Wine Blogging Wednesday #52: Chilean Reds Under $20

The 52nd edition of Wine Blogging Wednesday is hosted by the red-velvet-blazer-sporting Tim Lemke of Cheap Wine Ratings. The challenge was to pick any Chilean red under $20, not a tough feat since Chile is producing some killer Carmenere, Merlot, and Pinot Noir (amongst other things) at reasonable prices for this emerging region. My friend Josh Farrell, Wine Director for WineExpress.com, handed me a Viña Ventisquero Reserva 2004 Merlot from Maipo Valley and asked me “Is it any good? Should we bring it in?” Yes and yes.

The color is bright ruby and the nose is even brighter with loads of red fruits: strawberries and raspberries. I get some subtle earthy notes with a hint of cocoa as well. After some bottle aging the tannins are real soft and round. It’s an easy-drinking Merlot with a long, balanced finish. We plan on carrying it at $15, making it a great buy for casual meals during the week. Enjoy it with a rich tomato-based pasta dish or maybe some roast chicken. I don’t typically drink Merlot but I really liked this one. Maybe I have a newfound love for Merlot?

The Maipo Valley is located in Central Chile, just South of Santiago and is one of Chile’s oldest wine producing regions though Ventisquero was founded in 1998, making it pretty new. Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay are more typically planted here than Merlot.

Thank Tim, for hosting a fun WBW! I’m looking forward to reading everyone’s posts.

(It was a real challenge to find any information on this wine as their site is down and they did not send a spec sheet, so I apologize for not having more!)

Wine Blogging Wednesday #51: Baked Goods

Wine Blogging Wednesday for November is hosted by Joe Roberts of the 1WineDude blog, “Serious Wine Talk, for the Not-so-Serious Wine Drinker.” I had the pleasure of meeting Joe at the Wine Bloggers Conference and not only does he know his stuff, he also happens to be a real decent guy, even if he does like to take jabs at our West Coast Editor, Steve Heimoff

Joe’s theme for this week is: Baked Goods. We were free to taste any wine in the sweet category be it Port, Sherry, Madeira, a late-harvester or anything else that tickles our fancy. A lot of these stickies don’t get the attention they deserve so this is a great opportunity to put them in the limelight!

I’ve only had Sherry a handful of times so I took this chance to snag a Sherry from the magazine, one that Mike Schachner recently tasted for an upcoming issue. I tasted the Bodegas Dios Baco, S.L. Amontillado. But first, let’s talk a bit about why Sherry is so special.

Produced around the Jerez region of Spain, from the Palomino and Pedro Ximenez grapes, Sherry is a distinct wine that requires tremendous care for production. It is produced using the “Solera System” which is a blending method using various levels of barrels or, Soleras. Because Sherry is non-vintage, various Solera levels are used to combine sherries of different ages into one final blend. The Solera can be six or more levels high and each level contains wines of different ages.

Another point of note is the layer of yeast buildup called “Flor” in each barrel, which contributes to the character of the sherry. Because space is left in each barrel, there is room for the Flor to grow. The bready flavors and aromas found in Sherry are due to the Flor. Sherry is often sweetened with concentrated Pedro Ximenez grape juice.

There are many styles of Sherry but the bottle I selected is an Amontillado, which means that it has a darker color and richer flavor than a Fino, but it is less sweet than an Oloroso, which typically has a higher alcohol as well.

It has a pale amber color and a nose reminiscent of roasted nuts with a hint of spice.  On the palate it has some nice bisquity flavors. It’s really smooth, and coats the tongue with its medium-full body. The alcohol on it is 18% and is balanced well. This is a delightful Sherry and a nice way to conclude a meal on a sweet note. I had it after my Roast Chicken with Sundried Tomato Orzo.

I looked it up in our buying guide afterwards and it turns out that it is a 93-point sherry and $20, which is real affordable for a wine of this caliber. Great buy!

I’m looking forward to reading everyone’s contributions and thanks again to Joe, for hosting this  month and to Lenn Thompson, the creater of WBW!

Wine Blogging Wednesday #50: Which Wine, Which Wilderness?

