Just like language, wine is the happy (ok, very happy) result of a similar play between centripetal and centrifugal forces. Take terroir, for instance: the tendency for wines, especially good wines, to reflect "place" assures that the same kind of grape grown in different places will likely make very different wines. If terroir didn't exist, even taking into account winemakers' abilities to manipulate the final product through specialized techniques, there would simply be no point in having a "syrah around the world" tasting. There would just be syrah, period. It wouldn't matter where it came from, other than perhaps the minimum criterion that syrah actually be able to grow and ripen there.
So terroir is a centrifugal force, in that it is largely responsible for the differences among wines from one country to the next, one region to the next, and even one vineyard to the next. But, alongside terroir, there's a centripetal force at work: the varietal (i.e., the type of grape). After all, if terroir were an absolutely determining force, then there would be no reason to care whether a wine is a syrah, or even to distinguish a syrah from, say, a zinfandel. All that would matter is where it came from. But, different as syrahs around the world can be, they are not all so different from one another that there isn't--usually, anyway--at least a smidge of continuity from one to the next.
For syrah--to my palate, at least--that smidge seems to be spice. Of all the wines I tried this Thursday, only the first doesn't include some kind of spice in the tasting note note. And, yet, despite this commonality and a few others almost as prominent (blackberry, for example), it will be clear from the descriptions below that these are very different wines, and that the difference has as much or more to do with place--with terroir--as with price.
It's this give-and-take between sameness and difference that makes wine so mesmerizingly appealing to me and, I suspect, many others. Now, the notes:
1. Backsberg Pumphouse Shiraz 2002 (South Africa; $19.99/bottle)
This shiraz boasts aromas of big blackberry fruit, toasty oak, and leathery earth, followed by flavors of tart but ripe blackberries, saddle leather, and tar. The finish reveals subtle graphite notes as it lingers. Dark and nice, with an old-world quality.
2. Delas Crozes-Hermitage Les Launes 2005 (France; $22.99/bottle)
Bold aromas and flavors of wild berries, dusty spice, dry earth, and cured pork practically scream northern Rhone, of whose wines this one is a typical, and decent, example. Finishes with drying tannins. Try this one with smoked sausage.
3. E. Guigal Hermitage 2001 (France; $79.99/bottle)
Even pushing $80, this would be considered an entry-level hermitage. And, while it is perhaps less intriguing and complex than the Jaboulet "La Chapelle" from the Jan. 10 Rhone tasting, it is more balanced, with more integrated flavors, making it a real pleasure to drink. Aromas of dark berry, musk, damp earth, smoke, and leather are followed by flavors of blackberry, tart cherry, pepper, dust, and smoky cedar. The peppery, spicy finish lingers nicely.
4. Arcadian Syrah 2005 (California; $26.99/bottle)
This wine may be from California, but the nose says northern Rhone, with dark berry, animal, and smoky notes. On the palate, the fruit is more red and rounded than a Rhone, but it's followed by delicious exotic spice and black licorice. Medium-bodied, with a smooth mouthfeel.
5. Red Car Speakeasy Syrah 2006 (California; $59.99/bottle)
Almost black, this thick, full-bodied syrah offers a nose of black plum, sweet spice, oak, and earth. Flavors of ripe black plum, tar, and spice glide like satin across the palate, with a ripe, almost grapey fruit re-emerging on the finish.
6. Mitolo Jester Shiraz 2006 (Australia; $21.99/bottle)
Dark and complex, this shiraz boasts aromas of blackberry and black currant, sweet spice, and musk and flavors of tart blackberry and black cherry, dark chocolate, tar, and spice. Full-bodied, but more restrained than one would expect from a big Aussie shiraz. It reminds me, in fact, of a nice GSM--heavy on the M.
7. Cayuse en Chamberlin Syrah 2004 (Washington; $74.99/bottle)
This super-ripe syrah from Washington is definitely made in a new world style, though it, too, offers a mélange of new world and old world flavors--cherry and blackberry, oak, smoke, sweet spice, salt, and corned beef (with even a bit of cabbage thrown in). Thick, rich, and fruity but also dark and brooding at the same time, this wine prompted one of the tasters to refer to it (in a good way) as "fornicating with my mouth." How often can you say that about a wine?
Rugged individualists that we Americans tend to be (apologies to the one Roman who I know regularly reads this blog) it may seem that we should enthusiastically root for the centrifugal while trying to boo the centripetal off the field--that we should, in short, vigorously celebrate difference, change, and innovation. But the fact is that language, and by extension human society, can only exist in that tenuous middle space between too much sameness and too much difference. If language becomes too centrifugal, then we end up with a kind of Babel--nobody communicating with anybody. If it becomes too centripetal, it becomes moribund, going the way of Latin--something for dusty textbooks and clerics.
