Wine Bazar

The good folks from Catavino are at it again! The theme of this month’s “Virtual Wine Tasting” - Spanish Albariños! As with all Catavino Virtual Wine Tastings, you don’t need a blog to join in on the fun - just grab a bottle that falls within that month’s category and post it directly to Catavino’s website.

So - Albariño. I’d heard of this white wine before, even have tasted one or two in the past, but didn’t have any distinct recollections to know what to expect, or to steer me in my wine selection. So I did a quick search of what Total Wine in McLean had to offer, and my “choice” became quite simple - they only had one in stock. Thus I ended up with a $15 2006 Val Do Sosego Albariño from the Rías Baixas region of Spain.

Albarino and Rias Baixas
The Albariño grape (called Alvarinho in Portugal) is grown predominantly in Galicia in Northwestern Spain, as well as just across the border in the Vinho Verde region of Portugal. As seems to often be the case in the world of wine, Albariños coming from these coastal regions are said to pair quite well with food common to such a locale; in this case, that means seafood. The Rías Baixas DO (Denomination of Origin) is particularly well-known for its Albariños (and not surprisingly, it’s seafood!). For additional background info/chatter, check out the Catavino forum set up for this month’s tasting where you can read about it directly from the Spanish wine experts (Ryan and Gabrielle).

Tasting Notes
The 2006 Val Do Sosego Albariño from the Rías Baixas was light gold in color with just a hint of green to it. This immediately made me think of New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs, and that association was just strengthened by the nose, and again by the palate.

On the nose, I picked out lemon grass and green apple, and Kris was adamant about pear. On the tongue, the lemon-grass came through, and it had a very nice minerally-ness to it. It had a higher-than-average acidity, which made this medium-bodied wine nice and crisp. I’ve read this phrase a lot, but I think I’d like to use the term “racy acidity” here to describe it - it just seems to fit.

So, given that Albariños are supposed to pair perfectly with seafood we probably should have attempted to cook up some fish for dinner, but that wasn’t in the cards for tonight. On a tip from some blog or another, we instead paired this Albariño with Indian food and I must say - it worked really well. It’s always a bit tricky to pair Navratan Korma or spicy lentils with anything wine-related, so I was pretty happy with how to find a wine that could do it.

Overall Recommendation
This wine was *very* similar to many New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs I’ve had. I was a little disappointed, not because it wasn’t good (it was), but because it wasn’t that different from other wines I’ve had. This wine had a very nice acidity to it, but none of the smoothness or slight creaminess I have heard attributed to Albariños, nor did it have the supposedly-distinctive apricot or peach nose. So at $15 a bottle I thought it was a great wine, but I could pay a couple dollars less and get a very comparable Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc that would do the same thing for me. Perhaps I need to try again in case this was an atypical Albariño, although this was the only one carried by my usual wine shop so I’d have to hunt around a bit. But from what I’ve read from others posting their tasting notes on Catavino, it may be well worth my effort!

Original post by Nate

The good folks from Catavino are at it again! The theme of this month’s “Virtual Wine Tasting” - Spanish Albariños! As with all Catavino Virtual Wine Tastings, you don’t need a blog to join in on the fun - just grab a bottle that falls within that month’s category and post it directly to Catavino’s website.

So - Albariño. I’d heard of this white wine before, even have tasted one or two in the past, but didn’t have any distinct recollections to know what to expect, or to steer me in my wine selection. So I did a quick search of what Total Wine in McLean had to offer, and my “choice” became quite simple - they only had one in stock. Thus I ended up with a $15 2006 Val Do Sosego Albariño from the Rías Baixas region of Spain.

Albarino and Rias Baixas
The Albariño grape (called Alvarinho in Portugal) is grown predominantly in Galicia in Northwestern Spain, as well as just across the border in the Vinho Verde region of Portugal. As seems to often be the case in the world of wine, Albariños coming from these coastal regions are said to pair quite well with food common to such a locale; in this case, that means seafood. The Rías Baixas DO (Denomination of Origin) is particularly well-known for its Albariños (and not surprisingly, it’s seafood!). For additional background info/chatter, check out the Catavino forum set up for this month’s tasting where you can read about it directly from the Spanish wine experts (Ryan and Gabrielle).

