Monday, May 24, 2010

Leftovers from a cocktail party


After volunteering with the Manhattan Cocktail Classic last weekend, I missed the boat on taking leftover booze home, but I did raid the walk-in for leftover ingredients.



That’s how I ended up with cocktail-leftover salad. There’s something satisfying about clearing out the refrigerator and making something new. In this case, I simply chopped up the veggies (I already had the carrots) and blanched the carrots and baby zucchini. The veggies were tossed in a dressing made of the lemon juice and olive oil. The egg whites were baked with chopped herbs (thyme & sage), and all of the above were mixed with cooked bamboo rice and chilled. An orange for dessert. The English cucumber was used for…a simple lunch tomorrow of cucumbers and cheese (what were you thinking?)


Ok, maybe not the most delicious thing I’ve ever created (technically, this is a wine blog, so don’t come here for recipes and inspiration) but it was fun and filling.

Seeing as I only used about a tablespoon of a ½ gallon jug of lemon juice, I used more lemon juice (plus simple syrup) to make a saké lemonade.


Yum.

Sunday, May 23, 2010

Oak in drinks

At The Standard Grill in the Meatpacking District for a bite.

Interesting cocktials. I ordered their version of a mint julep, which is made of bourbon, mint and oak-infused simple syrup.

The cork dork is literally drinking oak juice!

Sunday, May 9, 2010

Altos Las Hormigas, Vineyard Selection Reserva Malbec 2007 (Mendoza, Argentina) $19, 14.6% abv

Tips for pairing wine with procrastination:

1. Do choose a wine that is widely available, either via your own cellar or at the wine shop. Since you really should be writing the chapter that’s due this evening (I’d like to point out that there is technically still three hours of “Sunday” left), you shouldn’t be opening something you’d linger over. Plus if it turns out you open a bottle you dig, you can always go back for another when you don’t have a deadline looming.

2. Do choose something on cheap & cheerful side. Again, since you really need to churn out four more pages (single spaced), don’t be getting into a wine so profound that it distracts you from your storyline.

3. Do choose something that might turn you on. Some writers talk about making a soundtrack to get them into the mood to write. Like that background music, you need to pick a wine that balances your need for it to fade into the background (so you can concentrate on nailing dialogue) with keeping your mojo flowing.

4. Do choose a wine that is versatile enough to pair with anything lurking in the deep recesses of your refrigerator. Staring at a blank Word document long enough will cause you to wonder if the caramelized onions you made this morning will taste good wrapped around pickled okra. Or is that just me?

5. Don’t choose a wine high in alcohol. For obvious concentration reasons.


So the Altos Las Hormigas wins on all points but the last one. It’s absolutely saturated in a purple-y ruby all the way to the rim with lots of staining tears. Yet the nose is not super-explosive, and it’s dominated by blackberries and dried black cherries with granite and a hint of florals. It’s medium (+) in body with velvety tannins, medium amount of acid, and flavors of bright blackberry and more granite on the palate.

As for the alcohol, I didn’t really smell it or taste it harshly on the palate. Just to be safe (as the book is not just going to write itself), I recommend pairing this wine with Procrastination Pizza. Tonight I’ve chosen Mystic Pizza, but you may feel free to substitute your favorite frozen pizza here.


Transparency: this wine is imported by my employer.

Friday, April 23, 2010

Pannonhalmi Apatsagi, Pinot Noir 2007 (Pannonhalma, Hungary) $25, 12.5%

Wow. I really like this wine.

Blinded this on the train with the boys, and it was guessed right away as a Pinot Noir due to its pure, fresh red fruits and some wet-stone minerality. The word 'elegant' was used a number of times.

So varietal established, where is it from? Given the elegance, the debate started in Burgundy...a few decent producers were thrown out there, but when pressed for a commune, the gang settled on Bourgogne Rouge from a pretty good producer. New Zealand and Oregon were briefly considered and discarded because one would expect a little more extraction and concentration from these places (the wine was a pale ruby red).

Ha! A Hungarian Pinot Noir! Swing out with your bad self!


Pannonhalma lies about half way between Budapest and Vienna and is one of the smallest of Hungary’s 22 wine regions. This estate is an old monastery that grows plenty of traditional Hungarian grapes (Welchriesling, Ezerjó and Sárfehér) as well as international varieties like this Pinot Noir.

To me the Apatsagi would be appealing to Burgundy drinkers, though I didn't get any forest-floor-mushroom-whatnot earthiness that I typically get from that part of France. The acid was rather soft compared to a Burgundy as well. Still, the pure, bright red fruits (nothing green) were nicely framed by some sweet oak notes. That pretty fruit base was enhanced by a streak of minerality, juicy acid, and a fine texture, making the Apatsagi a delicious, unusual find.

