10
Jan
2013
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A confidence game

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OK, I’m finally ready.

I’ve been waitin’, procrastinatin’ on working up posts that delineate the best-made renditions of sundry varietals, or wines from certain regions, that have crossed my transom and/or palate. I have held off from adding “Recommendations” or “Picks” to the tab that lists pages on this site.

Why? Two things:

• The painstaking process of inputting and collating several buttloads of tasting notes (it’s easy to get “” and stay “” behind when you sample a few thousand wines a year).

• And confidence. Feeling good enough about my tasting abilities to make broad rather than specific endorsements.

As it turns out, addressing the first problem solved the second one. In recent weeks I have Proseccobeen pulling together documents and nigh-onto-illegible notes from several years into big ol’ files such as “Italian Reds” and “Sauvignon Blancs” (from all over). And time after time, the notes and scores for different vintages of the same wine were in amazing alignment. From spendy pinot noirs to inexpensive Cavas and Proseccos, I had almost uniformly identical takes on brands tasted a year or three apart.

I don’t believe in publishing scores for wines, and I can get away with it because I’m simply touting wines I like and/or consider well-made, and because (I hope) I’m a good enough writer to let the words say more than a number ever could. Still, I was astounded at how seldom my personal ratings for a particular red blend or albariño varied more than a titch, especially in the 7.5 to 9.4 range where most wines land.

For some reason, that makes me feel a whole lot better about my palate. I wasn’t lacking faith that I could distinguish between deftly made and poorly made wines, but I guess I wasn’t cocksure about nailing the relative quality of wines. The downside: I now must admit that scores do have utility :o.

Anyway, over the next few weeks I’ll be putting up posts that list zinfandels, Iberian whites, et al. that provide great value at whatever price point they occupy. Rest assured that a lot of frogs were kissed in the quest for more princely options. And that I can now rest assured in the results.

7
Jan
2013
0

Linkin’ logs 1-7-13

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I loved “Lincoln.” Daniel Day-Lewis basically occupies the 16th president’s skin (you forget it’s Lewis entirely) and Tony Kushner’s dialogue is beyond stellar.

I also love linkin’, even though I have been sidelined from doing it for a while. In an effort to catch up:

• One of the best info-graphics I’ve ever seen “” which makes it one of the foremost where-did-the-morning-go? time sucks of all time “” delineates which brands are owned by which companies in the wine world. You’ve been warned.

• This video of a Rube Goldberg corkscrew takes a little while to get going but is worth the wait. Might oughta go on my Xmas list.

Bill Ward• Speaking of wacky concoctions that include a corkscrew, this one is the brainchild of Bill Ward “” not the one you’re presently reading, who’s not nearly so clever, or the similarly named drummer of Black Sabbath (left).

• I’m also not clever enough to have devised nor young enough to want to consume this stuff, liquor guaranteed to have been poured over ta-tas.

• I’m not going to reveal how many of Wine Folly’s “signs you might be a wine geek” apply to me. But it’s more than one, plus some not listed that might be more alarming.

• Finally, I’m always a sucker for puns that take me a sec (or three) to figure out, and this brand name applies.

4
Jan
2013
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Wines of the Week: Dec. 31-Jan. 6

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Everyday: Mazel tov! The Israelis are making some seriously good juice, especially in the Yardencooler Golan Heights area. The Yarden Mount Hermon Golan Heights White ($12) is a layered blend with lush fruit and surprising complexity for the price. Lots of tropical fruit and melon here, plus depth and zest. It’s primarily made with sauvignon blanc, with chardonnay and semillon adding some character. Try it with all manner of seafood dishes “” including the Contessa’s roasted shrimp cocktail “” chicken or salad (or chicken salad). Or just in a warm room where you can pretend that it’s summer.

Occasion: There might be a better year-in-and-year-out $25 wine than Mugathe Bodegas Muga Reserva Rioja, but I have yet to find it. And I’ve been really trying :o. Rustic and elegant, with richness, earthiness and purity of fruit galore, the Spanish red is a delight from the evocative nose to the delicious finish. Pair it with Spanish sausages, jamon or other cured pork, or with a beef preparation such as hanger steak with mushroom and red wine sauce (using the Muga in the sauce, of course).

