March 19, 2014: Foris Pinot Blanc 2009

     Tonight I served a really light and delicious pasta with baby peas, asparagus, and a very faint cream sauce. Delish! And this wine was the perfect pairing for such delicate flavors.

      This wine comes out of the Rogue Valley in Oregon. I am sure the Willamette Valley gets more press, but these guys deserve their due. Foris estates have been producing wine since 1974 and the grapes are sourced from the Siskiyou Mountain terrace in the cool, western climate. The winery lies only about 7 miles into the state of Oregon. The vineyards are close to the Pacific Ocean and have cool nights leading to long "hang time." The estate is owned by the Gerber family and the winemaker has been nurturing the product for about 35 years! Their pinot blanc grapes come from their Cedar Ranch vineyard-- an acquisition from a US Marshal drug property seizure and the Three Creeks Vineyard, an area of low vigor soils composed of clay loam and pebbles. This Pinot Blanc is fermented in stainless steel with a variety of aromatic yeasts with the goal of showcasing the unique attributes of the grape.

      Overall, we found this to be a pleasant white with a style somewhere between the crispness of Chardonnay and the fruitiness of Pinot Gris. And very food friendly! This would go very well as a pairing with nearly any chicken, fish or vegetarian meal. Or just on the back porch in spring.

JUST THE FACTS

It pours a light yellow color

On the nose, we got apples, honeysuckle and a chalk/clay aroma.

In the glass, the taste of apples predominated to us and the finish was clean and mildly lingering.

This wine is meant to be drunk young, but a five years didn't seem to hurt it.

The ratings on this wine are usually around 88 with mild variation.

Price: $11 to 18. I bought it for $12 dollars at Mac's Liquors in Atlanta. Most of the sellers for this bottle are on the west coast.

“Wine is the most healthful and most hygienic of beverages.” 
― Louis Pasteur

  (Hey, who am I to argue with the father of pasteurization."

March 17, 2014: Acustic Cellar Montsant White Wine 2010

            For St. Patrick's Day, I made a Guinness Beef Stew. I wouldn't think to serve a white wine with that meal, but that did not deter my husband. He chose the Acustic Cellar Blanc 2010. And it went pretty well with all the veggies and the background of Guiness and tomatoes.

          This is a modestly priced Spanish white blend of Garnacha 60%<, Macabeu 25%, Pink Garnacha 10% and Pansal 5% grown in the Catalonia region.  These are not grapes we encounter on a daily basis in Knoxville. The vineyards for this winery are about 45-60 years old.

          I really love the vineyards' tasting notes on this wine, because they contain such improper English, but still transmit their passion for wine making:

"Our philosophy to create this wine, claim and look for the roots and the value of traditional viticulture, by processing without makeup or current technologies such as other wines.
Fine wines, elegant personal and express the characteristics of our vineyards sages quite naturally."

          Really, it's hard to add to that! This wine is 30% blended from oak barrels.

JUST THE FACTS

This wine pours a very clear and straw yellow.

On the nose, we detected citrus especially orange and a hint of honey. The winery also mentions wild flower .

On the palate, there is again the citrus and honey components as well as a faint hint of butter and just a tad of oak. Other tasting notes have mentioned peach as well. 

We found the finish to be short and not overly complex.

Cellaring will likely not add anything to the taste on this product, but we are drinking it at four years old and didn't get exactly the profile that is typical to the internet drinker a couple of years back.

Ratings are pretty consisently between 88-91. I'd give it a solid 90. (So did Robert Parker!)

We purchased this for $19 at Asheville Wine Market,  but I do see it listed at various  locations for $2-3 less. The closest seller I see on wine locator is The Wine Merchant in Cincinnati.




WINE QUOTE OF THE DAY:

“We all need something to help us unwind at the end of the day. You might have a glass of wine, or a joint, or a big delicious blob of heroin to silence your silly brainbox of its witterings but there has to be some form of punctuation, or life just seems utterly relentless.” 
― Russell Brand, My Booky Wook

(I think Paul and I will just stick to the wine!)