(The wine is almost as pretty as these flowers.)

Transparency: this wine is imported by my employer.

Saturday, April 17, 2010

Faiveley, ‘Les Lavières’ 2004 (Nuits-Saint-Georges), $50, 13% abv

Stood up on a Saturday night.

If a guy says ‘don’t worry, I’m not a player’, that means he’s totally a player, right?

Could someone remind me why I should be all enthusiastic about being single?

*sigh*

Oh wait! Ha! I just remembered: being alone means I can order up whatever wine I want without having to consider stylistic or budget preferences of my significant other!

Burgundy it is. (Nah nah.)

The evening is starting to look up.


The 2004 vintage was not a ripe year for Burgundy and some wines I’ve tasted are downright mean & green. I bought some anyway because it’s the clichéd wine to drink while you’re waiting for your 2005s to mature. Still, I have some friends who gag at the vintage the same way they would gag if presented with pureed White Castles at a dinner party (ha! You thought it was paté!!) But I’m not a hater on the 2004 Burgs because a) I’m not overly sensitive to green notes, and b) it’s nice to know that the wines of this under-ripe vintage were not Tammy Faye’d out to be something bizarre.

Faiveley is a fairly large (for Burgundy) vineyard owner and winemaker based in Nuits-Saint Georges. ‘Les Lavières’ is not a 1er Cru (as it is in Savigny-les-Beaune) , but a lieu-dit, or named vineyard without being all special enough to be classified. A few other producers (including Daniel Rion and Domaine Leroy) make wine from the same vineyard.

This Burgundy was not showing that green note typical of the 2004 vintage, though rather stemmy on the palate. Overall, I find wines from Nuits-Saint-Georges to be more towards the masculine side, but this wine was bursting with full-on strawberries, like the first strawberries of the season that are stronger in florals than ripe aromatics. And there was a really strange floral thing going on. Strange because it wasn’t white blossoms or red roses but it was so familiar. It was…fabric softener scent: fresh and borderline soapy.

Huh.

So not quite the happy ending I was looking for on this solo Saturday night either, but the wine paired just fine with last week’s episode of The Biggest Loser (courtesy of hulu.com).

Monday, April 5, 2010

Duck confit at Noah’s in Greenport

A new addition to the restaurant scene in Greenport, Noah’s, specializes in delicious small-plate seafood and a raw bar, but it was the duck confit that caught my eye. I’m predictable like that. And maybe ordering duck confit at a seafood-centric restaurant is not the best idea. Still, Long Island duck is as much of a local item as the seafood, so it’s not all that much of a stretch…

At first I was surprised that a duck confit dish would cost $23, but it turns out this is because two duck legs are served. I love duck confit of course, but maybe there’s a way to get a half portion next time?


The dish was served over a bed of lentils (with lardons of bacon) and bitter frisée. The duck meat was tender though not too ‘ducky’ or gamey in flavor. The dominant note of the dish was the earthiness imparted by the lentils with some relief via the frisée. I heart bacon, but it was lost as there is plenty of lovely fattiness in the skin of the duck, and the volume of lardons was not enough to season the dish. The skin itself was rendered and crispy.

So I do love my duck confit, but this is a fine example of why, in my opinion, a bright fruit acid counterpoint is important for a balanced dish.

PS – if you go there, have the gorgonzola rosemary French fries. Crazy cool little dish.

Sunday, April 4, 2010

Dr. Loosen, Erdener Treppchen Kabinett Riesling 2005 (Mosel), $25, 8% abv

I drank this casualty first from the wet cellar because it has a twist cap, and my arms were exhausted from my first attempt of bucketing out water from the basement.

One thing I was really surprised by was the quality of inks and glues used for nearly all of the wet bottles on the bottom shelf of the cellar. That label barely shows any damage. If anything, importer labels that were later added were the only label that were sliding off as I moved them to drier grounds.

Back to the wine: fortunately, the Dr. Loosen showed no signs of damage. As I would have expected, it had a medium (+) intensity of dried tropical aromatics and was already developing a petrol note. A classic mineral aroma was also present. On the palate the wine is off-dry and has a slight spritz that augments the medium (+) acidity that cleans away the residual sugar and leaves behind a beautiful kaleidoscope of pineapple, ripe lemon, and wet stone flavors.

Easy to drink all night long at 8% while checking the progress of the water pump downstairs…

Saturday, April 3, 2010

Are wine bottles waterproof?