Tasting Notes
The 2006 Val Do Sosego Albariño from the Rías Baixas was light gold in color with just a hint of green to it. This immediately made me think of New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs, and that association was just strengthened by the nose, and again by the palate.

On the nose, I picked out lemon grass and green apple, and Kris was adamant about pear. On the tongue, the lemon-grass came through, and it had a very nice minerally-ness to it. It had a higher-than-average acidity, which made this medium-bodied wine nice and crisp. I’ve read this phrase a lot, but I think I’d like to use the term “racy acidity” here to describe it - it just seems to fit.

So, given that Albariños are supposed to pair perfectly with seafood we probably should have attempted to cook up some fish for dinner, but that wasn’t in the cards for tonight. On a tip from some blog or another, we instead paired this Albariño with Indian food and I must say - it worked really well. It’s always a bit tricky to pair Navratan Korma or spicy lentils with anything wine-related, so I was pretty happy with how to find a wine that could do it.

Overall Recommendation
This wine was *very* similar to many New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs I’ve had. I was a little disappointed, not because it wasn’t good (it was), but because it wasn’t that different from other wines I’ve had. This wine had a very nice acidity to it, but none of the smoothness or slight creaminess I have heard attributed to Albariños, nor did it have the supposedly-distinctive apricot or peach nose. So at $15 a bottle I thought it was a great wine, but I could pay a couple dollars less and get a very comparable Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc that would do the same thing for me. Perhaps I need to try again in case this was an atypical Albariño, although this was the only one carried by my usual wine shop so I’d have to hunt around a bit. But from what I’ve read from others posting their tasting notes on Catavino, it may be well worth my effort!

Original post by Nate

Discussions about good taste are interesting. It can be provoking, and specially people who are sensitive will find the subject uncomfortable. In fact, the only time when the subject comes up and is discussed without hard feelings is when very few persons are envolved, and these persons have the same, or almost same, point of view in this matter. Why are most people afraid of discussing this issue? I’m not!

A while ago me and a friend of mine was uncorking a couple of bottles to try later on that evening. He had just returned from Switzerland where he visited a wine maker in Valais, a region from where I haven’t tried so many wines, so I was really curious about what he brought to our informal tasting. I had already opened up a full bodied Refosco dal Peduncolo rosso (2001) “I Ferreti” and the potent Cabernet Franc (2003) “Vylyan“.

I chose these as I knew that they were unknown to my guest, and hereby we could surprise each other.

After the first sips from the first glass my friend suddenly says:
- People have bad taste.

First I was a bit surprised by his sudden comment. Not provoked, only a little confused because the comment was so sudden and not directly related to his previous comment on the Refosco wine - which he liked.

After three seconds of thinking about what he said and ment I replied:
- I totally agree.

This may sound like we are some kind of self appointed judges of what is good or bad taste, and you may think that this is snobbery. Well, think again…

What I mean is when so many of the wine drinkers, or let’s say, wine consumers, drinks so much lousy wine, and many times pays to much for it too, we can’t accuse them for having good taste.

And it’s not about money. Because we all know that money doesn’t buy class - or good taste.

There are many examples which demonstrates this fact. One is when the middle class couple goes to a restaurant. They will probably spend at least 25 euros on the wine. Some people spend lots of more of course, but thats another discussion…
How much do you think the same couple spend on the wine for their Sunday dinner at home? Probably not more then 10-15. Most people don’t even go above 5-7 euros for their grape juice consumed at home. The problem is not that the 7 euro wine is bad. The problem is that the 25 euro wine in the fancy restaurant probably didn’t cost more than 7 euro if it was bought in the shop.

When you thought about that for a while you can then ask yourselves why people don’t buy 25 euro wines in the shop to drink at home instead.

I think one of the reasons is that people don’t care anymore, or can’t. They are not thinking for themselves, and let the “experts” do the thinking part of the job. When it comes to wine people follow the so called wine expert tips, and believe in them too.
- Do you really think that the experts are unaffected by third parties, sellers and marketing professionals?

Therefor I equal ‘good taste’ with being independent when selecting - and it’s not only about wine!