Wine Blogging Wednesday is a monthly wine tasting event, hosted by a different wine blogger each month. Participants all over the world taste a wine that fits each month’s theme and write a post, then a roundup of the notes is posted on the host’s blog. WBW was originated by Lenn Thompson of Lenndevours, a Long Island wine blog. This month’s theme is hosted by The Winehiker, who challenged us to taste a wine that reminds us of the great outdoors. In just a few short weeks I’ll be doing a hike with the Wine Hiker himself at the first annual Wine Bloggers Conference in Sonoma, making this edition of Wine Blogging Wednesday all the more special!

I selected Wild Earth Central Otago Pinot Noir 2006 for a few reasons. The obvious one is its name, and the description on the bottle. Wild earth sounds like a rugged hike through the wilderness, where you experience the earth in its essence, unrestricted and free. The description on the bottle drew me in further:

“Wild Earth expresses the essence of an untamed land far from the pressures of a crowded world… Our Pinot Noir vineyards are located in the rugged alpine landscape of Central Otago, sited on the respected Felton Road and overlooking Lake Dunstan. This Pinot Noir was made from clones 5,6 and a range of Dijon clone vines, tended by hand and crafted with devoted care in the traditional manner.”

Does it get any more perfect than that? The description is so uncommercial and natural. How many consumers have heard of a Dijon clone? And yet, they chose to mention it on the bottle. It feels like casual, down-to-earth grower jargon, rather than a selling piece. I dig that. It intrigued me. On to the wine:

It’s a classic Pinot Noir hue of deep ruby fading to a more pale purple rim. The nose has some delicate red cherry and hints of oak and musty earth, like wet leaves. The aromatics aren’t pronounced, it’s a more delicate wine. On the palate it’s balanaced and rich with more cherry and some slight tannin. The finish is shorter than I would have liked but overall this is a nice wine. Joe Czerwinski gave the 2004 vintage an 89 and I’d say the 2006 is a little better, more like a 90. It’s $30 and clocks in at 14% alcohol.

The fact that the wine is from New Zealand reminds me of one of my favorite family hikes that we took on the Mildford Track in 2005. The walk took a few days and we stopped at various camp sites along the way with our guide. It was lush and damp for most of the hike and the smell of wet leaves would permeate our days. The most special moment was when we actually encountered a Kiwi Bird, the National bird of New Zealand. They are incredibly rare and our guide couldn’t believe his eyes when we encountered it. He actually teared up.

I’d go back to the Milford Track and drink the Wild Earth 2006 Pinot Noir, any day.

Wine Blogging Wednesday #49: Toast the End of Bush

After a bit of a sabbatical, I’m glad to be back into the Wine Blogging Wednesday scene, for such a fun topic. This month’s theme is hosted by the blog, 2 Days Per Bottle, in which “Dhonig”, a self-proclaimed cartoonist and wine geek tastes a single bottle of wine over the course of two days and notes how the wines change. Very neat idea! In any case, he suggested a wine that marks the end of the Bush era for us. Some people may drink some bubbly, others may toast to his roots with a Texan wine. Personally, I just found a bottle with a silly name that was reminiscent to me. I was pleased to find there was more in this wine that was emblematic of Bush than just its name, as well.

The wine I’m tasting tonight is “The Old Man’s Blend” 2006 Groote Post from South Africa.  It’s a blend of 48% Merlot, 33% Cabernet Sauvignon and 19% Cabernet Franc, almost akin to a right bank Bordeaux. I decanted it and then enjoyed with some whole wheat pasta with broccoli, sundried tomatoes, and parmesan. To say that I “enjoyed” it is a bit generous though.

The wine starts with promises of ripe, berry fruit with hints of spice on the nose. But on the palate it turns sharp with high alcohol and seering acidity. This wine is really out of balance. It leaves me with a big thud and a hot, thinness on the finish. Despite shining promises, this wine disappoints in the end. Sound familiar to you?

Wine Blogging Wednesday #46: Rhone Whites

This month’s Wine Blogging Wednesday is hosted by Dr. Debs, of the wonderful GoodWineUnder$20. As we turn to typical summer whites like Sauvignon Blanc, she challenged us to explore some out-of-the-box varietals like those of the Rhone. Typical white Rhone varietals are Roussane, Marsanne, and Grenache Blanc. These wines tend to be more full-bodied than other white varieties, so they’re not often the most popular. They offer a refreshing change of pace though, and can be perfect accompaniments to spicy foods.

