22
Mar
2013
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A Commie’s approach to wine

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There’s been a good bit of talk about Communists of late, mostly buffoonish folderol from slimeball politicians. But still … it got me to thinking about the way my way better half and I often casually refer to ourselves as Commies.

No, I’m not worried that Sen. Joseph McCarthy Ted Cruz is gonna come after us. But my flippant self-characterizations aside, I started to wonder how much of my mindset actually could be painted with that brush.

Commie FlagNever mind that the terminology favored by gonzo politicos is wrongheaded, that when they cast these aspersions, they really mean “Socialist.” After all, in its worldwide iterations, Communism = Socialism + Totalitarianism. Socialism is a philosophy, totalitarianism a practice, Communism a ruling order that combines the two. But I digress.

My “Commie” tendencies came to the fore when I was reading this article about chardonnay, which is filled with what I consider good news:

Chardonnay on these shores is being made in the most varied styles ever, with many showing less toasty-oak influence (a victory for the proletariat!). Many winemakers are letting the fruit shine and reflect the terroir (way to be, Mother Nature!). And the “experts” can’t figure out where this is headed (down with the bourgeois marketers :o!)

On the other hand, the ABC (Anything But Chardonnay) movement hasn’t slowed overall chard sales. Good for the grape, and a wonderful one it be, but it would have been nice to see chenin blanc or albariño or friulano make more inroads. By far my foremost wish is for consumers to have as many choices as possible, whether that take the form of sundry swell expressions of one varietal or prominence for many a grape. Preferably both.

My predilection towards unending options, and for the bold souls pushing stylistic envelopes in California, was brought home last Sunday, not with chardonnay but a couple of wildly varying 2011 reds.

BrocThe Broc Cellars Santa Lucia Highlands 13.1 Cuvee ($22) is a syrah, but we were calling it “tapenade juice.” The 13.1 represents the alcohol level, and this briny beauty had the black pepper/black olive/wild herb northern Rhone thing down, with superb berry flavors arising after some time in the glass.

Then we veered madly and deeply to a prototypical petite sirah, the Shoe Shine Golden Vineyard from Mendocino ($35). Very big but balanced, it was shot through with blueberry jam and almost jolting minerality, plus a velvety finish.

If enjoying such variegated varietals makes me a Commie, I’ll proudly wear the tag.

16
Mar
2013
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Wines of the Week: March 11-17

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Everyday: Sometimes a man (or a woman, at least in the case of my way better half) Lo Nuevoneeds a wine with some dirt and smoke on the nose and palate. A wine like the 2010 Lo Nuevo Sorbo a Sorbo Catalyud Old Vines Garnacha ($12). This Spanish grenache also boasts some ripe, juicy fruit and just enough tannins to linger on the palate before a surprisingly long finish. Would that all $12 wines delivered this kind of hearty goodness. Try it with short ribs (braised or Korean-style) or that burger/brat (or other sausage)/pizza trifecta.

Occasion: The other night I gathered up some inexpensive California red blends for BVsampling. Many were nice, but one was off the charts, with stunning structure and depth. Turns out my “wow” moment was actually an “oops” moment: I had put the 2009 Beaulieu Reserve Tapestry in with the $10-$15 stuff. It’s still a “wow” wine at $45, by the way, with lots of rustic dried fruit and herbs, a touch of that dirt and smoke, and a stout but elegant finish. Can’t wait to try another bottle with steak au poivre, but it also should play well with an herb-infused leg of spring lamb.

11
Mar
2013
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Vintage Burgundy, offbeat zins, wine on tap and more

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A few discoveries from recent vinous gatherings:

• Washington vintners are taking California’s “state grape” to some interesting places. I thoroughly enjoyed two fascinating zinfandels from the Evergreen State: the “Howling Wolfe” from Thurston Wolfe and the new Two Vintners Stone Tree Vineyard (both around $22). They offered up much brighter fruit and clean acidity than pretty much anything I’ve had from California. With a lighter touch and a little less alcohol, it would be easy to call them zins for people who don’t like zin. But I like zin, and I really liked these.

• Those who can afford it (and even some of us who probably cannot) should be scarfing up Bouchard2010 red Burgundies. I had a fab time at the annual Bouchard/Fevre tasting and found quite a few notable 2011 wines. But the whites showed a lot more promise than the reds; I might buy one bottle apiece of the village wines from Pommard and Volnay, plus some Chablis and Meursault. I consider the 2010 reds much better overall, no matter one’s palate preferences. And because the 2012 crop was by all accounts minuscule, we’re looking at a large gap between vintages of high quality and decent quantity.