Before I end this article you maybe would like to know how the Swiss/Valais wine was? Extraordinary of course. I’m not publishing any tasting notes here, because I don’t think thats important, especially if you can’t try them anyway. But if you ever have been in the alps, and remember how clean everything is when breathing the high, unpolluted air. Imagine that in a glass of well composed red containing Syrah, Humagne rouge, Cornalin and Pinot noir; Balanced into perfection as a Swiss made watch.

Original post by Cordis

Darker rose color. Nose shows mostly crushed rock, dried lavender, and garrigue strawberry. Solid midpalate that is chock full of raspberry and minerality that leads into a good finish. Remarkably beefy rose that could go well with many foods. but it’ll probably do best with salads, saucisson, and simple vegetable spreads as well as grilled fish. To me, not quite as good as the Canto Perdrix, but a little better than the Chateau d’Aqueria. This is a little more fruit forward on the palate than either of the two I just mentioned, but by no means wold it be mistaken for a new world rose. Recommended.

Original post by Steffen Pelz

I just finished reading the silliest article with a really great title, called “Talk Dirt To Me,” about “terroir,” in the Spring issue of the Sunday New York Times Style Magazine by Harold McGee and Daniel Paterson. In it, they start out by setting up a straw man contending that terroir means you can actually taste rocks, dirt, minerals, earth, etc. in wine. That is silly. Soil is just one element in terroir which better translates as place or microclimate. What you taste is fermented grape juice, not literally and concretely soil. Soil influences the vine and the grape. The winemaker adds her signature. Terroir refers to the characteristics imparted to wine by the place where the vines are grown. Soil, sun, heat, exposure, elevation, tradition and culture all contribute to “terroir.” The fruitiness of California wine is a reflection of a sunny “terroir.” The big hardiness of grapes grown in the Napa mountains such as Mt Veeder, in contrast to the “Rutherford Dust” of softer wines made from grapes grown on the valley floor, is a manifestation of “terroir.” I don’t think I would want to drink a Riesling from Algeria or a Syrah from the Rhine. Certain grapes are best suited to certain soils and climates.

If anyone doubts the existence of “terroir” just come to the new wine regions of the Pacific Northwest where most wines are named by varietal rather than place, but where there are striking differences among AVAs and specific vineyards. Bednarick Vineyard in the Willamette Valley is not likely to produce wine like that from Shea Vineyard. In Washington, generally, the wines made from the Yakima Valley grapes will be softer than those from Red Mountain or Walla Walla. Just check out the three reds made by Tim Sorensen, winemaker at Fall Line - one from Yakima grapes, one from Red Mountain grapes and one a blend of the two. Why does a Ciel du Cheval Cabernet from Sorensen Vineyard (different Sorensen) in Port Townsend resemble a Ciel Cab from Cadence in Seattle or an Andrew Will from the same vineyard made by Chris Carmada on Vashon. Why do Januik and Novelty Hill resemble each other. Both are made from Stillwater vineyard grapes and both are made by winemaker Mike Januik which brings us to the real point about terroir - it’s not one or the other. The taste of a wine can reflect the place where the grapes were grown and the signature of the wine maker or it can be manipulated through “science” to please the taste buds of Robert Parker or it can simply came from “nowhere” and be made by “nobody.”

The grape variety and specific clones are the strongest influence on the taste of the wine just as genetics account for 60 to 70% of the variance in human personality and intelligence, but the other 30% to 40% of environmental influence makes all the difference in the world. Kittens are hard wired for vision, but are born blind. Vision only comes with tactile and proprioceptive stimulation from the environment( Huebner & Wiesel). Human infants have a critical period at about ten months when their brains are ready to develop certain kinds of relatedness such as empathy and emotional attunement (Allan Shore), but this only comes about in the presence of a nurturing, interactive parent. The French expression “elevage” meaning to “raise”, is not an accident. Both the grapes and the wine must be “raised” or nurtured just as children must be raised or nurtured and this happens in a certain place or environment. There are good and bad environments for grapes and children. Some grapes and children are lucky to be in just the right environment, whereas others find themselves in a bad environment or a bland, boring , unstimulating environment where they are mechanically raised in unenriching soil. Is it any wonder that so many wineries and wines are named after the winemaker’s or owner’s children. I mean, there is a difference between being raised in the Central Valley of California and the Napa Valley. There is a difference between the Napa Valley and Sonoma, between Howell Mountain and Rutherford, Cotes de Fronsac and the Medoc. Chateau Reignac has probably realized its maximum potential under the guiding hand of Michel Rolland, but it is not Chateau Lafite. A good wine or a good child must be ” bien eleve”, well raised, in a good environment. For a vine that means setting down roots in the right place and being nurtured by a good winemaker.

