Soleil dans un verre

Alexandre Monmousseau's Turonien Vouvray, 2010

2011-11-21T05:18:00.001-08:00

Crisp, dry and citric, the tartness fills your mouth like a slice of lemon crème pie. Chilled, have it with oysters (or, like I did, with oyster tartare).

Bernard Bouvier's Fixin, 2006

2010-08-14T13:37:00.000-07:00

I didn't know this brand, but I bought it because I dig a good Bourgogne and also because it said "vieilles vignes" on the bottle. I've never seen a label that marketed the maturity of its vines - which makes a substantial difference in the maturity of the wine itself.

This is a delightfully rich and complex dinner wine - there's depth, but a warm little kiss of tart too, for personality. Whatever age those vines are, you can taste them, and they make good on the promise.

I Guess It Shouldn't Be Surprising.

2010-08-14T13:35:00.001-07:00

I feel pressure to update this site now because I found out that people who know me read it. And actually use it for saying stuff. About wine.

Rogue French Winemakers Push Fake Pinot Noir to US Buyer

2010-03-08T08:15:00.000-08:00

The court ruled [12 French winemakers and traders] had deliberately and repeatedly mislabelled the wine as one of the more expensive varieties of grape in order to get a better price from E and J Gallo [whose] [...] Red Bicyclette Pinot Noir single grape wine is hugely popular in the United States.

French Customs officers spotted the swindle and called in investigators.

They found the amount of Pinot Noir being sold to Gallo was far more than the region produced.

Well, that's disappointing. It also reminds me of something I read in Wine and War: French winemakers, hassled during WWII to keep the Germans elbow-deep in the fruits of their labour, reveled in collaborative efforts to bottle bad product behind beautiful labels.

In that context, I thought it funny. In this one, well, it just makes the whole thing stink slightly worse.

Orin Swift's The Prisoner, 2007

2009-01-12T17:30:00.000-08:00

This treasure of the Orin Swift cellars boasts the complexity of its Goya namesake:

50% Zinfandel
24% Cabernet Sauvignon
14% Syrah
9% Petite Sirah
2% Charbono
1% Grenache

'07's got a lively red velvet nose and is peppery on the throat. Fruit boasts a sharp, technicolor clarity compared to the '06 vintage, which is fuzzy in comparison.

My uncle, a California vino buff, loves this stuff and buys it by the crateful. I saw him over Christmas and he gave Benj and me a bottle of the '07 -- the last bottle from his very last crate. "It's hard times," he said. "We probably won't be buying more anytime soon."

We took it back to my parents', where we were staying for three weeks, and hid it in my luggage. Upon returning the next day from a day trip, my mother sidelined me at the door with a worried expression.

"I have to talk to you about something," she said slowly.

She didn't have to finish. I looked beyond her, into the brightly-lit dining area crowded with my dad's high school buddies, and saw the last drops of our Prisoner pouring -- luscious, rich, red! -- into someone else's glass.

I screamed. And then, realizing I may jeopardize the Prisoner experience for others, gracefully apologized and excused myself to my bedroom, where I buried my head in a pillow and threw a muffled teenage-girl fit.

Clos Mimi's Petite Rousse Syrah, 2005

2008-10-13T15:36:00.000-07:00

"Appellation" Paso Robles, CA; a Clos Mimi Syrah. It's got a charming dusty grape juice colour, and I've always found the packaging irresistibly cute.

Otherwise not a very serious wine, and it certainly doesn't hold a candle to the Paso Creek 2005 Merlot.

I'd compare it to candy. It's got this tangy Twizzler kick, and a sharp artificial blueberry tang. A little beefy on the rear though.

Even the smell seems manufactured by a rogue Oompa-Loompa. It's not that it's bad; it just lends the sense that Petite Rousse is not a natural-born creature.

Strange Carafes

2008-10-13T15:20:00.000-07:00

Wine glasses that mimic the veins beneath your skin, courtesy of artist Etienne Meneau. Dubbed Petit Coeur ("Little Heart"). Each 20-cm Pyrex wonder will set you back about EU1500, plus shipping.