I guess I'll find out shortly.


I store most of my bottles in a pre-fab cellar room in the basement of my house in Greenport, NY. The house is about a block or so from the harbor. We've had a number of nor'easters visit us over the past two weeks. And I just learned what a "water table" is and how it works.

Six inches of water in the basement. It's presumably been there since Tuesday. I just found out on Saturday.



My cellar is slightly off the ground, so there's only about two inches in the cellar. Still, the bottom row was soaked, so I've pulled those bottles out to dry. Actually, I'm impressed at how well the labels have stood up. But the real test will be pulling the cork. And for even more fun, there were two German rieslings with twist caps.

So I'll let you know how it goes over the next few days.

Back to water pumping.

Friday, April 2, 2010

Lapierre, 'Cuvee Marcel Lapierre' 2007 (Beaujolais), $39, 13%

“Just looking.”

I was wandering the aisles of Astor Wine and Spirits (has anyone who reads this website ever been able to leave that store empty handed?) and I thought: I haven’t had much New World wine lately.

I’ll pick up something from the New World for dinner tonight.

Ok, New World section, here I come.




I can do this.




New World.






New.






New, new, new.






Nuevo.






Nuovo.






Neu.






Nouveau.




As in Beaujolais Nouveau.








Est arrive!






Ok, focus. New World.




What is Astor’s Beaujolais selection anyway? Oh look! Lapierre!

Oh! Lapierre was the wine of summer 2008! That was the summer I lived in Paris and the Morgon AC was easily available throughout the city and I could afford it. And the half bottles were novel: instead of the traditional sloping shoulders, they were bottled in tall thin bottles, like the way Canadian ice wine is usually bottled.



Anywhootle, that’s how I went from looking for a New World wine to Beaujolais.

Lapierre is a wonderful producer in Morgon who practices a minimalist intervention style of winemaking in both the vineyard and the winery. Most of their fruit is from Morgon, and the Cuvée Marcel Lapierre is one of their top bottlings. Indeed, my friend Nick Gorevic (the genius behind HomeWineSchool.com) worked the 2009 harvest at Lapierre and said the Cuvée Marcel Lapierre is not made in every vintage, includes a selection of the best grapes, and is released later than the regular AC bottlings.

I had it on a slight chill and gave it a quick splash decant. The underlying fruit profile of sour strawberries and black cherries was similar to my memory of the Morgon AC bottling though this was more advanced in tertiary development with respect to a dry earthy note and had was more round on the palate.

A really beautiful Beaujolais with my duck confit (what were you expecting I would have for dinner?) and though I would wait a few years before opening the next one…

Friday, March 26, 2010

Duck confit at Alias

I was put on this earth to do two things: drink lots of delicious wine and enjoy many legs of duck confit.

I spent an entire summer in Paris and instead of visiting the museums I spent four months searching out the best duck confit I could find. And there were so many excellent examples.

First and foremost, to qualify as excellent duck confit, the duck must posses a slightly gamy, ducky aroma and flavor. The meat must be tender of course, and the props go to a well-rendered and crispy skin to contrast with the meat. I also like the meat to be well-seasoned (I think there should be a little bit of a salty flavor permeating the meat). Away from the duck, I personally like there to be a sweet fruit element for contrast. But I know a lot of people don’t like fruit with savory.

About Alias: they have a $30 three-course supper on Sunday nights that is a good value. They also have a duck confit I love. On a recent visit, the duck confit was served on toasted cornbread with a smear of crème fraiche and jam.



Corn bread was an unusual choice to pair with duck, but sweet is a very important counterpoint to ducky. Cornbread might be a bit too dense and the creme fraiche was kinda lost in both flavor and aroma. Requisite fruit was present, this time in the form of brandied cherries. Yum.

As for the duck confit itself: perfectly ducky. Ducky aroma came up to meet me. Skin was perfectly rendered. Perfectly seasoned.

This is the benchmark for duck confit.

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Gypsy Dancer Estates, ‘A&G Estate Vineyard’ Pinot Noir 2006 (Dundee Hills) $53, 13.9% abv



“Wines that dance in your mouth” promised the cork.

A slight exaggeration, but a delicious wine nonetheless. I made some venison potstickers, so my thoughts went to an Oregon Pinot Noir to pair it.

The Gypsy Dancer was grown biodynamically on the famous volcanic Jory soils of Oregon, and had all the earthy dark fruit of a higher-priced California Pinot Noir but without the accompanying alcohol burn I sometimes get in those.


