Words of wisdom

Frank Schoonmaker's Encyclopedia of Wine, 6th New Revised Edition (1976) provides this hilarious entry for the word dull:

A dull wine is like a dull person--perhaps honorable and sound, but not very interesting and certainly not much fun. Such a wine may be dry, full-bodied and have other qualities; it should certainly be cheap.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2006 Château de Puligny-Montrachet Monthélie

This delightful Pinot Noir shows an exotic spiciness along with red fruits and earth followed by a nice touch of acidity, smooth tannins and a long finish. Delicious. On Monthélie (map):

Monthélie is the smallest village on the Côte de Beaune, with Volnay to the northeast, Meursault to the south and Auxey-Duresses to the west. The monks from Cluny planted the first vines here around the year 1000, but traces of human settlements go all the way back to Gallo-Roman times and beyond.

The Monthélie premier crus were extended as recently as 2006; going from eleven to 15 in number when Les Clous, Le Clos des Toisières, Le Clou des Chênes and La Barbière were promoted from village status to premier cru. Nine of the premier crus are located east of the village; being an extension of the Volnay premier cru Clos des Chênes. The Monthélie wines are often described as lesser Volnays, but at more reasonable prices. Most of what is produced in Monthélie is red; white wine only accounting for four or five percent.

This would be perfect with the spices often seen at Oleana (BostonChefs.com on Oleana), where Theresa Paopao has assembled a great wine list.  My choices for the evening:

• NV Sparkling Gruner Veltliner, E. Gruber ‘Punkt Genau,’ Weinviertal, Austria
  
• 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon, Cinsault (plus another Rhone varietal), Chateau Musar, Bekka Valley, Lebanon (My first Lebanese wine!  Have you ever had Lebanese or Israeli wine?  Please share in the comments.)
  

Right now, I'm thinking of the delicious fried mussels with hot peppers and Turkish Tarator sauce--the crunchy romaine lettuce underneath worked great from a textural standpoint with the sparkling Groovy--and also THE LAMB steak, cooked rare with fava bean moussaka...yum, especially delicious with the Chateau Musar.

Thanksgiving Wine

Affordable wines, as recommended by The Second Glass, for Thanksgiving.  If you have time, you might want to check out their Crash Course events.

As for his recommendations, I must say, great choice with the Nino Franco Rustico Prosecco, this easy drinking sparkler consistently receives acclaim from critics.  That being said, it's ultimately up to you to decide whether you like a particular wine.  Wine critics are guides, not prophets.

Thanksgiving Wine

In preparation for the season, Gary Vaynerchuk makes his Thanksgiving wine recommendations.  More on that subject later. 

2005 Clos de la Coulée de Serrant

This delicious, absolutely hedonistic chenin blanc is truly worthy of having it's own AOC within Savennières.  This wine is magnificent (and it's been open for several hours, long before my first glass).  I'm buying a case.

Sweet aromas of honey with an essence of quince. Finishes dry with great balance.  Lovely sweet notes move into fruit and then finish dry;a monumentally long finish, 2+ min.

Stay tuned for a review of an older vintage of this.

Also tasted that night was 2006 Auxy-Duresses White Burgundy, Deux Montille; and 2001 W. Gisselbrecht Gewurztraminer VT.

From the Archives: 2001 Rocca delle Macie "Primo Volo"

I tasted the 2001 Rocca dell Macie "Primo Volo" on 1/11/2008 alongside several other wines.

This wine brings together three different powerhouse regions: Tuscany, Piedmont, and the Veneto. Made of equal parts Sangiovese, Barbera, and Merlot, with an additional 10% from the best region for that particular vintage.

In the case of the 2001, an additional 10% Sangiovese was included in the batch, making the final composition 40/30/30 respectively. It's a unique wine because it's the debut vintage and it's not classified; it's table wine. Story has it that the winemakers met on a plane and began talking, and probably drinking, together...by the end of the flight, they'd decided to make a wine together. This is the product of that collaboration. The barbera adds acidity and the merlot provides backbone to the delicate brawn of the sangiovese. 2001 was a great year in Tuscany.

Brilliant ruby colors with aromas of flowers and fruit; on the tongue flavors of cherries, plums, blueberries, and spice with nice acidity and a gracefully lingering finish.

