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

January 8, 2014: Don Cayetano Carmenere 2009

Tonight I served chicken mole--so what better than a Latin origin red wine to go along with it.  And tonight's wine was Don Cayetano Carmenere 2009 from the Colchagua region of Chile.

Carmener grape has a really interesting history. The original grapes were from Bordeaux. This grape had disappeared from Europe completely nearly a hundred years ago and was thought to be extinct. However, it was discovered growing amongst merlot grapes in Chile. This is one of the very darkest grape varietals and needs a long growing season. Clones are now growing in Italy, California and Walla Walla in addition to the epicenter of Chile.

The history of Don Cayetano winery dates back to 1976, when Luis Felipe Cayetano Edwards purchased a large estate in Chile’s premier wine region, the Colchagua Valley. Don Cayetano is his "nickname."

The estate included 6 hectares of veteran vines: Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec and Carmenere planted in 1937. Between 1976 and 1994 more vineyards were planted, and throughout that period the grapes were sold on to Chile’s larger wine producers. Then in 1994 the family decided to keep back the best grapes they harvested to make a wine of their own. They built a winery and launched their first bottled wine in 1995.

Today, the estate comprises 850 hectares of vineyards on 4 properties located in Colchagua Valley, Leyda Valley and Maule Valley and also a long term grape growing contract in Casablanca and Maipo Valleys.. They are probably best known for their award winning Cabernets.  The winemaker is the son-in-law of Don Cayetano who is related to the original owner of the vineyards. He studied oneology in Australia and worked with Robert Mondavi's vineyards prior to making the move to Chile.

 

JUST THE FACTS:

 

This a really beautiful garnet colored wine.

The nose is woody (cedar) and herbal with faint hints of cherry. Paul could smell the tannins as well.

On the tongue, we tasted predominantly the tannins to begin with on a super long finish, but after we ate some of the mole, the fruit really hit us: black cherry, plum and blackberry with a slight cinnamon note. It may have benefited from a long decant. We opened the bottle about an hour before dinner, so I suggest a decant of at least an hour to fully appreciate this wine.

Ratings on this bottle range from 85-89.

This bottle is certainly available for under $20 and I saw one site in which it was available for $9.99.

Salud!

 

 

WINE QUOTE OF THE DAY:

“I like on the table,
when we're speaking,
the light of a bottle
of intelligent wine.”
― Pablo Neruda

January 7, 2010 LeCrema 2009 Pinot Noir

    Paul and I drink a lot of really obscure wine. But fortunately for Knoxvillians, this particular wine is acquirable in town. We first tasted wine from the LaCrema vineyards in Chicago a couple of years back when we were there with friends selecting wines for our wedding. This one didn't make the final cut, but it certainly wasn't because there's a thing wrong with it. It's lovely wine.
    
     See below the philosophy of LaCrema winemakers in their own words:
"For more than 30 years, La Crema has explored California’s coastal appellations, a voyage of varietals that started here at our estate in the foggy vineyards of the Russian River Valley. On our journey, we have found exciting cool-climate vineyards north in the rugged hills of Mendocino, and south along the wind-swept slopes of Los Carneros. Most recently, our exploration has taken us to the wind-swept hillside vineyards of Monterey. Centered always on the dual lens of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, we look for one unifying factor at these exceptional sites: coastal wind and fog that allow the grapes ripen slowly on the vine, developing intensely complex aromas and flavors while retaining firm acid structure.
Naturally, our winemaking team seeks to express the essence of the terroir in our wines, capturing the unique personality and flavor profile of the vineyards. Elizabeth Grant-Douglas infuses our winemaking regime with a highly personal touch that combines the best of traditional Burgundian winemaking techniques with a contemporary California style."

    Some fun facts about their winemaking is that they harvest by hand in the early morning and after removing stems, leave the fruit in a cold soak for 5-8 days to capture color and aromatics. They ferment in open containers, stirring three times daily. Then they gently press the wine off the grape components, and barrel it predominantly in French oak.

JUST THE FACTS:

     This wine poured a beautiful ruby color and was clear.

     I have to admit that all the decent notes beyond color are Paul's because my sinuses didn't permit me to enjoy fully in the way of flavor.