 

 

February 4, 2014: Lioco Chardonnay 2012

Last night Paul and I had a late night lentil and pumpkin soup. The recipe was from the book  THE BEST OF COOKING LIGHT. And the best part of the meal was ....THE WINE. Seriously, don't make that soup!
We discovered this really nice and reasonably priced and AVAILABLE IN KNOXVILLE chardonnay at a "throwdown" party last year.  It was available at Downtown Wine and Spirits at a very reasonable $11 a bottle.
LIOCO, a Sonoma County white wine,  is the joint vision of Matt Licklider, an import specialist, and Kevin O'Connor, sommolier and the Wine Director at Spago-Beverly Hills to create wines of place. The name is a hybrid of their surnames. Their first bottle was produced in 2006. They also produce a very nice Pinot Noir.  Interestingly, they aren't a vineyard. They have been referred to as a "virtual winery." They source their wine from "high end" local growers and the actual wine making takes place in Santa Rosa. LIOCO’s winemaking practices are methodically minimalistic; hand sorting, wild yeast fermentations, low or no wood contact and no fining or filtration.  The grapes are whole cluster pressed then aged six on the lees in stainless. The collective results of these vineyard and cellar principles are expressive, well-balanced wines that over-deliver for their price. They are expanding their repetoire of varietals as well, so expect more reasonably priced tasty everyday wines from this duo.

JUST THE FACTS

This wine pours a very clear and straw yellow.

On the nose, we detected peach and an almost buttery essence. Others have detected apricots and oak.

On the palate, there is again peach, lemon zest, a bit of toffee flavor  and a brisk acidity.  Others have noticed citrus fruits, pear, apple, passionfruit, brioche, ocean air  and  "clean stone." The finish is crisp and lemony.

Cellaring will likely not add anything to the taste on this product.

Ratings are pretty consisently between 88-90.

We purchased this for $11 but it seems to have become a bit pricier, but still mostly under $20

So knock back a glass or two. In fact, it might be too drinkable.


WINE QUOTE OF THE DAY:

“I should say upfront that I have never been in a cellar in my life. In fact, I can see no reason why anyone should ever go into a cellar unless there is wine involved.”
― Rachel Hawkins, Hex Hall

February 2, 2014: Finca Villacreces 2009 Pruno

2009 Finca Villacreces Ribera del Duero Pruno

Tonight’s dinner was a lighter take on eggplant parmesan--- a strata of eggplant and zucchini with chopped tomatoes, garlic and scallions and some sprinkled feta topped with parmesan encrusted panko breadcrumbs. If that isn’t mixing up cultures, I don’t know what is, so I felt comfortable serving a SPANISH red with this hearty winter meal.

Pruno is a red blend, but it mostly temperanillo with a suggestion of merlot and cabernet sauvignon to round out the flavors. Tempranillo in a more concentrated, full-bodied and fruit-driven style than most rioja wines—rioja was virtually the only Spanish varietal on the export market for years.

Ribera del Duero is one of the Spanish denominacions de origen (DO) located on the northern plateau region and one of the eleven “quality” wine regions located within Castille and Leon. It is found along the Duero River. The region is characterized by flat, rocky terrain. Wine Enthusiast magazine named this area wine region of the year in 2012.

Viticulture as we know it probably arrived in the Ribera del Duero region with Benedictine monks from the Burgundy region of France in the twelfth century. Ribera del Duero wine making goes back over 2,000 years as evidenced by the 66-meter mosaic of Bacchus, the god of wine that was unearthed relatively recently at Baños de Valdearados. Wine-making monks, the Romans…what’s not to like? In the 20th Century, the property belonged to a wealthy aristocratic family from Valladolid, who used to spend their holidays and weekends there. In the early 1970s, 100 acres of vineyard were planted, which has now been increased to 150. Including a 200-year-old forest, the estate comprises a total of 285 acres.