On this Wine Blogging Wednesday, I find myself at my parents’ house, so I raided their collection and selected a Roussanne from Carneros. It’s the Truchard 2006 Roussanne. The grapes were grown in a mixture of clay, shale, sandstone, and volcanic soils. The wine is a whopping 14.1% alcohol, quite high for a white wine but not atypical for these fuller whites.

This is the first time I’ve tasted a white Rhone varietal from outside the Rhone, and my Dad and I sampled it while heating up some Thai take-out for dinner. For fun, we tasted and rated separately, (Dad even covered up his paper!) and then compared afterwards.

My note: It has a pronounced nose with some orange blossom and crisp green apple notes, a medium-full body with bracing acidity and a nice, lingering finish. I do sense some heat on this wine, though the acidity balances out some of the high alcohol. 88 points.

Dad’s note: Rich vanilla up front with some bright citric notes. The alcohol is quite apparent and needs to blow off for the citric notes to further materialize. 87 points.
Overall, this is a nice wine but we did not love it. It went well with the Thai noodles with shrimp and cashew chicken that we ordered but we were happy enough to move on to other bottles, without finishing this one. I think we mutually agree that the alcohol was a bit much but it was a rather well-made wine, in any case.

Following my tasting I looked up the wine in our Buying Guide and found that the 2005 was given a 91 point rating and an “Editor’s Choice” designation from the magazine. Perhaps some heat during 2006 prevented the new vintage from reaching such great heights.

Has anybody else sampled a Roussanne from Carneros? How does it measure up to our opinion of the Truchard? Thanks to Dr. Debs for creating such a neat theme this month and of course to Lenn Thompson, the creator of WBW.

WBW #45: Old World Riesling

Wine Blogging Wednesday this month, hosted by Tim at Winecast, focuses on old world Rieslings. We were challenged to taste a Riesling from its motherland of Germany, Alsace, or Austria. Riesling is hot these days, especially during the warm Summer months, though I love it at any time of year. Riesling is especially unique because it expresses itself so differently depending on hang time and terroir. Though many misinformed people think of Riesling as a sweet wine, it can also be bone dry. German Rieslings from the Mosel are perfect examples. Whether sweet or dry on the palate, Riesling is a characteristically flashy grape, which is why it may be falsely understood as sweet in many cases. Those aromas of white flower, honeysuckle, and petrol are hard to miss, and easy to love.

So I was excited when I heard about the theme, but then deeply sad when I realized my week was booked and I had no time to devote to a careful WBW Riesling selection. Though let’s be honest, my WBW picks are typically last minute anyway. But I digress. I was excited today when I realized that Monday night I tasted a lovely Riesling while dining at Annisa in the West Village, for my sister’s birthday. The meal at Annisa was just incredible, and the Bassermann-Jordan Deidesheimer Paradiesgarten Kabinett Riesling 2006 from Pfalz, Germany was certainly a contributor to the meal’s success.

We ordered the Bassermann Kabinett after recommendation by our waitress as she said it would pair well with a lot of the courses on the five course tasting menu we had ordered. A Kabinett Riesling is the lowest sugar level for a quality German Riesling, followed in ascending order by Spatlese, Auslese, Beerenauslese and Trockenbeereneauslese. A dry Riesling will be labeled “Trocken.” Kabinett also refers to time of harvest, as higher levels of sugar also mean that the grapes were harvested later. The Bassermann had an elegant bouquet of peach and floral aromas with a hint of sweetness on the palate, nice minerality, and a high acidity which made it a perfect pairing for some of the richer courses. It complemented a foie gras soup dumpling just as well as a lighter, Japanese red snapper. When we moved to a meat course of lamb tenderloin wrapped in lamb sausage with garlic chives, the matchup was strange. Perhaps we should learn to drink faster!

In any case, I loved this Riesling. The complex flavors lingered on my palate and it was simply a delight. I found it online in the $18-$24 price range. It’s not cheap, but not exactly a splurge. I would love to have it again when I host friends for a Summer party. I could see it standing on its own or cutting through the richness of a creamy risotto which I love to prepare. Oh and if you’re looking for a great meal downtown in Manhattan, Annisa should be at the top of your list.

WBW #44: French Cabernet Franc

Welcome to Wine Blogging Wednesday #44, hosted by Gary Varynerchuk of WineLibraryTV. Gary selected a wine theme which proved to be more difficult than I had imagined: French Cabernet Franc. Cabernet Franc is often used as part of the blend in Bordeaux or as a single varietal in new world spots like California and Long Island. It can express itself strangely with green peppery, vegetal notes. It’s the preferred grape variety of few.