     On the nose, I detected very little except coffee, but Paul said "damp earth." Others have noted tobacco overtones, cherry, blackberry and expresso.

     On the palate, Paul appreciated the big black cherry fruit component as well as tannins, particularly in the finish. I could actually taste the tannins and a distinct peppery quality on the finish, despite my limitations.  Others have noted the bold fruit taste esp cherry, plums and/or blackberries and some reviewers tasted cardamom, vanilla, and licorice.

     The ratings on this wine range from 89-92.

      I think it may improve with cellaring and a long decant.

     I have seen the cost range from $19.99 to $40, so it's the wild wild west on this one!

     Even if you cannot find this vintage, there is sure to be a LaCrema wine in a liquor store near you.

WINE QUOTE OF THE DAY:
“Accept what life offers you and try to drink from every cup. All wines should be tasted; some should only be sipped, but with others, drink the whole bottle.”
― Paulo Coelho

January 3, 2014: Kistler Chardonnay 2012

    Paul and I dined at a rule "old school" restaurant in Vero Beach: The Polo Club.  The food is classic. It's the kind of place your grandpa liked if he had the money to eat out regularly. We really enjoyed our meal and the wine recommended to us was Kistler Chardonnay Sonoma Coast 2012.We told the bartender we weren't familiar with the winery and he said, "Not many people are. They sell out." In fact, you can only get single vineyard wines if you are a part of their wine club. For the rest of us, it's whatever you can find...which isn't really a bad thing!

     Kistler Vineyards is a small, family established and privately owned and operated winery dedicated to the vinification of world class Chardonnay and Pinot Noir using old world Burgundian techniques applied to new world vineyards.  Produced in Sonoma, just shy of 1800 feet in elevation, in a small bowl on the western edge of the Mayacama mountains lies the original Kistler planting. Thirty year old vines grow dry farmed in deep red volcanic ash, producing a wine with an intense sense of the mountain heritage. I believe this wine, however, comes from newer grape holdings near Freestone and Occidental.

     Kistler started out in 1978 with 3500 cases and now produce about 25,000 per year. Like most wine, this is a family affair with Steve Kistler, formerly of Ridge vineyards, heading up as winemaker. They have also borrowed from Fetzer and Hudson vineyards to round out their team, including Mark Bixler who earned a degree in chemistry from MIT. Those are pretty high fallutin' credentials.

    Most of the grapes they use are produced at Kistler Vineyards, although they do outsource some of the fruit. They average about 2.5 tons of fruit per acre.  Each of their ten Chardonnay bottlings are grown from the same heritage clone of Chardonnay that have been raised for thirty years. This was our first chance to sample it.

JUST THE FACTS:
     The wine poured pale gold and clear.

     The bouquet on this wine was minerality, melon, pear and honeysuckle to us. The few tasting notes from others I could find out there only commented on crisp acidity, smokiness and slight oakiness.  One said "stone fruit."

     The tasting profile for us was that of honey, butter and oak-- particularly in the finish. Others have noted "lots of lemon and citrus."

     Where ratings are available, they range from 90-93.

     This wine really does appear to be scarce and generally is selling from about $55-70 where available.  We got it at the restaurant for about $90.

WINE QUOTE OF THE DAY:

“Either give me more wine or leave me alone.”
― Rumi

January 2, 2014:Peter Michael Winery L'Apres Midi 2012

Continuing our anniversary trip here in Vero Beach, Florida, Paul and I went to the beachside restaurant, Citrus. They had a really nice wine list for a cozy beach restaurant and we had a little trouble deciding what to drink. After deciding on a seafood meal, we started looking at whites and this one was the winner!.

Peter Michael winery is located in Knight's Valley, a volcanic soiled region of Sonoma, California. This seems appropriate as Peter Michael is apparently also SIR Peter Michael. His knighthood has nothing to do with wine. He was knighted in 1989 for the prosperity rendered by his ventures in technology--including digital effects for the film and television industry and PAINTBOX. He is an engineer by trade and also the founder of Classic FM, the UK's first national commercial radio station. If you know my husband, apparently engineering, radio stations and wine loving actually go hand in hand!