29
Dec
2012
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Wines of the Week: Dec. 24-30

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Everyday: Sparkling wine just keeps getting better in many corners of the world, not least Mont-Marcalof them Spain. The wines of Cava are generally delightful and often superb; a fabulous intro is the Mont-Marcal Cava Brut Reserve 2009 ($15), lovely and spritely, alternately creamy and crisp with plenty of oomph on the finish. The juice is like a hybrid of green and yellow apples, with some citrus and stone-fruit notes contributing to the surprising complexity. Try it before, after or with a meal of almost anything; plop a strawberry into the glass, make some popcorn and sip it while watching a movie.

Occasion: I hate when this happens. The other night, we were reveling in the Pol Roger 2deliciousness and profundity of the Pol Roger Champagne Extra Cuvée de Reserve ($48) when we remembered that we only had a half-bottle. Wah. What a tasty, lush, sexy Scarlett Johansson of a wine this is. Just yeasty enough, it rolls its tingly way through the palate as the rich pineapple flavors pick up along the way. I can almost still taste the finish. This was Winston Churchill’s favorite wine, further evidence of how damn smart that guy was. The usual endless array of pairings for great bubbles “” from salty snacks and sushi to fried chicken and chocolate “” would mosey right up to this beauty.

21
Dec
2012
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Wines of the Week: Dec. 17-23

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Everyday: Back in my Navy days in Italy, I kept on reading about this wine called LacrimaLacrima Christi (“Tears of Christ”). Unfortunately, the ones I found back in the late ’70s made me go “Jayzus, that sucks.” Not anymore. The De Angelis Lacrima Christi del Vesuvio Bianco 2o09 ($18) is refreshing and delicious, with minerally citrus flavors and just enough acidity. As the name indicates, the caprettone and falanghina grapes are grown near Mount Vesuvius. Try this crisp white with salads of all sorts, shrimp/squid/ceviche or this wonderful heirloom tomato with crispy shallots recipe from Alice Walters’ daughter.

Occasion: When we were fortunate enough to visit Bouchard and taste its glorious wines, Jesusour hostess said that the name of Bouchard Beaune Greves Vigne de l’Enfant Jesus Premier Cru ($100) derived from something about Baby Jesus’ silk diapers. Being a rather coarse individual by nature, and having not spit much, I blurted out, “I actually think it’s because when they first drank it, someone said ‘Sweet Baby Jesus, this stuff is good.’ ” It teeters between being light and leathery, rustic and elegant, and it’s easy to see where they got the silk anecdote. The nose is extraordinarily complex, the finish sensuous and endless. Try it with, well, anything, but consider taking a stab at the nonpareil Zuni Cafe roast chicken with bread salad.

 

17
Dec
2012
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Terry Theise, fizzin’ out and makin’ sense

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How far behind am I on this venue? I’m here today to tell you about a tasting from two months ago.

Good thing Terry Theise, not to mention the grower Champagnes he imports, are timeless.

And there was no doubting that this was a Terry Theise event when the master of ceremonious quaffing uttered this:

“Why are the prices [for grower and big-house Champagnes] the same? It’s PR, marketing, product placement in the latest Jennifer Anniston rom-com. Perrier-Jouet donated $400,000 in wine for the Kim Kardashian wedding. I can see the boardroom: “˜Well, we need to participate in the nuptials of a world-famous slut.’ “

And of course, mixed in with the socio-politico-cultural observations was no small amount of wisdom about wine:

“The nice thing about wines low in alcohol is that they are high in other good things like gracefulness and transparency and acidity. “¦ If you wanna be a boozer, don’t drink bruisers. 

And inevitably, his singular melding of the physical and metaphysical:

*[Great wine has] a consistent reiteration of certain reflections of the soil. There are components of the soils and the flavor of wines for which there is no other explanation possible. To me, the burden is on the deniers. 

