Cellar Celebration Evokes Thoughts of Vivaldi

July 26, 2010
Monday night brought the celebration of my good friend Mike's new cellar and the appropriate consumption of more than one bottle from his newly christened cellar. That is what friends are for, right?

Wines:

Epicuro Vermentino Lazio IGT 2007**
Simple, refreshing, and nice. Was bright but showed a little bit of smoky and toasty character as it warmed in the glass. Nice way to start.

Fontanafredda Piemonte Barbera Briccotondo 2008**-
Nice acidity, as expected. But the aromas and flavor were a little muted. Off bottle? I have another bottle, so we'll see. From other notes on this wine, I am expecting a better showing, next time.

Chateau Rayas Cotes du Rhone Chateau Fonsalette Reserve 2000****
This wine developed and changed almost every time I brought it to my eager nose and mouth, conjuring the feeling that drinking this wine was like experiencing the four seasons. Spring: Upon opening, it was fresh and bursting with energy. Full of life, the wine literally jumped out of the glass with fragrances of new saddle leather, bright red cherries, sweet violets, and wild fennel. Summer: The wine began to transition and unwind, growing in intensity and showing macerated ripe cherries, star anise, milk chocolate, and something reminiscent to aroma of hosing off pavement on a hot summer afternoon. Fall: Deeper and darker this wine continued to develop into black cherries, hints of licorice, roasted herbs, and smoked meat. Winter: Luckily for us, the winter for this wine was not something bleak or dismal, rather it brought black tones of tar, black currants, melted licorice, dark chocolate, and mint. The evolution of this wine was a truly special experience and an unbelievably enjoyable ride.

Cheers!

0 Stars - No rating
1 Star (*) - Not of significant quality or interest
2 Stars (**) - A notable wine of legitimate interest
3 Stars (***) - Great wine that should be searched out
4 Stars (****) - Fantastic wine that should not be missed
5 Stars (*****) - An absolutely mind-bending wine - beg, borrow, or steal to get your hands on some of this amazing juice!

Disclaimer: This rating is based on my palate and at the given time when tasted and may differ from yours. Also, I may catch a bottle in a dumb phase or it just may not speak to me at that particular time.

Riesling the Whole World Round

July 20, 2010
This was a meeting of the Bocca tasting group to taste through a variety of Rieslings from around the world. It was a fantastic experience to taste through 7 different Rieslings from different parts of the world, all at one time. With a lineup like this, we really only had one choice in where to do this, Meun Fan Thai. Not only is it a great place to get some tasty Thai food, but it was a wonderful partner for our selected wines. Riesling with Satay, Egg Rolls, Sizzling Platter, Drunken Noodle, Spicy Eggplant, and an array of Curries, come on! That's perfection!

Weinkarte:

Pegasus Bay Riesling, Waipara, New Zealand 2006***
The nose was chalky with a slight hint of rubberband while the palate showed spiced apples and a laser beam of acidity. For the price, this was a fantastic bottle of wine.

Trimbach Riesling, Alsace, France 2007**
This wine showed cheese rind and a hint on mint on the nose with a very bright palate of citrus and raw quince. The gripping acid mellowed over time, but begged for food.

Hermann J. Wiemer Riesling Dry, Finger Lakes, NY 2006**
Initially showed some nice intensity but with time the nose became muted and the once rich mouth went slightly thin. Part of me thinks that this may just be a sytlistic issue and the wine was more on the subtle and elegant side. But, it was fairly middle of the pack when it came to the other wines on the table.

Bergstrom Riesling Dr. Bergstrom, Willamette Valley, OR 2007**-
The aromas of soap from Bed Bath and Beyond didn't exactly conjure the feeling of Riesling, but the palate had spicy apple and helped maintain some varietal character.

Leitz Rudesheimer Berg Schossberg Spatlese, Rheingau, Germany 2004***
By far the most Riesling of the Rieslings, tonight. This had a fullness in the body and of the class that I was hoping for. It would have been interesting to see how this would have stood up to others of similar pedigree. A rich nose of baked apple and undertones of smoke and pine led into a mouth filling and elegant wine that had a finish that went on and on.

Reinhold Haart Goldtropfchen Spatlese, Mosel Saar Ruwer, Germany 2008**
I never would have guessed that this was a Spatlese, but with time grew on me. This bright wine had a nose of key lime and mouth of citrus and lychee.

Chateau Montelena Riesling Potter Valley, CA 2007**-
There was an oaky buttery character to this wine that made it initially difficult to believe that it was a Riesling. This didn't have a ton of varietal character, but showed a cheesy and doughy note along with something that reminded me of walking into someone's grandmother's house.