The color was ruby (just shy of a medium intensity…you could certainly read through it) with a very thin rim. I don’t think I would mistake it for a Burgundy on sight or aroma profile, which was not too intense, and included damp moss, dark raspberry, blackberry, cocoa, baking spices, and a small truckload of vanilla (is it just me? I love cocoa in a wine, but cocoa and vanilla? Not my favorite). On the palate, the Gypsy Dancer was a good balance of medium body, alcohol, and dusty tannins. Classic medium (+) acidity for Pinot Noir was intact. The blackberry finish pleasantly went on for a bit. I’m not sure I’d hold on to this wine for a long time as the vanilla is liable to take over after the fruit fades.

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Markham, Petit Sirah 2003 (Napa), $25, 14.8% abv


In my quest to continue to understand the new-new grape, petit sirah, I had a glass of Markham Petit Sirah recently.

I would have mistaken this wine for a Zinfandel (though ultimately, I think Zinfandel shows more figs and raisins). Aromas were only medium-intensity (I thought it would be louder) and included jammy blackberry, loads of granite, blueberries, cinnamon, slight vanilla, and maybe some violet. The tannins were ripe and a long finish was carried by juicy blackberry and smoke.

Not quite my cup of tea (wine?) but this Petit Sirah seriously rocked out with a bowl of buffalo chili with cilantro sour cream. In fact, with the tannins tamed, the juicy fruit came gushing out. In the right setting, this could be a real crowd pleaser.

Friday, March 12, 2010

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Hope Estate, Verdelho 2007 (Hunter Valley, Australia) $NA, 12.5% abv

Jet Blue. Center seat. Next to a fussy seven-month old. Entertainment system broken.

Alcohol needed.

I find ‘meh’ white wine easier to swallow than ‘meh’ red wine, so I ordered a mini bottle of white and, well, color me surprised when I was presented with a Verdelho! From the Hunter Valley! That seems so random to me that I fully expect their red selection is a Blaufränkish from Lodi.


Swirling from my small plastic cup, I found the wine had medium intensity aromas of lemon peel, grapefruit, orange, lychee, wet stone, and a hint of green herbs. The body was a little fuller than medium, oily in texture, and seemed slightly off-dry on the palate (mind you, I have a blind spot on residual sugar). Acid was soft and flavors agreed with the palate and further included menthol, which I interpreted as higher alcohol (though the bottle said 12.5%).

Alternative package alert – this was bottled in a seriously solid plastic bottle (like, I couldn’t dent it or destroy it with my hands. Hey, the famous Jet Blue entertainment system was down).

This unexpected little wine option made me think what a great time in history it is to enjoy wine.

Sunday, February 28, 2010

5ive Steak, Jet Blue Terminal 5 at JFK Airport

Once upon a time, I was a ‘professional’ career woman (as opposed to my ‘professional’ lush status now) and spent lots of time going to and fro in airports around America. Much unstructured time in these airports was spent studying dining options on the directory board trying to judge which spot may might pour a decent glass of wine (i.e., something beyond Sutter Home White Zinfandel or Robert Mondavi Coastal Selection anything). On one particular bad day I remember whining to a bartender that all I wanted was a friggin’ glass of Champagne! Geeze, I’ll take a Prosecco!! Is that so much to ask??

He offered to shoot some club soda into a glass of Chardonnay for me.

Anyhootle, imagine how disoriented I was this week to stumble into the sidewalk café-esque scene that is the new Jet Blue terminal 5 at JFK airport. I had less than an hour to grab a glass and a bite, so in lieu of investigating my options (which all looked so grown up anyway), I settled into 5ive Steak because they had a huge artistic display of wine bottles on the wall.

The wine list, while overpriced (eh, it’s an airport) was actually interesting with many solid selections from the old world and a slight emphasis on France and Spain. d’Yquem pre-flight? Perhaps you’re more in a Chateau Trotanoy mood. Maybe a Domaine l’Arlot ‘Clos des Forets’ St. Georges? ’99 Petrus? For real?


There was even a notable selection of half bottles, and the bartender said he’d be happy to sell me a bottle and a go-cup for the flight. I hate to sound so gee-whiz, but how cool is that? I was seriously debating a half bottle of Dönnhoff Schlossbockelheimer Felsenberg Riesling Auslese 2006 for the flight.


Despite about 25 by the glass selections, I settled for a glass of Gruet Brut NV (a nice, simple bubbly, yes, but the CO2 allows alcohol to enter your bloodstream faster, so it was consumed for medicinal purposes).