The place to search for Cabernet Franc flying solo in France is the Loire Valley. Though the Loire is most commonly thought of as a place for Chenin Blanc and Muscadet, regions like Saumur, Chinon, and Bourgeuil are known for producing elegant Cabernet Franc. The trouble is, these areas are lesser known to the average American consumer, and more difficult to find. Cabernet Franc is also called “Breton” in this region, making it all the more difficult for folks to find it.

After a bit of a hunt, I stumbled upon Moore Brothers Wine Company, near Union Square and was able to find two Chinon. It’s a lovely store where the temperatures is kept at 56F (chilly for people, ideal for wine) and the focus is on wines from France, Italy, and Germany. I learned Moore Brothers is also a favorite of Lenn Thompson!

The wines are both Jacky et Fabrice Gasnier Chinon 2005 but one is their Cuvee Vieilles Vignes (old vines cuvee) and the other is simply La Cuvee “Fabrice.” The Vieilles Vignes was $17 while the Fabrice was $24. Both clock in at just 12% alcohol, incredibly low for any red wine, especially in these times of hot California Cabs. Welcome back to the old world!

Though only one of these wines is deemed “old vines”, they both are from 50-year-old Cabernet Franc vines. Jacky et Fabrice Gasnier vineyards are entirely biodynamic. The wines underwent primary fermentation in stainless steel with some aging in oak barriques. The Fabrice is composed of 90% CF and 10% CS while the Vielles Vignes is 100% CF. Enough already, right? On to the tasting…

These are both well made, enjoyable Cab Francs with similar notes of cherry, hints of oak, and earthiness. The Fabrice has some white pepper notes in addition and I’m getting some baking spices in the Vieilles Vignes. The Fabrice is exploding with these aromas and flavors while the Vieilles Vignes is more subdued. They both are light-medium bodied. Overall, the Fabrice is more tightly woven with a balanced, pleasing finish. The Vieilles Vignes finishes a bit weak with a watery aftertaste. I did not get any vegetables in these wines, instead I found elegant ripe fruit and some nice spicy aromas.

Because these wines are low in alcohol and have more slim bodies, they’d be excellent paired with tuna steaks or veal. Unfortunately I plan on having sushi tonight, which may turn out to be a tragic pairing. Though I’m not completely in Alder’s “food and wine pairing is just a big scam” camp, I think that people need to stress a bit less about it. Maybe sushi and Cabernet Franc isn’t the end of the world? I’ll let you know how it goes.

I encourage you all to try a Chinon the next time you encounter one, you may be pleasantly surprised.

Wine Blogging Wednesday #43: Comfort Wines

I have taken a Wine Blogging Wednesday sabbatical (lazyatical?) for the past few months and am so glad to be returning for Joel Vincent of Wine Life Today and Open Wine Consortium’s theme. His theme is simple: which wine do you relax with? Ironically Joel picked this theme without knowing that it would be chosen in the same month that he’d launch a brand new Wine 2.0 community site and his wife would have a baby girl. If anybody needs this theme, it’s Joel!

Relaxing is mindless, so the most relaxing wines require little thought. They deliver a big hunk o’lovin without a lot of complications. They are a warm embrace after a stressful day. I happen to love big, spicy, bold Zinfandels so when I want to relax, these are the treats that I go for. I can’t say that I have a specific bottle I crave, it’s more the varietal as a whole. Of course, the high alcohol content in most Zinfandels might play a small hand in the relaxation factor as well

So for this month’s WBW, I’m tasting a Zinfandel that I had in my cellar, the Gnarlier Head 2005 Dry Creek Valley Old Vine Zinfandel. Gnarly Head, as part of DFV wines, actually won our 2007 Wine Star Award for American winery of the year. The wine got its name from the head trained vines in California. Dry Creek Valley is a phenomenal region for Zin so I anticipated big things.

When I first tasted this Zin it was a little muted and tight, despite decanting. But it opened up in the glass to reveal aromas of bright berry and cedar. The body is medium when I expected something luscious and full, so I’m a bit disappointed in that regard. I don’t know that this would be my top pick for a relaxation wine, but it was pleasant nonetheless.