So what does this have to do with wine? Everything, actually. Just like language, wine is the happy (ok, very happy) result of a similar play between centripetal and centrifugal forces. Take terroir, for instance: the tendency for wines, especially good wines, to reflect "place" assures that the same kind of grape grown in different places will likely make very different wines. If terroir didn't exist, even taking into account winemakers' abilities to manipulate the final product through specialized techniques, there would simply be no point in having a "syrah around the world" tasting. There would just be syrah, period. It wouldn't matter where it came from, other than perhaps the minimum criterion that syrah actually be able to grow and ripen there.
So terroir is a centrifugal force, in that it is largely responsible for the differences among wines from one country to the next, one region to the next, and even one vineyard to the next. But, alongside terroir, there's a centripetal force at work: the varietal (i.e., the type of grape). After all, if terroir were an absolutely determining force, then there would be no reason to care whether a wine is a syrah, or even to distinguish a syrah from, say, a zinfandel. All that would matter is where it came from. But, different as syrahs around the world can be, they are not all so different from one another that there isn't--usually, anyway--at least a smidge of continuity from one to the next.
For syrah--to my palate, at least--that smidge seems to be spice. Of all the wines I tried this Thursday, only the first doesn't include some kind of spice in the tasting note note. And, yet, despite this commonality and a few others almost as prominent (blackberry, for example), it will be clear from the descriptions below that these are very different wines, and that the difference has as much or more to do with place--with terroir--as with price.
It's this give-and-take between sameness and difference that makes wine so mesmerizingly appealing to me and, I suspect, many others. Now, the notes:
1. Backsberg Pumphouse Shiraz 2002 (South Africa; $19.99/bottle)
This shiraz boasts aromas of big blackberry fruit, toasty oak, and leathery earth, followed by flavors of tart but ripe blackberries, saddle leather, and tar. The finish reveals subtle graphite notes as it lingers. Dark and nice, with an old-world quality.
2. Delas Crozes-Hermitage Les Launes 2005 (France; $22.99/bottle)
Bold aromas and flavors of wild berries, dusty spice, dry earth, and cured pork practically scream northern Rhone, of whose wines this one is a typical, and decent, example. Finishes with drying tannins. Try this one with smoked sausage.
3. E. Guigal Hermitage 2001 (France; $79.99/bottle)
Even pushing $80, this would be considered an entry-level hermitage. And, while it is perhaps less intriguing and complex than the Jaboulet "La Chapelle" from the Jan. 10 Rhone tasting, it is more balanced, with more integrated flavors, making it a real pleasure to drink. Aromas of dark berry, musk, damp earth, smoke, and leather are followed by flavors of blackberry, tart cherry, pepper, dust, and smoky cedar. The peppery, spicy finish lingers nicely.
4. Arcadian Syrah 2005 (California; $26.99/bottle)
This wine may be from California, but the nose says northern Rhone, with dark berry, animal, and smoky notes. On the palate, the fruit is more red and rounded than a Rhone, but it's followed by delicious exotic spice and black licorice. Medium-bodied, with a smooth mouthfeel.
5. Red Car Speakeasy Syrah 2006 (California; $59.99/bottle)
Almost black, this thick, full-bodied syrah offers a nose of black plum, sweet spice, oak, and earth. Flavors of ripe black plum, tar, and spice glide like satin across the palate, with a ripe, almost grapey fruit re-emerging on the finish.
6. Mitolo Jester Shiraz 2006 (Australia; $21.99/bottle)
Dark and complex, this shiraz boasts aromas of blackberry and black currant, sweet spice, and musk and flavors of tart blackberry and black cherry, dark chocolate, tar, and spice. Full-bodied, but more restrained than one would expect from a big Aussie shiraz. It reminds me, in fact, of a nice GSM--heavy on the M.
7. Cayuse en Chamberlin Syrah 2004 (Washington; $74.99/bottle)
This super-ripe syrah from Washington is definitely made in a new world style, though it, too, offers a mélange of new world and old world flavors--cherry and blackberry, oak, smoke, sweet spice, salt, and corned beef (with even a bit of cabbage thrown in). Thick, rich, and fruity but also dark and brooding at the same time, this wine prompted one of the tasters to refer to it (in a good way) as "fornicating with my mouth." How often can you say that about a wine?
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Tasting Notes (Jan. 31): South American Tour
Inveterate oenophile that I am, I often sneak back to the Stimmel's tasting area on Thursday afternoons just to get a peek at that night's wines. Last Thursday was no exception, and as I scanned the lineup, I was shocked to see in the "South American Tour" not only such standbys as malbec and carménère but also the varietals chardonnay, pinot noir, and syrah. Props go to Bill for exercising a little creativity when, as he put it, most people were probably expecting a lineup of "bell pepper bombs." I love many of the pepper bombs, of course, but this tasting was something of a revelation: South America can produce great wines in whole a range of styles, from rustic and meaty to elegant and silky. Here are some of them:
1. Luca Chardonnay 2006 (Argentina; $33.99/bottle)
This sleekly-styled chardonnay boasts aromas and flavors of very ripe pear, kiwi, oak, and smoke. Crisply acidic rather than round and buttery, there's still enough depth, richness, and mouthfilling body to make it recognizable as a new-world chardonnay. The long finish leaves your mouth tingling, and wanting more.