Away from wine, they provided a good cocktail list with both the recognizable (margaritas) and the less-familiar (that cursed cocktail called Blood & Sand). They also featured four American whiskeys and a domestic rye. All bottle beers offered were well-known.

I didn’t have enough time to check out the other restaurants, but Jet Blue said they the new Terminal 5 has 400 wines available by the bottle, 150 by the half bottle, and 200 by the glass.

We’ve come a long way, baby.

Friday, February 19, 2010

Seven Spice Sour

Togarashi-infused sake (Momofuku private label honjozo), yuzu/lime juice, and simple syrup. Created by the amazing Don Lee for Ma Peche.



While you're there, dig into the Cotes de Porc - pork ribs from Newmans Farms in Missouri with a lemongrass caramel glaze that plays well against the spicy cocktail. Or vice versa.


Monday, February 15, 2010

Cork USB Drive

Ahem, my birthday is next month.




You could also show off your mad skillz and DIY with a cork from the Pol Roger rosé you’re going to open with me.

Sunday, February 14, 2010

The Crusher, ‘Grower’s Selection’ Petite Sirah 2008 (Clarksburg) $13, 13.5%abv

Happy Singles Awareness Day.

I was looking through my cellar for something to pair with my special Valentine’s Day chili (it has lots of beans), and I found this guy, brought to you by the same negotiants who bottle Pepperwood Grove and Smoking Loon. Nielsen reported that Petite Sirah is among the four most discussed grapes on the internet, so let’s see what the fuss is all about.

The wine is a saturated inky purple. Aromas and flavors were predominantly dark jammy plums and red liquorice but there was also an intriguing white pepper note. The intensity of aromas was a little shy of medium, even after letting the wine warm up some from cellar temperature. The texture on the palate was medium-bodied and soft finished by a small amount of drying tannins.

So far from being The Crusher I was thinking of (i.e., my last trainer at Equinox), this was a good everyday wine for its interesting aroma profile. I think I might seek out another Petite Sirah in the near future.

Friday, February 12, 2010

The Long Thirst: Prohibition in America 1920-1933 by Thomas M. Coffey

I'm a sucker for used book stores, and I picked up this one on my most recent visit to Paris. Published in 1975, it's the story about prohibition woven from the point of view of a whole (real) cast of characters from both sides of the Volstead Act during it's 13-year validity.

It's written like a novel, the author not getting too deep, so it's a pleasant little read. On the back cover, the Chicago Tribune says "It is a story told in terms of colorful individuals who move in and out of an elaborate gallimaufry of rascality and foolishness."

Yea.

What he said.


What I'm most amused with right now is that I'm drinking a domestic Pinot Noir while reading a book about prohibition!! That almost qualifies as ironic!

Or maybe it's just the 14.5% abv talking...

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Meet my latest crush, Tong Magazine

As if I don’t have enough unread wine magazine subscriptions stacked up on the floor (effectively acting as fortresses for my dust bunny army), I gave in to the WSET discount and signed up for this quarterly publication that is Flemish for “tongue”.


I love this magazine.

First off, there is no advertising. There are no wine reviews. There are no lifestyle articles. There is no discussion of hot new chefs. There is no editor telling me what they drank last week. There is no industry news. There are hardly any pictures.

The magazine is a themed journal with well-chosen topics that get back to the basics written by specialists in the field.

The Winter 2009 issue is dedicated to Champagne. The magazine is brief (48 pages), and contributors include two MWs, Champagne-expert Tom Stevenson, and several scientists. My favorite articles were focused on Champagne’s expansion progress, a look at the he trend of single-vineyard Champagne, the mechanics of autolysis, and the science behind CO2 formation (by a cross-disciplinary team of scientists). With no advertising, it’s not cheap (€100 for four issues annually), but there’s a discount if you’re a member of the WSET’s global campus.

This is only their fourth issue, and I’m tempted to buy the back issue on Terroir. Adding to anticipation, I don’t see anything telling me what the upcoming issues will cover, but there’s a free newsletter to sign up for (here) to hold me over in the mean time…

Saturday, February 6, 2010

Gristina Vineyards, Merlot 1995 (North Fork), $NA, 12% abv

My friend insists the best burger on the North Fork of Long Island is at Jamesport Country Kitchen. A charming little café on the Main Road, their wine list emphasizes local wines, including the largest collection of library Long Island wine I’ve ever seen. Two local red wines from the mid-90s were even offered by the glass.

I ordered a glass of the 1995 Merlot from Gristina out of morbid curiosity: Gristina Vineyards have had two more owners since this wine was made. I don’t have a lot of experience with older Long Island wine but I’m happy to commit to a glass.