Sir Peter and Lady Michael searched for six years to find this property to love and grow grapes on.  Both were interested in farming(she owns a thousand acres in Berkshire growing cereals and beef) , and this venture is the only one that bears their family name. And it is a family affair, with their son and daughter in law participating in the viniculture. They started their venture in 1982 and produced their first wines in 1987. They state they are committed to "vineyard terroir," wines in the French tradition that are elegant, not overstated and thirdly, a 'hundred year" commitment to the estate which leads to a limited production.

Currently, they produce 6 chardonnays, 4 pinot noirs, 2 red and 2 white Bordeaux varietals.

L'Apres Midi is a predominantly Sauvignon Blanc with a "touch of Semillon." For anyone who is not a Francophile, "l'apres midi" means afternoon and that's when Peter Michael suggests drinking it.  It's grown in the Les Pavots vineyard alongside red grapes near Mt. St. Helena. The grapes are hand picked and the whole cluster pressed and then naturally fermented in the barrel.

JUST THE FACTS:

This wine poured a pale yellow.

The bouquet on this wine was very light and consisted predominantly of minerality and a hint of honeysuckle. The winemaker states he also notes spring flowers, hawthorn, lily of the valley, white peach and gooseberry.

The tasting profile is definitely vibrant fruit and I caught vanilla on the finish. Winemaker's notes state almond on the finish as well as fruit and flowers. We noted no grass and herbaceous flavors often found in sauvignon blanc. It's definitely "easy drinking." The finish is long and complex--we agree with the winemaker on that!

The winemaker suggests that this wine can be cellared for up to a decade.

The ratings we have seen on this wine are all about 90 with a top score of 93. 

The price varies from $30 to $70 (mostly between $35-45)  and we bought it in a restaurant for $82.  That's more pricey than most of our wines we drink at home, but we were okay with it for a special occasion.



WINE QUOTE OF THE DAY:

"Age appears to be best in four things: old wood best to burn, old wine best to drink, old friends best to trust and old authors to read."
                                                                                  Francis Bacon

December 31, 2013 Happy New Year's Eve with Pascal Jolivet Sancerre 2012

We celebrated our anniversary and the culmination of 2013 at the Bijou in Vero Beach, Florida and this was the wine that brought it all to a very sentimental, but satisfactory close.

Pascal Jolivet is by French standards a bright newcomer on the scene. The vineyards were established in 1987 in the Sancerre section of the Loire Valley, located about 200km south of Paris, and in the villages of Bue, Verdigny and St. Gemme. With only about 75 acres, he outsources some of his grapes, but not in this particular bottle. They come from three vineyards, Les Cailotte which is chalky soil, the hillside vineyard of Les Terres Blanche and finally, Silex vineyard, a limestone and flinty region.

Jolivet believes in natural fermentation techniques. He adds no yeast cultures to his wines and allows them to ferment naturally--a slower process but the wine is crisp and tasty. He also does not use any oak barrels as he feels this overpowers the true components of sauvignon grape taste. (And I think I agree with him.) He states that he uses technology only to control the fermentation process, not to permit or begin it.  He says he's an epicurean and that wine "should go well with food."

JUST THE FACTS:

This bottle poured a beautiful very pale yellow almost water-like color.

When we took in the bouquet of this wine, I found it had notes of lime and green herbs, possibly thyme and sage. One taster labeled it "textbook cat pee." I am not sure I quite caught that, but I do know what he means :) .  Paul says he thought it smelled of green apples.  Other tasters also added wet stone and minerality.

The taste was dry and  lemony to me with a vanilla hint and some minerality on the finish. Paul definitely agreed with the citrus component and we both got a refreshing acidity. Another unexpected result was a slight fizziness---not like champagne but definitely there.

The ratings on this wine range from 87-91 on the major wine raters pages.

This wine sells in the store for about $15-25 and in a restaurant for $60. .

The winemaker suggested pairing this with seafood. I think that would be awesome. We didn't do that though. We had a polenta with mushrooms, a green salad and pork ribeye for me, short ribs for Paul. I am not sure we would score big with real wine pairers, but it was great.


WINE QUOTE OF THE DAY:

"Give me books, French wine, fruit, fine weather, and a little music played out of doors by someone I do not know."     
                                                                              John Keats