In 2003, the Anton family - owners of a Rioja bodega and one of Spain’s most famous Michelin starred restaurants in the Basque country – purchased the estate and invested in revitalizing both the estate and the vineyards. The property is situated at 2,300 feet above sea level on poor soils comprised of lime, gravel, sand and quartz which naturally keep yields low (the estate averages 1.6 tons per acre). The proximity to the Duero river helps protect the vines from and reduce the effects of the frosts that are common in the Ribera del Duero.

This wine is produced from temperanillo grapes that are from vines between 5 and 25 years old.  They are aged in French oak for twelve months.

JUST THE FACTS

It pours a deep ruby to purple color.

On the nose, you get some wet earth and dark fruit aromas. Others have mentioned Asian spices and incense as well.

In the glass, you get a bold dark currant taste with a nice tannin finish that is lengthy.

This wine is meant to be drunk young, but a couple of years didn't seem to hurt it. In fact, I might take a chance and disagree with the majority of wine experts who don't recommend giving this wine a few years in the bottle.

The ratings on this wine are fairly wide ranging: as low as 85 and as high as 92. The average one was between 88-91. I would like give this a 90 myself. Very tasty.

Price: $12 to $25. I bought it for $14 from Wine Library in New Jersey.   I couldn’t find it in Knoxville, although Total Wine and More in Atlanta carries the 2010 vintage and seems to be the closest purveyor. All in all another highly drinkable wine at under $20!

WINE QUOTE OF THE DAY

“There are days when solitude is a heady wine that intoxicates you with freedom, others when it is a bitter tonic, and still others when it is a poison that makes you beat your head against the wall.”
― Colette, Oeuvres complètes en seize volumes

January 23, 2014: Clos du Gravillas Sous les Cailloux 2010

Last night, I served coca cola baby back ribs with baked beans and cole slaw.  Paul really thought this called for a red. I think his usual wine favorite of a big bold American red would have been nice, but I generally prefer the more subtle approach of the French... so this wine was something of marriage of our preferences and a delight at that.

Made by an American who goes by the name of John Bojanowski and his French wife Nicole in "a St. Jean gravel field," this wine is an organic blend that changes year to year. They began making the wine in 1996 and several years later managed to salvage some 1911 carignan and grenache gris vines.  In 2010, this wine contains 24% each syrah, cabernet sauvignon, and carignan and 7% each mourvedre, terret, grenache and counoiset. Those aren't grape names you hear every day either!  Clos du Gravillas is 8 hectares on a 300 meter plateau of crushed white gravel and calcium carbonate in the Parc Naturel de Haut Languedoc surrounded by the Meditteranean brush and scrub oak.The winemakers uses all organic techniques and crushes the wine with "several pairs of boots." They run a small, low tech,  low yield operation (8000 bottles.) It is aged for a year in steel and then bottled by hand.

JUST THE FACTS:
It pours a very nice dark ruby color.

The bouquet is "wet earth," blackberries and dark cherry.

On the palate, the blending of the berry tastes is really beautiful and you get all sorts of dark berry tastes: blackberries, blueberries, dark cherries and currants. The tannins are definitely there and you get them in the finish.

This wine is meant to be drunk young, but a couple of years didn't seem to hurt it.

Most of the ratings I have seen are 90 to 93

This is another great find under $20. We  paid $16.99 as one of our favorite wine store,Asheville wine market. The price seems to range  $13 to $20.


WINE QUOTE OF THE DAY:
"Beer  is  made  by. Men and wine by God ."-----Martin  Luther

January 20. 2014: Weingut Stadt Krems Gruner Veltliner 2010

For anyone who cannot pronounce it, don't feel bad. Just call this signature Austrian grape "Gru-Ve"--like groovy. No one will  be offended!

 Tonight I served a spinach and mushroom cheddar and bacon egg pie. Some people call this quiche, but then my husband couldn't eat it, could he?  So French wine might have been more appropriate, but tonight we are sampling Austrian wine. Frankly, we don't drink that much Austrian wine around our house. It's not that we don't like it, but we actually don't see that many in the local stores. I believe this bottle came from Wine Library in New Jersey, a wonderful on line site for finding some fairly rare and scarce products.