What a steal. Lovely though.

Beaujolais Nouveau Goes Plastic ... for the Environment?

2008-08-13T15:35:00.001-07:00

Srsly.

Altos de Luzon, 2005

2008-06-22T20:26:00.000-07:00

I'm partial to Spanish wines because so many of them taste carnal: close to the earth, close to the flesh.

The Altos de Luzon 2005, which hails from Jumilla, Spain, is no different. It has a striking fresh-pepper smell but tastes surprisingly dark and smooth, bringing to mind both warm chocolate and cool clay.

A good bottle to have around: it's cheap and doesn't take itself too seriously. (That is, it won't go straight to your head.)

Sober and unassuming, there's wit beneath the surface.

Churchill's Finest Reserve Porto

2008-06-22T20:11:00.000-07:00

This port, with its fleshy garnet finish and rich rotted-fruit taste, has become one of my favourite treats, especially after consuming a rich meal like duck à l'orange.

I harbor a suspicion that the woman who sold me this bottle is often drunk at work. If your job is to recommend a good spirit, maybe that's not so terrible.

In any case, she told me Churchill's Finest Reserve Porto distinguishes itself from 20-year tawnies, the ports I used to favor, because it isn't aged in wood.

And the sharp fruity tang goes straight to your head.

When not at home, I generally still prefer to order a Taylor Fladgate 20-year tawny. There's something soothing about that honeyed maple-syrup taste. Churchill's Finest lacks that comfort-food feel.

Beaucastel Chateauneuf-du-Pape, 2005

2008-05-14T12:45:00.001-07:00

After over a year pining over it, I finally got to try my first Chateauneuf-du-Pape wine, a Beaucastel 2005. I had it over a steak dinner last week at a restaurant in New York.

It was depressing in the degree of disappointment. The crimson was not so crimson, and while the smell rose up as a lively licorice -- and maybe some fruit leather? -- the taste was watery and flat. I downed the glass for its numbing value and did not have another.

The winemaker's notes on Wine.com state Chateau de Beaucastel 2005 needs about 7-10 years of aging. "I can't see it being close to drinkable before 2014 and lasting up to 30 or more years," said Robert Parker in The Wine Advocate.

Well, I certainly wish I'd known that. I could've put Beaucastel on hold and had another. A nice safe chianti, for example. (Not a fan.)

Project Vino Uses Twitter for Wine Tasting

2008-04-30T06:35:00.000-07:00

I'm all up in Twitter's grill right now, but for good reason. Every day I learn about something new -- and all without opening my suddenly-too-cumbersome feed reader.

Today I discovered the Project Vino Twitter Wine Tasting. Project Vino is a community-driven Australian wine site. (Think Wine Commune but less sales-oriented.)

Today it's using Twitter to drive a wine tasting event. Three bottles of Kirrihill wine were sent to 12 prominent Aussie-based Twitter users. At a certain time, they were asked to log onto Twitter and share their thoughts with followers.

Australia's wine leaves something to be desired. But from a promotional perspective, they're always on top.

TechCrunch has screenshots from a live stream of the tasting. If this piques your interest in Project Vino, you can follow 'em here.

Image credit: bookworm. I've been using Compfight to find illustrations on flickr; it's awesome.

Parisian Pawn Shops: Now Taking Wine

2008-03-28T12:34:00.000-07:00

The Decanter reports that Parisian pawn shops will be accepting wine in exchange for cash for the first time ever. (Funny that it took so long.)

It all goes down courtesy of the Crédit Municipal de Paris, the "local authority" pawn shop, which typically deals in jewels and heirlooms. Wine will be stored in 80 percent humidity cellars under its building until owners redeem them. Wine that isn't eventually bought back by owners will be sold at auction.

The minimum value for pawnable wine is €60. If you're pawning, you can expect to cash in on about 50 percent of the value. (If you don't dig those rates, and can afford to wait for funds, there's always Wine Commune, where oenophiles hawk wares amongst their fellows.)

As of the 25th of March over 350 bottles -- totaling €60,000 -- have been pawned, including an '85 Domaine de la Romanée Conti worth €5,000.