2. Luca Pinot Noir 2005 (Argentina; $34.99/bottle)
This pinot's creamy nose of bright cherry, wet soil, and smoke foreshadow flavors of ripe black and sour cherries, earth, and smoky spice. The vibrant acidity doesn't dominate but instead provides lift, suggesting a versatile food wine--pair with anything from roasted chicken or duck to filet mignon.
3. Tikal Patriota 2005 (Argentina; $25.99/bottle)
Aromas of juicy plum and other dark fruits, toast, and sweet spice are followed by flavors of wild berries, black pepper, spice, and a slight hint of green wood. A typically meaty-textured malbec-based blend, this wine finishes with tart, fine tannins.
4. Susana Balbo Malbec 2005 (Argentina; $27.99)
This tasty wine is a study in contrasts. Juicy and ripe up front, with a nose of dark berries, bramble, cinnamon, and a faint earthiness and flavors of black plum, black licorice, and peppery spice, it nevertheless finishes with bone-dry tannins.
5. Montes Purple Angel 2004 (Chile; $55.99/bottle)
The first thing you notice with this carménère is its dark purple color, followed by a big, bold, assertive nose of fresh and roasted green bell pepper, crushed berries, cigarette tobacco, and grilled meat. The flavor follows suit with very ripe, sweet black and blue berries, green pepper, and tobacco, all riding on a full-bodied, moderately tannic structure. The long finish is sweet, ripe, and rich.
6. Montes Folly 2003 (Chile; $79.99/bottle)
This syrah's nose of cherry, sweet spice, vanilla, and oak is very well-integrated and rich. On the palate, it begins with bright cherry, sliding into earthy blackberry and then vanilla and sweet spice. The long finish suggests black licorice. This is a great candidate for drinking all by itself.
7. Tardio 2006 (Argentina; $12.99/500 ml bottle)
This dessert wine has an intriguing nose, boasting a mix of candied pineapple and bent plastic (think of the petroleum-like smell you get when you put a crease in a plastic picnic/party cup). The taste, likewise, offers scrumptious sweet pineapple, smoke, and petroleum. Decent acidity keeps the sweetness from being too cloying, especially considering the low price. A good value.
1. Luca Chardonnay 2006 (Argentina; $33.99/bottle)
This sleekly-styled chardonnay boasts aromas and flavors of very ripe pear, kiwi, oak, and smoke. Crisply acidic rather than round and buttery, there's still enough depth, richness, and mouthfilling body to make it recognizable as a new-world chardonnay. The long finish leaves your mouth tingling, and wanting more.
2. Luca Pinot Noir 2005 (Argentina; $34.99/bottle)
This pinot's creamy nose of bright cherry, wet soil, and smoke foreshadow flavors of ripe black and sour cherries, earth, and smoky spice. The vibrant acidity doesn't dominate but instead provides lift, suggesting a versatile food wine--pair with anything from roasted chicken or duck to filet mignon.
3. Tikal Patriota 2005 (Argentina; $25.99/bottle)
Aromas of juicy plum and other dark fruits, toast, and sweet spice are followed by flavors of wild berries, black pepper, spice, and a slight hint of green wood. A typically meaty-textured malbec-based blend, this wine finishes with tart, fine tannins.
4. Susana Balbo Malbec 2005 (Argentina; $27.99)
This tasty wine is a study in contrasts. Juicy and ripe up front, with a nose of dark berries, bramble, cinnamon, and a faint earthiness and flavors of black plum, black licorice, and peppery spice, it nevertheless finishes with bone-dry tannins.
5. Montes Purple Angel 2004 (Chile; $55.99/bottle)
The first thing you notice with this carménère is its dark purple color, followed by a big, bold, assertive nose of fresh and roasted green bell pepper, crushed berries, cigarette tobacco, and grilled meat. The flavor follows suit with very ripe, sweet black and blue berries, green pepper, and tobacco, all riding on a full-bodied, moderately tannic structure. The long finish is sweet, ripe, and rich.
6. Montes Folly 2003 (Chile; $79.99/bottle)
This syrah's nose of cherry, sweet spice, vanilla, and oak is very well-integrated and rich. On the palate, it begins with bright cherry, sliding into earthy blackberry and then vanilla and sweet spice. The long finish suggests black licorice. This is a great candidate for drinking all by itself.
7. Tardio 2006 (Argentina; $12.99/500 ml bottle)
This dessert wine has an intriguing nose, boasting a mix of candied pineapple and bent plastic (think of the petroleum-like smell you get when you put a crease in a plastic picnic/party cup). The taste, likewise, offers scrumptious sweet pineapple, smoke, and petroleum. Decent acidity keeps the sweetness from being too cloying, especially considering the low price. A good value.
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