2006 Hartford Family Zinfandel, Highwire Vineyard

We enjoyed this great, deep, and fruitilicious Hartford Family Zinfandel with Swedish meatballs and lingonberry sauce, along with our neighbor who made wonderful spaetzle to along with the main. This Zin has legs, earth, and depth to it. Not slight in its alcohol content, this one checked in at 14.8% (ABV), but perfectly balanced. No sense of heat from the alcohol. There's an oaky aspect to the noise that may fool some into thinking it's slightly corked; it's not. Then push through the bramble notes, and you discover notes of root, licorice, and wet earth. After 30 minutes it was pumping out wild blackberry on forest soil notes, but never really revealed its full depth. And it has me stumped; drink now, or wait? I'm going to leave the other 3 bottles alone for a year or two, then try again. Great stuff, and from centenarian grapes in the Highwire Vineyard.
90/100 -- a Cali Zin that makes you think.

2004 Domaine de Cassan Gigondas

What a massive wine! I'm not even going to pretend that sophistication is needed to appreciate this one. I drank this, along with good friends, on the same night as Carl's Jr burgers were in the offing, and it was a fantastic match. Aromas of red fruits, massive rock and licorice carried onto the palate with a slight hoisin glaze to it; just thwompin' on the fruit of blackberries, with more Twizzler than I would expect. This has both stuffing for another 4-5 years (easily) but it's just so balanced and enjoyable now. Why would you wait. On the back-palate and for a good 30-40 seconds on the finish, it's blackberry-licorice all the way. 14% abv, and if you can find it, try it.

92/100 for me (hell, us)

Bottom line: For those who want Chateauneuf at a reduced price, STRONGLY recommended.

2006 Baronia del Montsant (Flor d'Englora)

This was a purchase after our 2008 visit to this winemaker and cellar in Cornudella in the Montsant region west of Tarragona, Spain. Montsant envelops, basically, the smaller wine appellation of Priorat. So if you can find a well-priced Montsant, like this one, it should remind you of a junior to equal weight Priorat. On with impressions: There is a definite hot slate stone meets strawberries aroma on this young Montsant, which is mostly Grenache (63) with the remainder being Carignan (or Samso, 32%) and small amounts of Syrah and Merlot for roundness and color. On the palate, it's remarkably light on its feet and your tongue - more red fruits than dark, yet with a tannic nudge that reminds you this is serious wine. This is the modest entry-level wine for this producer, run by two friends in Cornudella, and its given zero oak time. It's all stainless steel, so it's a purity of fruit and slate expression that is refreshing to see, smell, and taste. At 13.5% ABV, it also has enough heft for the burgers we enjoyed with it, but not enough alcohol to sizzle through the tongue.

87/100 - a nicely balanced wine, with exactly what you expect in a good, young, Montsant

Bottom line: Try it if you want a cheaper, purer expression of the region.

Triple threat post

So last night (May 12), I brought three bottles from the cellar out to Jake & Telly's Taverna (see the post below if this sounds like deja bu). They were: 2000 Ceretto Zonchera Barolo, a 2003 Alto Moncayo (Garnacho) from Campo de Borja, and a 2004 St Cosme Gigondas. All were quite good, but the nod probably goes to the Gigondas.
2000 Ceretto (Zonchera) Barolo: Knock-out density and stuffing, and built for long haul. Tell-tale roses dipped in raspberry, and some spice on the nose as well. Great acidity, though it needed time in the decanter to lose some of its alcohol.
2003 Alto Moncayo: This one was for Christina, a fan of Grenache, and it was one heady mofo. Campo de Borja is a small appellation, poorly known by most, in NE Spain and is producing better wine year after year. The comment I would have said in smaller company would have been: "I think we just found the Ru Paul of the evening." It was monstrous on the nose, wine on nitro essentially, with rich dripping fruit but a little "sketchy" in the end. The palate was also full-on attack, but there was an issue with balance on this. At 16% ABV, it was close to being Port, and I think it was a lack of balancing acidity here. Telly thought it unbalanced.
2004 St Cosme Gigondas: This for me was the wine of the three - right at peak for both stuffing (still great plum, fig, and cocoa notes on this) and for the balance that 5+ years in bottle had given it. No issue with structure or acidity here: wonderful wine. Like wandering blind through liquid dark fruits only to find a chocolate center to it. Also, the cheapest of the three wines we had. Photo incoming...