Even though some of the esters, or flavor components in wine may be the same as those in, say, raspberries, descriptions of wine flavors are inevitably metaphors. We really only can say “tastes like”. Tasting notes can get quite florid - lead pencil, cassis, a hint of metal, like a Beethoven symphony, “Jesus in Velvet Pants”, a beautiful woman, forest floor, stone, minerals, limestone. These descriptors, in my view, are notoriously unreliable because they reflect one taster’s subjective experience. Tasting wine is a subjective experience and “ratings” only give the appearance of objectivity. There are no terms such as the names of colors to describe tastes. There is no real spectrum of tastes although Ann Noble has made a valiant effort along these lines.

After destroying their straw man, these faux counterterroiristes finally have to admit that ” the place where the grapes are grown clearly affects the wine that is made from them….it’s the land, stupid.” It’s the grape, the place and the winemaker! Boring grapes planted in a boring place and made into wine by a winemaker without soul will result in a boring wine. Wine manipulated toward the globalized gout Parker will be Parkerized. Wine from good grapes, planted in the right soil and made by a winemaker with character will Rock!

Original post by SeattleWineBlog

Tomorrow is Wine 2.0 in San Francisco!

I am very excited to be able to network with others in my position- how can the technology out there help sell wine and what else is coming on line. El Jefe, Jeff Stai of Twisted Oak has really hit it on the head with some of the obstacles that wineries and especially small, ‘virtual’ wineries are faced with. Time is my biggest obstacle as I have a day job at a reputable winery. Then after my 10+ hour day there devote time to my ‘project’. But that was my choice,kind of…so I can’t complain. If I was profitable I could lose the day job, so finding ways to get there is foremost in my mind these days.
http://www.winetwo.com/?p=72 (to Jeff Stai on Wine 2.0)

Which reminds me- I have an incredible deal on 05Tempranillo Rose-see www.coralmustang.com. You can purchase it there or on a number of online sites like Appellation America.

Back to the day job-
The Mustang Winemaker

Original post by The Mustang Winemaker

After a superb lunch at the Mere Germaine in downtown Chateauneuf du Pape, we were off to our last appointment of the day. I had made arrangements with Claire Latcher to visit, but she ended up being unavailable, so I had the privilege to be guided by none other than Frederic Brunier.

This was my best domaine visit on this trip on so many levels…I am a huge fan of Vieux Telegraphe for many reasons:

- The wine is made in large foudres and concrete vats and the influence of oak on Vieux Telegraphe is minimal as a result. I love the classic wines Frederic and crew make with their old school, entirely gravity wine making methods.

- The cave that houses the library of back vintages is impressive. How I would have loved to taste some of these treasures.

- Frederic’s dog “Swing” was an instant hit with my 2 year old daughter.

- Frederic was an extremely generous host and allowed me to taste a lot of different wines and vintages, which only further underscored just how much I like Vieux Telegraphe.

The soil that Vieux Telegraphe harvests its fruit from is truly remarkable. In the Eastern La Crau sector, the terroir is basically rocks and pebbles. The heat radiating off the rocks at night allow the grapes to ripen faster than is usually the case. Furthermore, Vieux Telegraphe tends to employ quite a bit of Mourvedre in the final blend which makes for an incredibly fullbodied wine that often reminds me of a baby-Beaucastel.

The most remarkable wines tasted were:

2005 Vieux Telegraphe: Excellent wine with amazing grip and body, superb texture and solid fruit. This is a wine to seek out in my book and embodies everything I want in a CdP.

2004 Vieux Telegraphe: Another stunner. Seemed a little less tannic and “grippy” and a little more advanced on the flavor profile, but not much behind the 2005 in my opinion. Seems like there may be a little less Mourvedre in this blend compared with the 2005 based on the body and texture.