While it was open, Gristina’s wines garnered attention from Wine Spectator, Wine Enthusiast, and Robert Parker. Gallucio Family Wineries bought Gristina in the summer of 2000 and continued to co-opt the Gristina name for a short time. Gallucio planned to expand production but was advised against it by his Bordeaux consultant Michael Rolland right before September 11th happened.

The property was on the market for a few years before Macari Vineyards bought half of it in late 2007 (the other half was sold to the Peconic Land Trust earlier in the year.)


This 15-year old wine was medium (-) intensity of garnet with a little bricking showing on a thin rim. The aromas were medium intensity and included dried plums, raisins, green herbs like parsley, and then a slight dank earth & cinnamon. The aromas didn’t evolve after the first five minutes, though that was partly because the day’s special was a fried flounder sandwich so when that arrived to the table next to me, all I could smell was Long John Silvers.

The flavors were dominated by sour dried plums, cocoa, and bitter espresso beans, with a somewhat short finish. There was a low amount of stalky tannins still in the wine that were a bit distracting. Acid was a little less than a medium amount, so I suspect the tannins from the stalks (or maybe there was some barrel age?) was what was helping to hold this wine together through the years.

The burger was interesting. I had the ‘Jamesport Burger’ which comes topped with Boursin Herb Cheese (the Velveeta of France, no?), a vaguely Dijon-mustard flavored sauce, and served on a pizza-slice wedge of Focaccia Bread. The fries were crisp, hot, and perfect.

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

A Night of 1988 Burgundies

And so it was, that on a Tuesday a few weeks ago, that yours truly plus eight others descended upon Apiary to help relieve a friend of several 22-year old Burgundies.

1988 was the year that construction on the pyramid at the Louvre began, and also considered an excellent year for Burgundy. Many critics said the weather that year produced healthy grapes overall, though structures were firm and would need time to soften. Perfect! Overall, I think these wines are enjoyable now, and in some cases (choose your producer carefully), have some more time to go.

I’d be negligent to not mention that Apiary runs a free-corkcage on Monday night. The restaurant has a very wine-friendly menu (the chef was brought over from Veritas) and includes a $35, three-course pre-fixe menu too. I think it’s an excellent place to take a first date. Especially if she’s a redhead.

After we dispensed with a bottle of Champagne, here’s what we drank:

Prince de Florent Merode, ‘Le Marechaudes’ (Corton)
Started off slow with a wine that was pleasant enough, but started to shut-down after 15 minutes. It was of medium intensity showing all the characteristics of a red Burgundy (dried cherry, forest floor, some white pepper) before it closed up, never to recover. It was past its prime.

Turns out this house is known for making wines that are meant to be consumed immediately (a restaurant wine). They don’t macerate on the skins and only press gently so that the emphasis is on fresh fruit and no bitter tannins.

About Corton: like Chablis, it’s a Grand Cru divided into a collection of climates (including Marechaudes). When Chardonnay is planted here it’s called Corton-Charlemagne.

Don’t you love Burgundy?

Prince de Florent Merode, ‘Clos du Roi’ (Corton)
This wine displayed much more brooding earthiness, structure, and the fruit was holding up much better than in the Marechaudes. Clos du Roi has a better sun exposure and more lava in the soils.


Comte Armand (Domaine du Clos des Epeneaux), ‘Clos des Epeneaux’ 1er Cru (Pommard)
Medium-intensity with relatively youthful red and blue fruits and a slight amount of wet earthiness. The structure was very well resolved. This wine was a favorite by most of the crowd.

In the 1980s when this wine was made, the domaine only made this one 1er cru (since the 1850s really) and that’s why it adopted the name (kinda like Clos de Tart in the Cotes de Nuits). As they don’t have much to work with, the grapes are harvested by the age of the vine (so, 5-10 years old, 10-20 years old) and vinified separately like that. Later the lots are blended to make their one bottling. Today they own many more properties.

‘Clos des Epeneaux’ is not on many maps because it straddles ‘Les Grand Epenots’ and ‘Les Petits Epenots’.

Marquis d’Angerville, ‘Clos des Ducs’ 1er Cru (Volnay)
Marquis has always sounded more regal to me than king or emperor, and it’s fitting that this is one of the most respected domaines in Burgundy. Most of the domaine’s holdings are in Volnay with this and ‘Champans’ 1er Cru the largest parcels. I see these wines on many restaurant’s lists.

The wine was a little more shy than the last few but had a strong forest floor component that I love, and a gorgeous velvet texture on the palate.