2005 Husar de Tarczar, Marzemino (d'Isera)

This poorly-known varietal, Marzemino, can stand-in as a Chianti for some drinkers. There are differences, of course, but this 2005 Husar de Tarczar is grown on a 17ha vineyard in the town of Marano d'Isera. The Appellation is "Marzemino d'Isera" and is found near Trentino (NE Italy). The alcohol is under check at 13.0% ABV. So let's start with some similarities first (to Chianti): good acidity, great with pastas and red sauce. Night 1 with gnocchi in a simple garlic-basil-cured meat red sauce was a fantastic match. It also has about the same color as a good Chianti. What's different? As opposed to the tomato-on-the-grapevine smell that, to me, is a dead give-away for Chianti, this one is more like plums on the grapevine. There's also a definite funk (in a good way) on day 1, that should interest terroir-ists and those inclined to lighter, earthier reds like Pinot. You can find other tasting impressions here.
On day 2, that plumminess really shines through, still with strong acidity, and will go well with the baked chicken/potatoes, mushroom and quartered tomatoes cooking right now. In its favor: the aroma, some bitter chocolate with your plum, madam? Yes, please. Against it, there's a strange diluted 'clipped' aspect to this wine on the mid-palate, but I would guess this is also the nature of its low pH (high acidity) that fools you into thinking so.
Scared? You shouldn't be, go ahead - try it with any red sauce pasta dish. Or a nice slide of real parmesan (reggiano, of course). Still don't like it? I apologize. Love it? You're welcome.
88/100 - not a "great" wine, but interesting to come back to and certainly good enough to try other Marzeminos.
Bottom line: If you can find it, try it out, you may just find your designated hitter when you run out of Chianti or you're just bored with Chianti.

1997 Heitz Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa), Trailside Vineyard

Steel yourself, random reader. This was one of the best, if not the best, California Cabernet I've ever had the pleasure of owning, opening, and drinking. The only bummer was finishing my last bottle from this 1997 vintage. For me it was the wine of the night on May 7, 2010, and it's on your far right in this picture. Right from the start, we knew we were in for a treat, as we enjoyed this at Jake and Telly's Taverna (Greek Restaurant) in Old Colorado City. The cork was pristine, the color gorgeous - dark ruby red, betraying almost none of this 13 years of age.

The aroma? Think of blackberry cobbler tempered with some summer herbs, a sliver of vanilla, and the backdrop of cedar lilting on the wind. This wine screams of California, and then some. On the palate, more delicious abuse continues: The density and stuffing of this wine were spot on, no heat of alcohol, perfect balance, great acidity. Blackcurrant velvet fist is the best descriptor I could come up with, but a it's a friendly velvet. Mated to a portion of sliced lamb meat from our mixed mezze platter, and we were all in heaven. Finished clean, long, and endured for well over a minute in the mouth. Like watching an amazing lover walk slowly out the door....wait, OK, a bit much. I'll stop now.
97/100 -- If I get a better Cab in my life, it will have all been worth it.
Bottom line: If you ever see a 97 Heitz Trailside Cab, and you don't buy it, you're an idiot.

2003 Alvaro Palacios Finca Dofi (Priorat)

Finca Dofí is a blend of Garnacha, Cabernet, Merlot, Syrah and Cariñena. We had this wine on May 9, 2010 (Mother's Day, yes) at the Blue Star on half-price bottle night. What a great wine; all the dense, rocky austerity one would hope for in a great Priorat, and from a notoriously hot year. While the wood was present (knock-knock), it wasn't overwhelming and helped balance some of the torrid black fruit, grilled herbs, and hot slate notes to this wine. There's a sanguine (bloody) iron streak in this wine that emerges late, so it could probably stand to be decanted, frankly.

Our match? A simple hamburger with fries; great juice, and a good pairing.

90/100 for my nose and palate.
Bottom line: Well worth the $60-70 you'll pay retail for this wine. We paid $65! Track it down if you like a dense but classic-style Priorat. Palacios knows what he's doing and it shows, even in this difficult (hot) vintage.

Oregon Pinot Noir (Sustainability

A quick link to today's New York Times story on sustainable efforts at many Oregon wineries, centered on Pinot Noir producers, really interesting. Toured many of these myself back in March.

2003 Rippon Pinot Noir (Otago)

This bottle wasn't cheap, at $34, but the age shined through on this lovely New Zealand Pinot Noir from the Otago Valley (south island, folks). Dusty cherries, great acidity, and a lovely orange rim were the main features. On the nose, the same, but with a nice leather-cinnamon component. All in all, another nod to the fact that the Kiwis are making some great bloody juice, and that it should age nicely. Maybe not Bonne Mares quality, but definitely would hold its own against a decent California or Oregon Pinot. Look for it, if you can find it.

2005 Schiopetto Blanc des Rosis

Shocker - we had a white wine last night, along with our homemade acorn squash-pumpkin soup, and some salad with smoked salmon on it (rough life). While this Italian white blend from Friuli (NE corner of Italy) is by no means a cheap white ($~25), it was immensely satisfying. We have had it both chilled, at proper temperature (52), and slightly warmer (~58 F), and I prefer the cool to warmer temperatures to get the full impact and complexity. There are the usual aromas (and tastes) of fresh, creamy pears, some pineapple in the glass, a bit of grassy petrol aromas (not close to Riesling strength on the gas, don't be put off), and a very nice integrated mineral (chalky) spine to this. There's also a deep peaty aspect to this, not exactly smoky, but definitely "organic" that is different. It makes for an interesting white, not something you find every day. OK, not something I drink every day.