• Also worth buying is pretty much any white wine from Oregon’s cooler 2010 and 2011 vintages. Latest wowser wine: St. Innocent’s 2010 chardonnay.

• Keg wines, which have made small inroads since I wrote about them two years ago, are getting better. The folks at Proletariat Wine Company were pouring four tap wines at the recent Food & Wine Experience; the two I tried, a sauvignon blanc and a Bordeaux blend, were fabulous. I know there are logistical hurdles to overcome — mostly getting the empty kegs from a Minnesota restaurant to a West Coast winery and back again — but smart people are figuring out a way, I’m sure.

Beaucastel• After sampling two more stupendous Beaucastel Chateauneuf-du-Papes, including one from the “down” 1996 vintage, I am officially ready to declare this the most reliable high-end brand buy out there. DRC La Tache probably matches it, but I haven’t had $2K sitting around to find out.

• At a Washington Wine Panel on which I squatted sat, Dunham Cellars winemaker Dan Wampfler (whose 2010 Trutina was fantastic and is a screamin’ bargain at $29) had one of the most deft, poetic — and truthful — descriptions I’ve heard in a while: “Winemaking is science applied to art.”

9
Mar
2013
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Wines of the Week: March 4-10

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Everyday: The 2010 Tudal Family Napa Sauvignon Blanc ($18) easily could qualify as an Tudal“occasion” wine, and not just because its price tag pushes up against my $20 line of demarcation. This baby provides a mouthful of deliciousness, with a pretty floral nose followed by gorgeous tropical and citrus fruit. The clean acidity provides enough oomph for an unusually long (especially for this varietal) finish. California sauvignon blanc simply does not get much better than this. Try it with shellfish or mollusks (most any preparation) or medium-spiced Mexican food.

Occasion: Had a buttload of delightful Washington wines last weekend, when a couple of Corliss 2dozen Evergreen State vintners were in town. The biggest revelation: the wines from Corliss. The 2007 Corliss Columbia Valley Bordeaux Blend is not cheap at $65, but it tastes like something twice or thrice the price (now say that phrase five times). It’s everything a hearty red should be: rich but elegant, biggish fruit and just-right tannins, one of those now-THIS-is-wine mouthfeels and a finish that can be measured in minutes rather than seconds. It was fabulous by itself but would cozy right up to a slab o’ beef or rack o’ lamb, not to mention a roaring fireplace.

7
Mar
2013
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A great read: Kamp and Lynch’s ‘The Wine Snob’s Dictionary’

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I love it when a book reveals a lot about itself on the title page. Actually, this might be the first time that ever happened, there, right under the actual name of the book:

“wine snob: reference term for the sort of wine obsessive for whom the actual joy of drinking wine is but a sideline to the accumulation of arcane knowledge about it.”

But it turns out that “The Wine Snob’s Dictionary” is far from just a skewering of us cork dorks. David Kamp and David Lynch’s 2008 masterful work is at least as edifying as it is entertaining.

SucklingFor instance, I learned that James Suckling (left) had apprenticed under Alexis Lichine before the authors delivered this kicker, which somewhat miraculously was not about his hair: “Like Robert Parker, he is a polarizer of snobs, some of whom value his expertise, others of whom find him an insufferable tool of the fractional-jet-share set.” Larry Stone (didn’t know he gained his fame at Charlie Trotter’s) gets it easier: “the avatar of the new-breed, customer-friendly, adorably compact American sommelier.”

I was delighted to find one of my favorite wine words in here: “spoofalated: scornful term invented by old-line winemakers to describe any wine so bombastic and overmanipulated by man … usually via excessive oak usage, but sometimes by way of overripeness or micro-oxygenation … that it lacks any varietal character.”

But mostly the book speaks truth to pompousness, and gets at some truths about wine: “straw-colored: default lyrical descriptor for white wines, used to evoke the pastoral aspects of viticulture and obscure the fact that most white wines resemble urine or cooking oil.”

I’ve had this droll tome on my bedside table for a couple of years, but it’s perhaps best suited for another spot: next to the “throne,” for easy, breezy scanning. You can open it anywhere and find a treat. Anyone not convinced should note that each of the entries cited above comes from the “S” section.