More on the collaboration and process:

Sergio Zingarelli of Rocca delle Macie contributed the Sangiovese, Andrea Faccio of Villa Giada contributed the Barbera and Giordano Emo Capodilista of La Montecchia contributed the Merlot. Each batch was vinified separately at their respect place of origin and aged in French oak for 12 months before blending and bottling.

On Vodka: Belvedere & Chopin

Found an old slice of paper that's now resting in my recycling bin. It's from a "training session" back in the day over the differences between Belvedere & Chopin Vodkas. Knowing what I know now, or should I say, who I know now, could probably go on for days about the different flavors and types of vodka. In fact, that might be a great idea for a guest blog post. He'll be opening up this place (Woodward Tavern in the Ames Hotel), next Friday. He's what I like to call a Liquid Chef, AKA mixologist. Go see him: English Bill.

Belvedere
Presidential Palace in Poland
Century-old distillery in the small town of Zyrardow, just west of Warsaw
Handcrafted in small batches to ensure superior quality
100% Dankowskie Gold Rye, only successfully grown in Mazovia, Poland
Unusually high percentage of starch, 65% by volume
2.2 pounds of Dankowskie Gold Rye go into every 750 ml bottle
Water used is drawn from their own artisan wells providing great purity
Distilled 4 times
Filtered 3 times
Bottles cleaned, filled, and inspected by hand
Every bottle goes through 33 quality control tests

Chopin
Named after Frederic Chopin, Poland favorite son
Distillery located near the town of Kzresk in the heart of the Podlasie (po-LASH-ee), region of Poland
Podlasie potatoes from small, practicing-organic farms of 250 acres or less that use only natural growing , fertilization, and harvesting methods
Most potatoes contain 12% starch; Podlasie contains 17-25% resulting in a richer, more flavorful vodka
Approximately 40 potatoes go into every 750ml bottle of Chopin, it's gluten and carb free
Water is pulled from 300 ft. deep artisan wells at the foot of the distillery
Distilled 4 times
Filtered 5 times

On Greek wine

A wonderful friend of mine is a huge fan of Greece, especially Santorini, I really can't blame her and while reading about 2009 Boston Rising Star Theresa Paopao, sommelier at Oleana (yummy), speak on Greek wine, I couldn't help but think of my friend's smiling face. Cheers!

I think it's overlooked and underrated and we often associate Greek wine with Retsina, which is aged with pine resin, a flavor is off putting to a lot of people. I’m really into the whites from Santorini. The soil is all chalk and limestone and it’s notoriously windy, so the grapes are actually trained into little baskets so they don't blow away. It’s visually stunning. The two white grapes, Assyrtiko and Athiri are sometimes blended together are so bright and crisp and I've turned drinkers onto that right away.

Beer

Where:

Lower Depths Tap Room, Kenmore Square, 476 Commonwealth Avenue, CASH ONLY.

What:

Troegs "Dead Reckoning" Porter: superb.

Ayinger Celebrator: yummy; celebrate good times indeed.

Southern Tier Mokah Stout: packs a punch with solid mocha flavor.

Harpoon 100 bbl Glacier Harvest Wet Hop: Marvelously delicious, the 2nd best of the tasting.

Smuttynose "Big A" IPA: smells kind, tastes smooth and sweeps 1st place with a big 9%.

ADDENDUM: After scanning Yelp reviews, I've gotta try those tater tots.

Rare bottle tasting notes.

A wonderful source for tasting notes of rare and great bottles comes from the full auction catalog (large pdf) for an upcoming auction of a consignment from the Aubrey McClendon Collection and held by Spectrum Wine Auctions. Think Lafite, Latour, Le Pin, Mouton, Lafleur, DRC, Margaux, Haut-Brion, Screaming Eagle, Harlan, Petrus, Cheval Blanc, d'Yquem, and Shafer.