Prager Gruner Veltliner Auslese Achleiten, Wachau, Austria 2000
I think that this bottle was flawed, even though none of us could place what the flaw was. The nose burned of gasoline and the palate was sour. Really too bad, this could have been an interesting wine to finish with.

Because of my love of Riesling, this was a great experience. I continue to learn and appreciate more about this particular varietal and the variety of it's expression depending on how it is made and from where. One thing that I walk away from this tasting with, is the feeling that though nice wines can be made from all over the world with this varietal, your safest bet to find truly great Rieslings are still from Germany and Austria. The pedigree and class of the Rieslings from these two countries stand head and shoulders above any other region, in my honest opinion. I do not want to discount the quality of wines made in other regions, because there are some wonderful expressions of Riesling to be found, but for my taste, the difference is clear. I hope that you enjoyed this and maybe learned something along the way. I know that I did!

Prost!

Food for thought:
The following is an explanation of the German system for levels of sweetness in Riesling. The different Prädikat designations differ in terms of the required must weight, the sugar content of the grape juice, and the level required is dependent on grape variety and wine-growing region and is defined in terms of the Oechsle scale. In fact the must weight is seen as a rough indicator of quality (and price). The Prädikat system has its origin at Schloss Johannisberg in Rheingau, where the first Spätlese was produced in 1775 where wines received different colour seals based on their must weight.

The different Prädikat designations used are as followed, in order of increasing sugar levels in the must:

Kabinett - fully ripened light wines from the main harvest, typically semi-sweet with crisp acidity, but can be dry if designated so.

Spätlese - meaning "late harvest" and typically semi-sweet, often (but not always) sweeter and fruitier than Kabinett. Spätlese can be a relatively full-bodied dry wine if designated so. While Spätlese means late harvest the wine is not as sweet as a dessert wine.

Auslese - meaning "select harvest" and made from selected very ripe bunches or grapes, typically semi-sweet or sweet, sometimes with some noble rot character.

Beerenauslese - meaning "select berry harvest" and made from individually selected overripe grapes often affected by noble rot, making rich sweet dessert wine.

Eiswein - "ice wine" and made from grapes that have been naturally frozen on the vine, making a very concentrated wine. Must reach at least the same level of sugar content in the must as a Beerenauslese. The most classic Eiswein style is to use only grapes that are not affected by noble rot.

Trockenbeerenauslese - meaning "select dry berry harvest" or "dry berry selection" and made from selected overripe shrivelled grapes often affected by noble rot making extremely rich sweet wines.


0 Stars - No rating
1 Star (*) - Not of significant quality or interest
2 Stars (**) - A notable wine of legitimate interest
3 Stars (***) - Great wine that should be searched out
4 Stars (****) - Fantastic wine that should not be missed
5 Stars (*****) - An absolutely mind-bending wine - beg, borrow, or steal to get your hands on some of this amazing juice!

Disclaimer: This rating is based on my palate and at the given time when tasted and may differ from yours. Also, I may catch a bottle in a dumb phase or it just may not speak to me at that particular time.

A Birthday at Manresa

July 10, 2010


Another joyous occasion brought my family getting together to celebrate my brother's birthday. Before going to the renowned restaurant of Manresa, the day was spent by going for a walk around Los Gatos doing a little shopping, lunch at California Cafe, and a relaxing afternoon enjoying each other's company.

Lunch Wine:
Poderi Aldo Conterno Chardonnay Bussiador 2001***
Golden color this richly aromatic wine boasted dried pineapple and a touch of coconut on the nose. The palate was full of perfumed tropical fruits and minerality, but maintained nice balance and good acidity. This wine is big in everyway, but shows wonderful layers and provides considerable pleasure to the senses.

Pre-dinner Wine:
Philipponnat Champagne Royal Reserve NV**+
Citrus notes prevailed with a baseline of toast and yeasty character. The mouth was full from the 8g/l dosage and greater percentage of Pinot Meunier used. Was a great way to start things off for the evening, but probably needed a little food to go with it.

The menu was filled with playful elegance and sophistication. There was a concerted effort to focus on freshness and the bounty of local produce. The table began with a couple amuse bouche to awaken the senses. First was a shooter of chilled strawberry soup and followed by an egg shell filled with rich and creamy goodness consisting of the yoke toped with a custard sporting a little spice. I followed those starters with a garden green soup, stone ground mustard cream and multicolored purees. This had a great presentation of select flora that were enveloped tableside by the contents of a black kettle teeming with a healthful and deliciously creamy green liquid. That was followed with a preparation of lightly breaded local abalone with savory mushrooms. It was time to return to the land once again with the Beef bavette roasted in its own fat, savory morel mushrooms on a smooth base of pureed potatoes. As a table we then shared a selection of eight artisan cheeses, ranging in firmness, pungency and locale. It is always a great treat to enjoy a variety of fromage from around the world. For dessert I was served a miniature flowerpot filled with a Lemon Verbena cheesecake below a toasty crust, fresh berries, and a top soil of creme fraiche and edible flower petals.