Learn a bit about judging the value of old wines at the Wine Doctor. (Not terrifically optimistic.)

World Wine Map -- Changing with the Climate?

2008-03-26T13:54:00.001-07:00

Arg! I'm doing a terrible job of updating here. (Mostly because I've been dry.)

I did get to try a Finger Lakes wine at a local restaurant some weeks ago. It wasn't anything special; not much more than you'd expect from a typical California chardonnay. (More acidic though.) I don't know much about the history of wine in upstate New York; it may become a pet project to try learning something about it.

Anyway, here's a link on how climate change may "redraw" the world's wine-producing map. (Thanks, Candace!) That is to say if France has the best wine because climate and geography permit, it's supposedly in for some serious blows. This could just be another lame way to justify its shrinking global marketshare, which was corroding anyway.

"The French 'Grand Crus' could be further threatened by the 'New World' wines of Australia, California, Chile, Argentina, South Africa and New Zealand, who would have the best climatic conditions," according to the article.

Now, if only the climate could redistrict for us.

Amazon Seeks Wine Buyer to Stock Cellar

2008-03-06T08:58:00.000-08:00

Our favourite online big-box is expanding into wine. Will Amazon give Wine.com a run for its money?

Paso Creek Merlot, 2005

2008-03-02T18:57:00.000-08:00

Paso Creek Merlot hails from Paso Robles, CA, a place that brings grit and desert to mind. It's a few degrees hotter than hell most of the year, and there's not much to see unless you're into tumbleweeds (which are HUGE, and not much fun to touch).

I picked the bottle out for three reasons:

1. Reading Judgment of Paris made me thirsty for that California pioneering spirit
2. The label had a texture -- like running your fingers over smooth asphalt. And check out the owl!
3. The label promised "bold character derived from stubborn patience." Couple that with an alcohol level of 13.5 percent -- conservative, in my experience with CA bottles -- and I felt like I'd come across the fruit of a radical.

We opened the bottle a few weeks ago. There was no occasion; it just seemed like a good night to throw back a drink. But the moment we popped the cork, I was intoxicated.

Paso Creek Merlot filled the room with a fresh-baked cookie smell. And it reminded me of my favourite shampoo, TIGI oatmeal and honey. All this warm raisiny goodness fell in stark contrast with the stained cork and the rich purple treat that we poured into our glasses.

It was like being in heaven. With a lot of carbs. Drink slowly: If you gorge, you're going to feel the way you did when you were eleven and ate all the molasses cookies. It also bears a slight blueberry aftertaste, which does refreshing battle to the iced oatmeal overload.

We finished it off the next night with chili, something I'd be hesitant to eat with any wine, especially this one. But the wine and chili were so cheerfully well-paired that I'd actually go out of my way to make chili the next time we uncork a Paso Creek Merlot.

Must be that desert charm. From the back of the bottle:

Paso Robles, off the beaten path between Santa Barbara and San Francisco, lays claim to the wildest temperature swings of any grape growing region in California. The daily climate drama causes our vines to produce small clusters and tiny berries, resulting in world-class, deeply concentrated wines. Small lot winemaking and patient barrel aging allow the bold character of our wines to fully develop.

This is officially one of my favourites. I don't just like it because it surprised me with that whole Grandmother's Cookies vibe; it's also unusually casual for a wine of its quality. Take it over a meal with a few good friends, or share it at a bonfire on Ocean Beach.

She Took a Hard Fall, There.

2008-02-12T11:42:00.000-08:00

"Oh no, oh dear."

The notion of crushing grapes en pied just lost a little of its razzle-dazzle. I winced at the khaki shorts and I cringed when the woman fell, but it was the slow-mo instant replay that really sealed the deal.

Cristom 2005 Estate Pinot Gris, Willamette Valley

2008-02-10T10:09:00.000-08:00

I just finished reading Judgment of Paris: California vs. France and the Historic 1976 Paris Tasting. It made me painfully thirsty for wine from California and Oregon.

So yesterday I hit Red Feet and picked up two bottles from CA -- which I'll open and talk about later -- and Cristom's 2005 Estate Pinot Gris.