Joseph Drouhin (Latrecieres-Chambertin)
A little dank but otherwise dark fruits, sweet red fruits, and a slight minerality. A touch on the too-advanced side, but not a total waste of time.

Drouhin owns many vineyards throughout Burgundy (and Oregon) and is also a negotiant. I find the wines to be honest and reliable, maybe occasionally exciting, but I think it’s an easy house to buy. Latrecieres-Chambertin is a negotiant bottling.


Domaine Louis Trapet (Latrecieres-Chambertin)
Compared to the Drouhin, this was a more youthful and expressive Latrecieres. Red cherry, earthiness, and even gaminess made this wine complex.

Trapet has been around for many generations, and I find the wines to be a consistently good.

Domaine Dujac (Echezeaux)
Ah, Dujac. I can count on the wines from this house to be rather powerful (for Burgundy). I believe this is due to a combination of waiting for ripe grapes and use of 100% new French oak on all 1er Crus and Grand Crus. At 22 years old, this wine was still singing.

Aromas included strawberries, blackberries, red flowers, wet earth, and baking spices. The length held on to fruit and acid, and went on forever and ever.

Domaine Dujac (Clos de la Roche)
I adore Morey-Saint-Denis, but have been only lukewarm on Clos de la Roche Grand Cru. Despite this, this was one of my favorite wines of the night. This vineyard catches a lot of sun, and, as the name suggests, is on very poor, rocky soils, so we might see more concentrated grapes. Maybe I just drink Clos de la Roche too young?

This wine displayed wonderful red and dark fruits, with baking spices, stones, damp earth, and a savory aspect. Palate is velvetly and still showing bright acidity.

Domaine de la Romanee-Conti (Richebourg)
DRC, the holy grail of Burgundy, did not fail me. Do you know the feeling I’m talking about? If this wine was not spectacular, I probably would have sold my whole cellar for charity and become a bingo-announcer for a retirement community in south Florida.

This wine was just gorgeous. Cherries and figs, exotic spice box, forest floor, roses, soy sauce, a length that went for a long time displaying all those elements again. The structure was a whisper on the firm side, just enough to suggest that this wine still has a long, healthy life ahead of it.

A moment to reflect on happiness please.

OK, last wine of the night:

Mongeard-Mugneret (Richebourg)
Tough coming on the heels of DRC but still a beautifully expressive wine. The difference here was that fruit was more cherry and cranberry, plenty of dank earthiness, and baking spices didn’t seduce the way the DRC did. This wine was still plenty ripe and drinking beautifully, and is worth searching out.

This domaine owns a lot of parcels throughout Burgundy with Richebourg being one of the smallest holdings. We were blinded on the Echezeaux later but I failed to write down any notes. Sorry.


Domaine Leroy (Richebourg)
I lied. We had one more wine. But it was off. Doesn't count, though I have hit-or-miss with Leroy, so I was really looking forward to this one.

Monday, February 1, 2010

Grand Sichuan is one of the finest BYOs in the city, if only because German Rieslings are my favorite wine. The residual sugar and intensity of flavors on German wine are a perfect match to the spicy cuisine (and you can eat a feast without spending more than $40 per person). Only downside: you should bring your own stems. Their glasses are pretty small.

A small gathering of friends descended on the Grand Sichuan in Chelsea last night for pork soup dumplings, smoked tea duck (multiple orders), cucumber with garlic, spicy beef, chicken with pumpkin, beef with spicy green pepper, and a bunch more. Here’s what we drank:


Pierre Peters, ‘Cuvée Spéciale’ Blanc de Blancs Brut 1998 (Champagne), $NA, 12% abv
Just as you start your day with coffee, I support starting your evening with bubbles. This wine was showing loads of yeasty brioche notes with some bruised apple in the background. Very creamy on the palate.


F.X. Pichler, Dürnsteiner Hollerin Riesling Smaragd 2007 (Wachau), $60, 13% abv
I had a sip of this after the bubbly and tried it again later, but, as to be expected, it didn’t show well after the German wines. On first sip this was classic Austrian Riesling: medium (+) intensity lean citrus and a truck-full of minerals. Dry on the palate with juicy acidity and a long finish.


Dr. R. Weil, Kiedricher Wasseros Riesling Auslese 1976 (Rheingau), $NA, 10% abv?
Oh, how I love old German Rieslings! And this was a special treat. There was seepage from the cork, but I find this usually means nothing for a German wine. Intense aromas of tropical and exotic fruits meet wet stones and honey and stone fruits and a touch of petrol. The acidity still keeps this wine very fresh and it still has a long life ahead of it.