1994 Vieux Telegraphe: For a mediocre vintage, this was a great effort. If I could drink this every day, I’d be in heaven. Lovely truffle and game with earthy autumnal notes and a little kirsch liqueur and fruit. Will be hated by new world afficionados.

2006 Vieux Telegraphe Blanc: Great stuff and definitely a round and supple wine that will have a promising life ahead of it. Very distinct honey and white flower notes, but also a hint of tropical pineapple fruit (which is a little odd in this wine).

I also got to taste La Roquette and the Pailleres, but they were only OK. The stars in the lineup are the Vieux Telegraphes.

If you’re in Chateauneuf du Pape in the near future, I would highly recommend a visit to Vieux Telegraphe in Bedarrides.

Original post by Steffen Pelz

I never thought I would find myself in a situation where I???d turn down a Menage a Trois. So, when I was in a small grocery store in Point Reyes Station, CA searching for a new bottle of wine to try, and I saw one called Menage a Trois, I was confident I had found a winner. As I was to find out hours later, I was wrong.

Menage a Trois 2005 is a red table wine, made from Zinfandel, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon. For the most part, I find red “table” wines to be flavor neutral. They go well with most foods, but they don???t have much character. That???s not to say that I???m anti-table wine. Given the right one, I can be a big fan. Menage a Trois is not one of them.




Why?

This wine is overly sweet- so much so that I questioned whether I would be able to finish the glass I poured and salvage my $10 investment. Determined to work through this wine, I started pairing it with every food I thought would balance the sweet. Nothing worked. I tried bread. I tried cheese. I even tried strawberries. In the end, I surrendered, admitted defeat, and did whatever I could to enjoy this wine. As I powered through my glass, I couldn???t help but hope that the next time I am faced with a Menage a Trois, the results are a little more positive.



Recommendation: Consider buying it (if you like sweet wines)

Original post by Dorian Kendal

I never thought I would find myself in a situation where I’d turn down a Menage a Trois. So, when I was in a small grocery store in Point Reyes Station, CA searching for a new bottle of wine to try, and I saw one called Menage a Trois, I was confident I had found a winner. As I was to find out hours later, I was wrong.

Menage a Trois 2005 is a red table wine, made from Zinfandel, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon. For the most part, I find red “table” wines to be flavor neutral. They go well with most foods, but they don’t have much character. That’s not to say that I’m anti-table wine. Given the right one, I can be a big fan. Menage a Trois is not one of them.


Why?

This wine is overly sweet- so much so that I questioned whether I would be able to finish the glass I poured and salvage my $10 investment. Determined to work through this wine, I started pairing it with every food I thought would balance the sweet. Nothing worked. I tried bread. I tried cheese. I even tried strawberries. In the end, I surrendered, admitted defeat, and did whatever I could to enjoy this wine. As I powered through my glass, I couldn’t help but hope that the next time I am faced with a Menage a Trois, the results are a little more positive.

Recommendation: Consider buying it (if you like sweet wines)

Original post by Dorian Kendal

I never thought I would find myself in a situation where I’d turn down a Menage a Trois. So, when I was in a small grocery store in Point Reyes Station, CA searching for a new bottle of wine to try, and I saw one called Menage a Trois, I was confident I had found a winner. As I was to find out hours later, I was wrong.

Menage a Trois 2005 is a red table wine, made from Zinfandel, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon. For the most part, I find red “table” wines to be flavor neutral. They go well with most foods, but they don’t have much character. That’s not to say that I’m anti-table wine. Given the right one, I can be a big fan. Menage a Trois is not one of them.


Why?

This wine is overly sweet- so much so that I questioned whether I would be able to finish the glass I poured and salvage my $10 investment. Determined to work through this wine, I started pairing it with every food I thought would balance the sweet. Nothing worked. I tried bread. I tried cheese. I even tried strawberries. In the end, I surrendered, admitted defeat, and did whatever I could to enjoy this wine. As I powered through my glass, I couldn’t help but hope that the next time I am faced with a Menage a Trois, the results are a little more positive.

Recommendation: Consider buying it (if you like sweet wines)

Original post by Dorian Kendal