Dinner Wines:
Domaine Tempier Bandol Rose 2008***+
I stand by what I have said previously about this wine, this is the best rose in the world. Completely dry but full of fruit and plenty of nuance. Strawberries and melons flow over the top of wonderful minerality and refreshing acidity. So, so good.

Kosta Browne Pinot Noir Keefer Vineyard 2005***+
Showing that classic KB nose of hugely perfumed aromatics that make it so difficult to take your nose out of the glass. Bright red fruit throughout, showing red raspberries, rhubarb, and rainier cherries. Lovely mouthfeel that completely coated without being heavy.

Kosta Browne Pinot Noir 4-Barrel 2004***+
A wonderful follow up to the Keefer, this wine was deeper and darker and an appropriate step in the right direction in terms of weight. I believe that both the vintage and style of the 4-Barrel bottling were to thank for this progression. There was blackberry, black cherry, and soy on this wine. The richness was a great match with the red meat and cheese that followed.

Spending time with my family to celebrate a birthday and doing exactly what we all enjoy most was an ideal way to spend a weekend. Manresa was a wonderful experience, from the fantastic service, imaginative food, great wine service, comfortable feel, and kitchen tour. This was yet another truly memorable meal and in of itself, reason to celebrate.

Cheers!


0 Stars - No rating
1 Star (*) - Not of significant quality or interest
2 Stars (**) - A notable wine of legitimate interest
3 Stars (***) - Great wine that should be searched out
4 Stars (****) - Fantastic wine that should not be missed
5 Stars (*****) - An absolutely mind-bending wine - beg, borrow, or steal to get your hands on some of this amazing juice!

Disclaimer: This rating is based on my palate and at the given time when tasted and may differ from yours. Also, I may catch a bottle in a dumb phase or it just may not speak to me at that particular time.

Il Pezzo Mancante

July 3, 2010

For this entry I travelled to a far-off place and new destination for this blog, Minnesota. Though slightly obscure, this place known as the Bread and Butter State provided me with an abundance of something rarely found on this earth, happiness and comfort. I guess one could say that it is debatable at best that it was the actual place that provided such feelings, rather than from one specific and undeniable source. But alas, that discussion is for another time. My reason for making this journey was not one driven by my typically epicurean motivations, but while there, I was fortunate enough to enjoy an evening of fine food and wine.

On this particular evening, along with the company of a certain someone that (if I had to guess) is going to be a regular character in many of my future adventures, we found ourselves in Minneapolis for dinner at Cafe/Bar Lurcat. In a newly remodeled building located between an attractive park and the impressive Basilica of Saint Mary's, this hip restaurant draws in a local crowd looking for something modern and sophisticated. Our enthusiastic waiter guided us through the evening with a seemingly unflappable love for his current situation.

The meal began with a Julienned Salad of Apple and Manchego in a chive oil dressing and also an order of the Duck Prosciutto with Goat Cheese Crostini and an apple and pickled onion accoutrement. Those were followed by an Asian styled Udon noodle and orange chicken dish with plenty of spice and an order of Roasted Pork Loin with a red wine reduction sauce, blue cheese and figs. The wine had to be Burgundy. Needless to say, after my recent trip to San Francisco, I am a budding fan of the wines from this region of France.

Domaine Rossignol-Trapet Gevrey-Chambertin 2005***
Began with bright red fruit similar to tart cranberry and plenty of saddle leather and dusty earth. I should have gone with my gut on this one and decanted it, but it was interesting to see this develop throughout the evening. The wine lacked a little bit of the mid-palate richness of some of the other Red Burgs that I've had recently, but really filled out as it was open. By the last glass it was deeper and darker, showing frutta di bosco, baking spice, and black cherry.

In my lifelong search for la dolce vita, this was one of the truly extraordinary meals of my life. The food was nice and the wine enjoyable, but for it's significance, there is a much more serendipitous and resplendent explanation...

Thank you all for reading.

Cheers!

0 Stars - No rating

1 Star (*) - Not of significant quality or interest
2 Stars (**) - A notable wine of legitimate interest
3 Stars (***) - Great wine that should be searched out
4 Stars (****) - Fantastic wine that should not be missed
5 Stars (*****) - An absolutely mind-bending wine - beg, borrow, or steal to get your hands on some of this amazing juice!

Disclaimer: This rating is based on my palate and at the given time when tasted and may differ from yours. Also, I may catch a bottle in a dumb phase or it just may not speak to me at that particular time.