4
Mar
2013
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Art for whatever’s sake

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Crazy times here, more posts coming soon, but wanted to quickly share an interesting note and some swell art.

A new article from Food & Wine on the year’s best sommeliers included this factoid: “Seven of these 10 sommeliers prefer to serve Champagne in white-wine glasses.” I do, too, and not just because flutes are a #@^*-ing pain to clean. The nose and flavors are simply fuller and more complex. Flutes might be fine for the cheap, simple stuff (some of which is right tasty), but good stuff from Champagne and elsewhere deserves a “real” glass.

And I wanted to pass along a couple of fine works of art that friends had posted on Facebook (which, unlike many, I still thoroughly enjoy):

Yoga

 

 

Food

 

 

 

 

2
Mar
2013
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Wines of the Week: Feb. 25-March 3

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Everyday: Portugal doesn’t seem to export any plonk; it’s rare on these shores to come Clarosacross a Portuguese wine that disappoints. But few provide the whoa-Nelly value of the 2010 Montes Claros Alentejo Reserva ($11), which tastes like it could sell for twice the price. The tannins seem soft at first but kick in at midpalate for a swell mouthfeel and firm but velvety finish. Dark red fruit and a touch o’ chocolate play nicely with the characteristic dustiness of Iberian reds. Braised beef or pork (or, what the hey, chicken) were meant for this rustic red, but burgers, brats and pizza are fine options as well.

Occasion: I’m a sucker for wines that start off like simple fruit bombs and then jolt the Ruderapalate with energetic minerality. The 2008 Rudera “Robusto” Chenin Blanc ($23) is just such a mouth-brightener, with the very ripe, slightly sweet fruit-cocktail flavors quickly leavened by just-taut-enough acidity. Robusto, indeed. And clean, cool, refreshing. The vines are 30 years old, but thankfully the wine no longer is dunned with the name “Steen” (which is what South Africans used to call chenin). Try it with soft cheeses, creamy soups, salads with shrimp or chicken or barbecued anything.

23
Feb
2013
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Wines of the Week: Feb. 18-24

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Everyday: My way better half has little or no use for rich, oaky California chardonnays, Larochebut she loves her some white Burgundy. Down that path lies financial ruin, but not if we can find more wines like the 2010 Laroche Tete de Cuvee Bourgogne Chardonnay ($18). The nose is astonishingly fresh, almost Alsatian, and the array of flavors (apple, citrus, stone fruit) is rich but clean all the way through the supple finish. The very definition of harmony, this white delight would play well with parmesan-coated chicken, trout or sole almondine and all manner of omelets.

Occasion: To this palate, Chianti Classicos almost universally fit that “Sideways” Montecalvicatchphrase “quaffable but not transcendent.” Well, the Montecalvi Chianti Classico ($23) must be the proverbial exception that proves the rule. Fresh and extraordinarily lively, this beautifully balanced red is also just plain delicious. Another rarity for a Chianti Classico: My friends Mike and Ulf say this wine traditionally can cellar for 5 to 10 years (good luck keeping your grubby little paws off of it). Pairing options include not only the traditional tomato-sauce pastas but also roast chicken (lemon-thyme!) and one of my favorite Italian dishes, saltimbocca.

20
Feb
2013
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Linkin’ logs: 2-20-13

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February, especially here in Tundraland, is a humor-impaired, irony-deficient month, it seems. I have seen little drollery on the InterTubes this month. But that doesn’t mean there’s not unusual and interesting stuff out there. To wit:

• I learned a new word while reading this account of someone aging wine in the briny semi-deep: “aquoir.” Ahem.

Adam• My buddy Adam LaZarre (left) passed along this quite-useful pronunciation guide to the wide, wild world of wine. I know most of them already, but it was fun to learn that anise is sometimes added to wine to increase acidity. And that those straw-covered Chianti bottles have a most appropriate name.

• Madeline Puckette is one of the coolest things to hit the Web, wine-wise, in some time. Her artistic endeavors are fetching and informative. Two of my favorites: a major rundown of varietals and a calorie count for sundry wines.

• I’m a sucker for lists, so this one “” of the alleged 100 most influential people in the wine world “” was right in my wheelhouse. It might seem a tad writer-heavy, but we ink-stained wretches will take it.

• And finally, if I were half my current age (or younger), I’d probably want one of these:

Wine Boxes

1 … 64 65 66 67 68 … 106

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