What am I pairing it with? A three cheese stuffed rigatoni Lean Cuisine. Hey, if I can’t be honest with the wine blogging community, who can I be honest with? The rich pasta actually paired quite nicely. I sipped it while watching some classic Family Guy episodes, a very relaxing evening for sure.

Wine Blogging Wednesday #40: Que Sirah Sirah

This month’s Wine Blogging Wednesday, hosted by Wannabe Wino is Petite Sirah. I was excited about this topic because my PS experience is limited. Once again, I procrastinated until the last minute on doing my tasting thus forcing me into a date/WBW tasting combo on Tuesday evening. I pulled it off though! My hopes for finagling WBW into the evening were low as the night began at a South African wine bar, Xai Xai, in Hell’s Kitchen. Petite Sirah isn’t grown in South Africa, so I assumed things were looking grim. The list was filled with Pinotage, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Chenin with nary a PS in sight.Then things took a turn. My date suggested we move on to dinner at Hudson Cafeteria in the Hudson Hotel. Could they possibly have a Petite Sirah on their menu? I wondered. To my delight, there was in fact a David Bruce 2005 Central Coast, California Petite Sirah on the menu. With Manhattan restaurant (or heck, any restaurant) markups it wasn’t the cheapest bottle ($52 I believe) but hopefully my date wasn’t too mad at me. I did explain my plight, and I think he got it.

The wine was lovely with a nose of cedar and cherry though the fruit was overshadowed by earthiness. The body was actually quite lean and elegant, the finish was smooth though the length was a bit brief. For my starter, a salad with goat cheese, bacon and pomegranate vinaigrette it was a great match though my entree of grilled branzino with cauliflower puree was odd with it. The PS was great with the filet mignon my date ordered, on the other hand.

Petite Sirah, otherwise known as the French varietal Durif, is the baby grape of father Syrah of the Rhone Valley. The most amusing part of this red-headed-stepchild grape variety is its name. Petite Sirahs are typically big and bold, anything but petite. Though not the most popular grape, the P.S. I Love You organization (bless their hearts) steadfastly supports it. It is nice that P.S. got a little bit of deserved attention this month, as I really enjoyed my selection.

Wine Blogging Wednesdays #39: Silver Burgundy

This week’s Wine Blogging Wednesday is put on by Brooklyn Guy, who challenged us to taste wines from less-hyped regions of Burgundy: the Cote Chalonnaise and the Maconnais. He added to the challenge by not only excluding Beaujolais and Chablis but also encouraging us to be frugal, to explore Burgundian wines at realistic price ranges. The “Gold Coast” wines, he says, are where the splurges are, but gems can be found in “Silver Burgundy.”

You’ll know you’re in the Cote Challonaise if your bottle carries the words of the village: Bouzeron, Rully, Mercurey, Givry, and Montagny. Otherwise it will simply say “Bourgogne Cote Challonaise” if it isn’t a higher level village wine.

As seems to be the pattern with me, I waited until the last minute and stopped off at Manor House Cellar on my way home tonight. I picked up a bottle of A Et P. de Villaine Bourgogne Cote Chalonnaise Les Clous 2003 for $29. The bottle also states “Proprietaires a Bouzeron”, signaling it’s from the Bouzeron village. Frankly I’m not sure that I’ve had a Bouzeron bottle though it’s quite possible that while I was abroad in Paris I snatched one up at the grocery store, unbeknownst to me. I wasn’t paying much attention at that point in my life

Though the Cote Challonaise is often a region for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, Bouzeron wines are typically made from Aligote and this wine is no different. Though not commonly heard of, Aligote happens to be the fourth most commonly planted grape in the world. Oddly similar to my first WBW in which I chose a still Xarel-Lo wine (typically used for Cava), Aligote is more commonly made as a Cremant de Bourgogne or a sparkling wine.

This wine is a pale straw color with some mild effervescence. The nose is delicate with some green apple. On the palate this is a medium bodied white with continuous apple notes, some citrus and a nice minerality. When I first tasted this wine I really didn’t care for it. It grew on me slowly as the mineral notes developed further. It’s certainly subdued and falls a bit flat on the finish. I don’t think it’s worth the 29 bucks, 15 would have been more reasonable. Maybe next time I’ll plan a little further in advance and sample more than one. I’m sorry, Brooklyn Guy, I’m sure there’s better out there!