Cristom took root in Oregon's Willamette Valley. The estate is owned by Paul and Eileen Gerrie. In the early '90s the Gerries tapped Steve Doerner, who studied at UC Davis, to make their wine. Wine Geeks says Doerner is big on Pinot Noir.

Cristom produces 8,500 cases per year from 65 acres of vineyard. Growths include Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Syrah, Viognier and Chardonnay.

Estate Pinot Gris hails from a special vineyard called Emilia. Emilia was planted in '93 with two different clones as well as two different rootstocks. Grapes are fermented in stainless steel tanks. The winemaker says a glassful brings a plate of Hama Hama oysters to mind.

I uncorked the bottle last night. It's easy on the eye: pale yellow, like hay, with a friendly sparkle. A glass of Goldilocks hair! The cork is made of rubber -- an embarrassing relief considering I broke the Vacqueyras one last time.

Then there was the smell! I got fuzzy peaches, hard green grapes and newborn clover. Nothing overpowering; the notes remained just long enough to welcome you home. This is a bottle I'd like to have in Monterey by the seaside.

The taste drew me to the day my best friend and I tried making butter beer, way back when we first started reading Harry Potter.

The butter beer experiment failed, but if we had been successful, this is how it might have tasted: dry and buttery with notes of vanilla and cream, tempered by a longing for the sea.

It's also light on the alcohol, an aid to well-being without stripping you to your coarser nature.

Cristom's Estate 2005 Pinot Gris is a lively bottle that would easily charm a San Francisco meal at the pier. Think fresh bread, newly-caught fish, sharp salty wind, cold stones, colorful parkas and familiar faces.

I miss the West Coast.

Update: We finished the wine this evening. On day 2, the Cristom Estate 2005 Pinot Gris is less buttery and more wild-grassy. Also, Benj used some of it as a base with egg and flour to coat chicken. Sides included organic spinach, oyster mushrooms and rigatoni. It was a feel-good meal; no aggressive flavours. Yum!

Domaine le Sang des Cailloux Vacqueyras, Cuvée Floureto, 2004

2008-02-06T17:56:00.000-08:00

I was excited about opening this bottle because I thought it was pretty. What can I say? I go for pretty.

Produced and bottled at the Domaine le Sang des Cailloux ("the blood of stones"), the Vacqueyras is 75 percent Grenache, 20 percent Syrah, five percent Mourvedre and Cinsault grapes aged in foudre, says Hudson Wine Merchants.

The color is a generous royal purple -- almost black -- and the nose is disarming, loaded with Mediterranean olive and pickled fruit, maybe plum, as well as black licorice (my least favourite jelly bean).

The 14 percent alcohol will go straight to your head without waiting for permission, so sip the wine slowly. I got more of that pickled fruit taste, but overall I found Vacqueyras regal and withholding. Its cards are kept close to the vest; if I'd known, I would have waited.

The keys on its bottle are quite apt.

We had the bottle with spiced pork, rosemary-seasoned rice and asparagus in olive oil and lemon powder. The variety of flavor complemented the olive aspect well, but I was feeling heady -- and a little cheated -- before I even finished my glass. Vacqueyras takes without giving back.

La Percée du Vin Jaune

2008-01-24T16:41:00.000-08:00

It would be neat to visit Arbois and catch this sometime. The NY Times has me thinking it's the wine geek's response to mardi gras.

Little cups dangling from neck chains?

Jura, France -- where La Percée du Vin Jaune takes place -- is a wee (1800 hectare) place of clay and limestone that produces three grapes unheard-of anywhere else: Savagnin, Poulsard and Trousseau.

More importantly (at least for the tourism department), Jura is the home of yellow wine. Yellow wine is aged in oak for six years and three months. It keeps 50 to 100 years, says Wikipedia, and the NY Times goes on to describe it as a love/hate kind of drink upon first sip.

Can't wait.

Le Gœuil Côtes du Rhône Villages Cairanne, 2005

2008-01-22T06:43:00.001-08:00

The Domaine Le Gœuil 2005 Cairanne (Cuvée Lea Felsch) is a grenache-based red at 14 percent alcohol.