Yes, Theise is a terroir guy, and it has served him well. We tasted three flights of superb “farmer fizz,” each one better than the last, while our tour guide talked about why this is “not just down-the-middle Champagne”“ it’s wine!” and why it has grown in 15 years from a 0.62-percent market share to 3.68 percent:

The texture: “Champagne has beautiful flavors and in some cases intense flavors, but it’s still light on the palate. 

The chalky soil: “The Champagne chalk goes underground and over toNormandy”“ that’s why the apples there are so good — and to the white cliffs of Dover. 

Blenders vs. growers: “[At the big houses] so much of the wine is blended into anonymity. More consumers are tired of the uniformity of the big houses “¦ [and] their hegemony over the Champagne business. The big guys are now aware that when they’re reading about Champagne, it’s grower Champagne. 

And a not-great trend: “A wine that has less sweetness is not more honorable or soulful or conscientious. It’s just more dry. It seems like young Champagne makers don’t want sweetness. For every one that doesn’t need sweetness there are five that do. 

Frankly, it was not easy jotting down notes while tasting wondrous wines from Jean Lallement, Larmandier-Bernier, Pierre Gimonnet and Marc Hebrart. These are singular expressions of the grapes and the growers, but mostly they’re just delicious.

They also fit in with something I’ve wondered about myself in recent months. The Twin Cities has an enormous number of swell restaurants that emphasize quality ingredients from local farmers. And while Minnesota wines are improving, it’s too early to have the “buy local” theme pervade their wine lists. But for consistency’s sake, they should be stocking as many wines from small family-owned wineries as possible.

And so should consumers who embrace this philosophy in food shopping. As Theise noted, “Conscientious people make political decisions in the market all the time. We get to make better or lesser choices with everything we do in the market.

“And with grower Champagne, it’s not only a lovely experience, but you don’t have to pay more.

15
Dec
2012
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Wines of the Week: Dec. 10-16

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Everyday: Hello, old friend. One of my first merlot discoveries came from Benziger, but as I explored the ever-widening world of wine, I kind of forgot about it. A recent sample of the 2008 Benziger Sonoma County Merlot ($16) showed me what I had been missing lo these many years: a gorgeous nose of fruit and floral aromas; rich, firm, dark red fruit with a hint of coffee, plus plenty of depth and length. In other words, the reason I liked California merlot to begin with. Try this biggish red with beef stew, maybe what I was told (in my early merlot days) was the national dish of Belgium, carbonade a la flamande “” beef and onions braised in beer to us non-Belgians.

Occasion: I’ve been hankering to try wines from southern Oregon for a good while now, and the 2006 Cliff Creek Southern Oregon Syrah ($25) only heightened that desire. Dark and meaty but beautifully balanced, this is the kind of wine that could kick-start a long-overdue syrah movement on these shores. The fruit is ripe but not too, the midpalate hearty and smooth, the finish elegant and almost boundless. Like the best syrahs from any continent, it almost cries out for lamb, including a longtime favorite, this classic treatment of a leg (a k a gam of lamb).

9
Dec
2012
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Wines of the Week: Dec. 3-9

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Everyday: Joseph Bastianich has long been among America’s foremost experts on Italian (although I’d put the Twin Cities’ Marc Mackondy right up there with him). And clearly Bastianich also knows a lot about making Italian wine, at least if the Bastianich Friulano ($16) is any indication. It’s supremely fresh and boasts delightful minerality and surprising length. But mostly it’s just plain delicious, with lively pear and citrus notes. Made from the grape formerly known as tocai friulano “” the first part lopped off by an EU ruling to avoid confusion with tokaji from Hungary, which isn’t even a grape, but hey, that’s bureaucracy in action “” it should play well with any seafood dish, whether the sauce or seasoning is creamy, zingy or spicy.

Occasion: It’s rare to find a zinfandel that’s an “occasion” wine, but it’s also nice during holiday spending time to find one that checks in at around $24. The Green and Red Chiles Canyon Zinfandel 2010 is dusty and rustic but jolts the palate with dark cherry/berry flavors. This is one harmonious wine, hearty and vibrant, which is especially nice because of how long it lingers. A wonderful fireplace or fire-pit wine, it also would rock with slow-cooked ribs, a meaty pizza or a juicy slab of sirloin “” any of which is an occasion at our house.

 

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