On 1959 Château Lafite Rothschild:

"The 1959 is unquestionably the greatest Lafite-Rothschild...The super-aromatic bouquet of flowers, black truffles, cedar, lead pencil, and red fruits is followed by one of the most powerful and concentrated Lafites I have tasted..." [Score: 99] Wine Advocate # 95, Oct 1994

On 1982 Château Lafite Rothschild:

"...with a deep ruby/plum color revealing only a touch of lightening at the edge, the wine offers up an extraordinary nose of caramelized herbs, smoke, cedar, pen ink, black currants, and earth..." [Score: 97+] Wine Advocate # 183, Jun 2009

On 1945 Château Latour:

“This is a great - perhaps one of the greatest vintages. Spicy nose, eucalyptus, still full-bodied in the mouth with fruit and richness. Long finish and wonderful aftertaste.” Chateau Latour cellar notes

On 1961 Château Latour:

"...liquid perfection, exhibiting fragrant, cedary, truffle, leather, mineral, and sweet, jammy aromatics, full-bodied, voluptuous textures, exquisite purity and concentration... the essence of compellingly great wine." [Score: 100] Wine Advocate # 129, Jun 2000

On 1995 Château Latour:

"...dense purple-colored 1995 exhibits jammy cassis, vanillin, and minerals in its fragrant but still youthful aromatics... with exceptional purity, superb concentration, and a long, intense, ripe, 40-second finish, this is a magnificent example of Latour." [Score: 96] Wine Advocate # 129, Jun 2000

On Château Margaux:

Château Margaux has in its possession some of the
earliest known documents from Bordeaux describing in great detail the study of terroir and its implication in making great wine. Under the Mentzelopoulos family ownership, this modern era of Château Margaux honors the great traditions of its past while continuing to make modern Bordeaux with the same classic refined finesse and elegance.

1959 Château Margaux:

“Even before the beginning of the harvest, this vintage was acclaimed as "vintage of the century". Château Margaux 1959 is really a great wine, with a powerful, complex, very fine and elegant bouquet. On the palate, it is very concentrated, powerful...Without any question, it is a very great bottle...” Château Margaux cellar notes, September 2002

1996 Château Margaux:

"...combining measured power, extraordinary elegance, and admirable complexity... it's a beauty! The color is opaque purple. The wine offers extraordinarily pure notes of blackberries, cassis, pain grille, and flowers, gorgeous sweetness, a seamless personality..." [Score: 99] Wine Advocate # 122, Apr 1999

On 1966 Château Mouton Rothschild:

"...dark garnet color and classic sweet, spicy, tobacco, coffee, and black currant aromas are enticing..." [Score: 90] Bordeaux Book, 3rd Edition # B1, Jan 1998

On 1982 Château Haut-Brion:

"...another perfect wine and one of the all-time great Haut-Brions...Complex aromatics of scorched earth, smoked herbs, and sweet red and black currants are followed by a full-bodied, silky-textured wine..." [Score: 95] Wine Advocate # 183, Jun 2009

On 1982 Château La Mission Haut-Brion:

"..massive richness as well as abundant notes of black fruits, truffles, creosote, scorched earth, smoke, and camphor, a colossal mouthfeel, a layered texture, incredible depth of fruit..."[Score: 100] Wine Advocate # 183, Jun 2009

On 2000 Château Le Pin:

"...explosive, virtually perfect example of this estate. Dense purple-colored, with luxurious levels of extract and richness, this intense, unctuously-textured, black fruit-filled..." [Score: 98] Wine Advocate # 146, Apr 2003

On 1982 Château Cheval Blanc:

"...gorgeously sweet entry displays flavors of caramel, roasted coffee, jammy red and black fruits, coconut, and smoke. It is fat and full-bodied, with considerable tannin, structure, and muscle in the finish." [Score: 92] Wine Advocate # 129, Jun 2000

On 1990 Château d'Yquem:

"...gold color is accompanied by an exceptionally sweet nose of honeyed tropical fruits, peaches, coconut, and
apricots...massive on the palate, with layers of intensely ripe botrytis-tinged, exceptionally sweet fruit...one of the richest Yquems..." [Score: 99] Wine Advocate # 122, Apr 1999

On 1995 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti La Tâche:

"...Stylistically, this borrows elements from both the '97 and the '96 as it combines moderate floral notes with most of the spice, soy and hoisin of the '96 plus the densest flavors of any vintage to this point..." [Score: 94] Allen Meadows, May 2008

1962 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti La Tâche:

"...the purity and detail are mind boggling. Silky, refined and altogether classy with a finish that goes on and on. This is a wine of drama and emotion - in short, quintessential La Tâche that is knee-bending in its brilliance..." [Score: 99] Allen Meadows, Jan 2008

1971 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Romanée-Conti:

"...perfumed mix of spiced tea, smoked beef jerky and abundant earth followed by incredibly rich, dense, round and velvety full-bodied, beautifully nuanced flavors that completely coat the palate and deliver a stunningly long finish that simply goes on and on..." [Score: 98] Allen Meadows, May 2008

On 1997 Harlan Estate:

"...proves that American producers can create wine as impeccable and full-bodied from start to finish as their European associates."