This winery has some serious cred! On the banks of the Danube, the vineyards (and a hospital too) were established by Duke Leopold IV of Babenberg in 1210! There is a secondary grape source from a behest of the imperial Burggrave of Krems, Ulrich von Dachsberg, who presented the town with vineyards in 1452. That's 800+ years of winemaking.  Until 1744, the Town Hall in the historical centre of the city, which is over a thousand years old, accommodated the press house and the maturing cellar. They were then relocated to the cellar in the "Corporis Christi Brotherhood".  In 1915, the city acquired a wine cellar in the town moat. The estate wines of the city have been pressed there ever since. No wines or grapes have ever been bought from outside vineyards. All grapes are hand harvested, destemmed and pressed, then fermented in stainless steel tanks.

 So when you screw the top off this bottle of wine (yes, it's a screwtop, but don't let that scare you!), you are drinking a little sip of Austrian history. It deserves your respect!


JUST THE FACTS:

This wine poured a very pale yellow and was clear.

On the nose, we detected citrus, apple and floral notes.

On the palate, there was grapefruit, honeysuckle, a nice acidity and a touch of pepper. There was no protracted finish, but one doesn't necessarily expect that in a crisp wine like this. Other reveiwers have noted stone fruit, white currant, fennel, kiwi, pear, passionfruit, almond and a variety of herb flavors.

The wine maker suggests that it tastes good young or you can cellar it for 3-4 years which is what we did.

The rating on this bottle are pretty much all in the 90-92 range.

This is another great under $20 bottle averaging $17 across the US.

They suggest enjoying it with typical Austrian foods such as pork and sausages, but admit it tastes good with Asian fair. I would add quiche to the list :)

Prost!


WINE QUOTE OF THE DAY:

“his lips drink water
but his heart drinks wine”
― E.E. Cummings

January 19, 2012: Vinea Crianza 2009 (temperanillo)

Tonight I made a really spicy and absolutely delicious vegetarian enchilada with mushrooms, tomatoes, onions, peppers and green chiles with a red enchilada sauce. So what better than a saucy red wine from Spain. And this one did not disappoint!

One of the great things about this bottle besides the simplicity of the bottle and the complexity of the wine inside is the improper but still really enchanting English description on the back: "Vinea, Latin for vineyard, the eternal protagonist behind the wine. The temperanillo vineyards are planted in the Cigales DOP in the poor and pebbly soils of the Castillan plateau at more than 700meters. The fruit has been hand sorted followed by a careful elaboration aiming at a fruit driven wine. The wine has been barrique aged for a year. Versatile, matches red meat, stews and lamb."  Charming and I think I understand!

These high elevation vineyards have an extreme continental climate with long, cold winters, late spring frosts and a marked contrast between day and night temperatures. Soils are an extremely well drained combination of sand, limestone, pebbles and clay. Vine age ranges from 12 years to over 50.  Fruit is hand-picked, sorted and vinified in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks with frequent "remontage" or pumping over to encourage depth, concentration and complexity. The resulting wines are aged for 15 months in French and American oak barrels (60% American/ 40% French) and then bottled without filtration and aged an additional 12 months prior to release.

Interestingly, this particular wine does NOT seem to be a "family product" and is instead produced by the Baron de Ley group, a group of "prominent Rioja professionals" who ventured into wine making in the mid 1980s.

JUST THE FACTS:

This wine pours a lovely deep purple.

On the nose, we smelled the fruit--dark red cherries and plums as well as some of the tannins.

On the palate,  we tasted cherries and blackberries. Some have noted boysenberry. We also got a background of expresso with a long, smooth tannin/ basalmic finish.

The typical rating on this wine is 82-88. We think it would score high 80s to 90 after 5 years of cellaring.

The price range for this bottle is $13-$20. We got it for $15.99 in Asheville, North Carolina. So a good buy for under $20!

To your health!

WINE QUOTE OF THE DAY:

“Wine is one of the most civilized things in the world and one of the most natural things of the world that has been brought to the greatest perfection, and it offers a greater range for enjoyment and appreciation than, possibly, any other purely sensory thing.”
― Ernest Hemingway