Wegeler, Bernkasteler Doctor Riesling Spätlese 2001 (Mosel), $30, 10% abv
This one displayed more primary citrus aromas, florally apricot, peaches and minerals with a lot of zing (maybe a CO2 prickle?) on the palate.



Mönchhof, Erdener Prälat Riesling Auslese 2007 (Mosel), $40, 10% abv?
Youngest German wine in the set still displayed an impressive amount of pretty aromatics: peaches, pears, honeysuckle, and minerals. Off-dry on the palate and a long finish. Really drinking well right now.

Somebody’s Niersteiner Pettental Riesling Beerenauslese 1976 (Rheinhessen), $NA, 8% abv
Oy. You can imagine by the end of the night, note-taking gets a little fuzzy. I failed to write down this name of the producers, thinking I had it captured on the pic (sorry, lesson learned). My friend had purchased a bunch of 1976 German Rieslings at auction from producers neither of us had ever heard of. On to the wine: popped & poured, the wine was showing nothing but botrytis (i.e., new plastic shower curtain) at first but within 10 minutes the mangoes, honey, and pineapple came out to play. Beautiful, silky texture on the palate and a medium-long finish. Not the richest or the most intense BA I’ve ever encountered, but it was a wonderful dessert to go with our lame-advice fortune cookies.

Friday, January 29, 2010

English sparkler beats Champagne???

Of course I adore Champagne, but I love lots of different bubblies.

Decanter reported that Nyetimber from the UK beat out Champagnes like Bollinger and Louis Roederer in a competition in Italy. The contest was organized by an Italian wine magazine, so I'm not sure Nyetimber's potential ad revenue to the publication would be influencing their choice of winner. Not that a magazine would ever consider ad dollars when granting ratings.

Anyway, the winemaker for Nyetimber said that "'We don't pretend we taste the same as Champagne".

I happen to be out on the North Fork today, and I had a chance to taste Lenz's 2000 RD Brut and 2003 RD Brut. (Disclosure: I worked a harvest at Lenz.) Given the vagaries of the weather on the east end, I think sparkling wines are one of the best products of the region. The early harvest time (before the autumn rains) is ideal for sparkling wine, and the winemakers out there have all the same tools (barrel-fermentation during first fermentation, sur lie aging) everyone else in the world has, so with proper care (and storage space), wineries have a chance to make a very delicious, special product.
Did the Lenz bubblies taste like Champagne? No. They were a little more aggressive compared to an elegant Champagne. Were they interesting? Yes. Nine years sur lie (for the 2000 Brut) displayed layers of smokiness and including 30% barrel-fermented Chardonnay in the cuvee gave the wines a pretty apricot aroma.The 2003 Brut was lean & focused, with more traditional tree fruit aromas and yeast. The 2003 is 100% Pinot Noir.

I'm not saying that every cold, wet, marginal wine growing region should switch all production to sparkling wines. But I'm certainly willing to taste it.

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Lighter wine bottles being introduced in the UK


Decanter reports that Tesco is using 300g screwcap bottles on its own-label Australian NV red wine. The standard glass bottle is 420g.


A step in the right direction for saving on carbon emissions, but I wonder if it's a solid enough bottle to become a real alternative packaging option. The article says the lighter bottle has the same resistance as a regular bottle, but Tesco is only risking its finest Australian NV red for now. So if it break they lose, what, $0.15 of product?

Lenz Winery, Gewürztraminer 2003 (North Fork of Long Island), $18 (for most recent release, 2006), 12% abv

Full disclosure: I worked the wet 2005 vintage at Lenz on the North Fork. More disclosure: I love Gewürztraminer.

Granted, I didn’t mean to hold on to this one for over six years. Gewürztraminer reaches high levels of sugar naturally, so they are characteristically high in alcohol and low in acid. Not a winning combination for aging a wine. Still, I find that wines from the North Fork are picked on the early side (especially when compared to a place with fabulous weather like California), and the fact that this wine is clocking in at 12% abv suggests that it’s part of that pick-early trend, so this wine is moderate on both alcohol and acid.

The Lenz Gewürztraminer is a medium gold, indicating its high levels of extract. Medium-intensity aromas of tropical fruit, spices, and the signature lycee turn into an oily mouthfeel with more tropical fruits on the palette. The acid is soft, as would be expected, and here the finish is somewhat clipped.

Overall it’s an unusual Gewürztraminer for its low alcohol and intensity if we’re going to compare it to Alsace and Germany. But that’s not at all a fair comparison.

So I say bravo for not being Chardonnay!

But back to aging Gewürztraminer: have you had any success? For how long would you hold one of these?