On 2002 Screaming Eagle:

"...sweet, intense bouquet of black currant liqueur interwoven with lilac, vanillin, and subtle oak scents is followed by a majestic...extraordinary palate presence and stature. A wine of great aromatic and flavor intensity with a long, 60-second finish..." [Score: 99] Wine Advocate # 150, Dec 2003

On 2000 Marcassin Chardonnay:

"...gorgeously perfumed, light green/gold-colored effort revealing tremendous power as well as notes of hazelnuts intermixed with white peaches, citrus oils, and other exotic fruits..." [Score: 98] Wine Advocate # 150, Dec 2003

ADDENDUM: the pdf file is no longer available from Spectrum Wine.

Foie gras interlude

A quick thought, I found myself describing what exactly foie gras was tonight and the many ways it can be prepared...which led to a current yearning for a SDLT burger stuffed with foie gras, aioli on the side, rosemary pomme frites.

I wonder how that'd be with an egg worked in somewhere too...

Araujo Estate

Located on an alluvial fan on the northern part of the Napa Valley, east of Calistoga, think...Chateau Montelena...mmmmm...Bottle Shock.

The first cabernet vine was planted their in 1964. Some are, hopefully, almost 50 years old! They also make a lovely Syrah. About themselves, they say this:

Protected by the Palisades Mountains to the north and cooled by westerly breezes from the Chalk Hill Gap, this 38-acre vineyard is planted on well-drained cobbly soils that produce a low yielding crop of exceptionally concentrated fruit. The wines produced in this remarkable place have a rare combination of forthright character with precisely defined flavors and fine textures, deep concentration without any sense of heaviness, and the capacity to develop profound complexity with age.

Altagracia was first bottled the year of my graduation, that's one for the memory. And an outstanding Syrah is on their hands, a grape I hold dear, here's evidence.

The most recent Syrah rated by Wine Spectator was the 1995, unfortunate there's not more 1995 Araujo Estate Eisele Vineyard Syrah tasting notes, printed 4/30/99:

Smooth, rich and elegant, with polished currant, leather, anise, earth and mineral flavors that are complex and concentrated, sophisticated and long. Best from 2000 through 2008. 340 cases made. –JL

The 2006 Syrah was co-fermented with 4% Viognier--think Côte-Rôtie style--with 21 months in French oak. If you've ever seen A Good Year with Russell Crowe, I believe it's based in the Rhone. The restaurant is also pretty good.

Hey want to see something cool? View video on a wine auction at Daniel in New York City, click on this link to a Wine Spectator video on auctions. I'm going to one of those, sooner than later...because I'm all for enjoying the things on my wish list.

2008 Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc

Cloudy Bay produces classical Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, but does so at a significant price premium...perhaps that's why it's under the LVMH umbrella. If you're lucky, you can find it for under $20. Frankly, if I were to suggest a Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, I'd go with The Crossings at half the price.

Bright citrus aromas with flavors of grapefruit, lime, green pepper, and a touch of passion fruit complemented by a crisp acidity and juicy finish.

2005 Grebennikoff Cabernet Sauvignon

Grebennikoff makes a mere 100 cases of this Sonoma Cabernet Sauvignon per year with 20% merlot from estate vineyards. Oddly enough, you won't find this wine on their website, nor will you find it in any retail stores. However, you'll find it--dutifully nicknamed "The Diesel" by Seth Mandeville--BY THE GLASS at L'Espalier or by the bottle at any Sel De La Terre.

Full-bodied, balanced, and aromatic with flavors of black currant, mint, eucalyptus, earth, and cedar with well-integrated tannins and a long, juicy finish. Think steak or better yet, braised short ribs.