The women at Red Feet were excited about it because it's fun to drink and was also produced by Catherine Le Gœuil, who's -- surprise-surprise -- a woman.

In Adventures on the Wine Route, Kermit Lynch (who imported this bottle) speculates wine doesn't just take on the qualities of its terrain. It also inherits characteristics from the winemaker.

I can believe this about Le Gœuil's Cairanne; it can't have been made with a heavy hand.

We opened the bottle last night. First inhale is an explosion of ripe red, sweet fruit: strawberries and candy, maybe even grenadine. Deeper inhale betrays a yielding, saccharine quality with a faint alcohol sting.

Cairanne is the color of Welch's grape juice with candy red highlights. She's playful. The taste is young and fleeting, coating the tongue for almost too little time.

It reminds me of being a kid, sometime close to summer when the sun's kiss is still so light it hardly disturbs the dew on your face.

I think it's best had with beautiful things that don't weigh heavy: a bouquet of flowers, fruit and yogurt, maybe quail with baby spinach.

I'd like to buy another one of these and age it awhile. It's a delight as-is, but that very quality makes me suspect an equally compelling maturity.

Paul Jaboulet Aîné Côte Rôtie Les Jumelles, 1997

2007-12-26T09:48:00.000-08:00

According to the Jaboulet website, the Syrah composing Les Jumelles hails from vines aged between 15 and 40 years. The wine is left to its own devices for 12 months in oak barrels, about 20 percent of which are new wood.

That probably explains the smokiness. To the credit of the growers, this seems to add to, rather than subtract from, the personality of the final product.

We had this bottle during Christmas dinner and I have never seen or tasted anything like it. (Then again, I am new to this.)

The nose is met with a sharp smell that brings Mediterranean olives to mind. The wine itself gives off a dull gleam, like dusty rubies.

It tastes distinctly like I would imagine roasted earth to taste -- smoky and sweet, like smoked holiday ham (crowned with a pineapple, like the ones Mom would get from Goldilocks and claim she cooked herself).

It paired well with the home-made chicken pie and young boiled carrots -- indeed, Côte Rôtie Les Jumelles seemed to add a garnet luster to the sweetness of the carrots and the creamy heartiness of the pie.

True to form, the wine left bits of sediment at the bottom of the glass, adding to its earthy feel.

I've heard it said that wine represents a kind of communion between man and the soil he tills, but before this particular bottle I've not felt so close to the land from which these grapes were gleaned.

Domaine de Durban Muscat de Beaumes de Venise, 2005

2007-12-15T18:37:00.000-08:00

I will raise my hand before talking, do the dishes when it's not my turn, and skip dessert in exchange for a good Muscat. And if you aspire to make me the happiest person alive, at least for the evening, I don't think you can do any better than Domaine de Durban's Muscat de Beaumes de Venise.

The color of pale gold, this honey-and-rose-scented pleasure tastes like the first bite of a fresh chilled Fuji apple. A slightly substantial, honeyed sweetness lingers thereafter.

You hardly feel the 15 percent alcohol -- there is no wine shudder -- and, according to the site, the vineyards for the 2005 batch are 25 years old.

The grapes are pure Muscat à Petits Grains. Berry Bros. & Rudd says Muscat Blancs à Petits Grains are the most noble variety of the Muscat family and cites Muscat de Beaumes du Venise among the best vin doux naturels in France.

Sans doute!

Unless you have company by, I don't recommend buying a bottle for home. Once chilled and opened, this is best had quickly and in sparing portions. It's hardly something you want to have on hand all the time; that would be like Santa coming twice a week. Horrors!

Viña Bosconia Reserva Rioja, 1999

2007-12-15T18:00:00.000-08:00

The official breakdown:

Tempranillo 80%
Garnacho 15%
Graciano 3%
Mazuelo 2%

The estate, R. Lopez de Heredia Viña Tondonia, SA, is located in Haro (Rioja Alta), Spain.

This bad-boy is the colour of communion grape juice and its 13 percent alcohol count says "Hello!" after half a glass.

First olfactory impressions include red berries, black licorice and raw meat -- in that order. Then again, I had it with lamb and potatoes, so maybe I was under the influence of my eyes. (I doubt it.)

I'm into Spanish reds because they taste and feel a little like blood. This one is slightly herby and was, at outset, overwhelmed by the meal (provincial lamb and plain potatoes -- it wasn't meant to be overwhelming!). It was like drinking weak club soda.

With time a slight meatiness developed, followed by the usual metallic taste -- which is where the thoughts of blood start coming in -- and a bitterness in the back of the throat, not unlike cloves, but with a slightly sweet upturn.

It didn't seem very interesting at first, but a bit of time and a few more sips betrayed a pleasant tang and blackberry aftertaste.

Côtes du Rhône, 2005

2007-12-14T17:20:00.000-08:00

No photos of this one; Benj ordered a glass of it the other night to go with his dinner at a French restaurant in Ithaca called Dijon. I can't say I'm crazy about it, though I couldn't quite tell you what "it" is -- according to this resource, the Côtes du Rhône appellation covers over 1500 wineries and 100,000 acres.

The area produces 95 percent reds, which (generally?) break down as follows: Grenache (topping the mix at 40 percent), Syrah, Mouvèdre, Carignan and Cinsault grapes.

The 2005 red is dark for its age, but the taste reveals a superficial kind of youth.

At first scent I got strong blackberry notes; a deeper inhale revealed something antiseptic. Rubbing alcohol?

A sip gave way to the taste of red currant. This came and went with sips that followed. Overall, the wine didn't much linger.

As Expected, Blanket Ban on Chaptalization 'Watered Down'

2007-12-13T12:02:00.000-08:00

Yesterday the EU Parliament voted to "water down" a reform on the wine sector that included a blanket ban on adding sugar to the mix.

Adding sugar to a wine increases the alcohol content of the final product. Typically, blends with a high alcohol content fare better on the mass market than blends that do not.

Subsidies to maintain distillation, and to assist low-quality producers who desist production to be disbursed in three years (versus five), were brought to table. Subsidies for wine "enrichment" via must were also called for. Complete reforms are expected to appear next week.

The reforms are intended to clear the "wine lakes" in Europe and improve sales.

EU to Empty 'Wine Lakes' Into Sucrose-Lined Caskets

2007-12-11T18:35:00.000-08:00

Here's a winning proposition: hold off on a proposed ban to adding excess sugar (chaptalization) to European wine, and instead penalize vineyards that aren't turning a profit or are distilling wine for too long.

This will bankroll the European wine industry. It will also flood our market with wine that does little besides daze us with a high concentration of alcohol.

Small wineries that sacrifice short-term profit for a quality vintage will fall to the wayside.

If the world wants so much alcohol, why not leave wine alone and turn to our old friend vodka?

V. Sattui Johannisberg Riesling, 2006

2007-12-09T15:56:00.000-08:00

I managed to score a bottle of this "off dry" Riesling from my uncle, who's a big California wine geek.

Label legend has it that the Vittorio Sattui Winery was founded in 1885 by an Italian immigrant of that name. His great grandson, Daryl Sattui, is currently maintaining the winemaking tradition.

Sattui produces product in small lots and vends it strictly from the winery, located in St. Helena.

Benj and I opened the bottle this evening after chilling it for a short period. First impressions include a strong lemon smell, maybe lemongrass, but I'm leaning more toward verbena now.

The wine winks, a little like champagne; its color is a cheerful pale yellow.

I tried it and was reminded of lychee, a lightly sweet and mellow pink-white fruit, but something slightly more abrasive hits the back of the throat, clearing the nostrils.

After a few more tastings I recognized the feeling and the smell: Mustard flower. The Napa valley has this stuff growing everywhere!

This launched me into a story about toluene and how the inclusion of mustard seed can discourage children in Third World countries to stop sniffing glue. Not the best dinner conversation.

Anyway, this white is sweet and slightly heady. It would probably be nice with a citrusy, soft cheese like brie. In any event, it did our chicken pie and mashed potatoes justice.