Bottom line: Not an every day white, but ten times the complexity and taste of your typical Sutter Home white plonk.
Grapes (changes by vintage): Tocai Friulano (40%), Pinot Grigio (20%), Sauvignon Blanc (15%), Malvasia Istriana (15%), Ribolla Gialla (10%)

2006 Rasmussen Pinot Noir (Carneros)

We finally broke into a bottle of this ~$20 Pinot tonight. Was it a special occasion? No. But it's healthy and I like the taste of it. I paired this with a pan-roasted duck-breast (magret), duck-fat polenta (yes, you read that correctly David), and some mushroom-broccoli sautee -- magic doesn't describe it. The fat from the duck (or was that the polenta, with bits of mushroom in it?) cut through any pretension of structure and tannins in the Pinot and let the dusty cherry notes sing through. Sauce was a broth-P.Sirah reduction with green peppercorns and the leftover brown bits from the mushroom sautee (Cremini). The oaky-spice on Rasmussen's Carneros bottle was still on the nose, but with no dill to be smelled or tasted when paired with this duck. A good evening. A really good evening.
Wine was probably a 89/100 on its own. With the meal? 94/100
Bottom line: Quack quack quack, pinot for $20, quack quack quackity quack. Quack it.
Dessert? Meyers Family (Zin) Port with simple Kiwi fruit slices. Also friggin un-be-lie-va-ble.

2007 Iche "Les Heretiques"

For a 10-buck wine, this is one of my favorites from Languedoc-Roussillon (FR). A humble "vin de pays," which means a non-AOC blend, the Heretiques is carignan-dominant blend with some Syrah thrown into the mix for balance. At a meager 12.5% ABV, it also is great with food, we've had with it salads, soups, and pizza (with sausage/mushroom) just last night. It seems always balanced, easy drinking, and not acidic. I store my reds in the fridge, and it was just showing some balsamic nights on the 4th day of being opened. So it's not a long-term keeper, but there's enough mineral back-bone to play well with the dark fruits mingling in the glass. Think of it as a French Chianti (in a good way): good acidity, drinks well with vegetables even, and good everyday wine. Nice. 84/100.

Bottom line: Who says French wine has to be expensive? Heresy!

In Oregon Pinot country...

There's too much to say here, since it's not a single 'wine review' posting - but just back from a conference in Portland, and got a chance to get away from the nerd herd and go to Pinot country south of the city, into the Willamette Valley (AVA) and its smaller sub-sections. Most of my tastings were clustered around the Chehalem Mountains, Dundee Hills, and Yamhill sections of the larger region. Stops at Adelsheim, Bergstrom, Beaux Freres (call first), Patricia Green (call first), Domaine Drouhin, Sokol Blosser, and Bergstrom, were all fun. I was a bit dumb-founded by tasting fees in these places -- yes, yes, I know it's Pinot which tends to be more expensive to produce -- some were $15. OK, but if I'm purchasing a decent bottle of Pinot (anything over $40), you really should DROP the tasting fee. Is this Napa? Yes? OK, fine.

Oh, you object to the comparison? Well, then drop the fee if someone bottles some of your juice. Ridiculous.

But it was a grand time - two of the favorites were Beaux Freres (duh!) and Bergstrom, with the latter's estate Pinot Noir really a wonderful wine for the sometimes-critiqued 2007 vintage. I found it berry-licious, earth, deep, yet delicate and elegant at the same time. It didn't hurt that it was my first stop of the day, either, since I was a little tired later on. Lunch was in McMinnville at a little tapas/wine bar called La Rambla. It was "fine," and if that sounds a little flat - well, it is. My mistake for not going to Thistle or Nick's Italian Cafe in this town but I was still feeling a little bloaty from the previous night's meal. Beautiful landscapes, and some really good pinot. Just watch the prices, people, or you'll end up duplicating Napa.

2006 Turley Zinfandel (Juvenile)

Well, this was a burly 15%ABV Zin from the woman who, arguably, transformed the California (red) wine industry by introducing lush, modern fruit-bruiser bottlings. Still, this was more rustic than I expected, but had the classic briar-patch fruit and light white pepper one expects in a good Zin. And despite the alcohol, it was never hot, although the "spice" under-tones could easily have been the afterburn of a young, potent Zin. Still, we liked it. 89/100.
Bottom line: Good Zin, not great, if you can find it. A wine for fans of rustic Zinfandel.

2004 Vivac Cabernet Sauvignon "Reserve"

I'm being diplomatic...I'm being diplomatic...I'm being diplomatic... This wine sucked. Doh! How disappointing to get a turned, vinegar-like bottle. It's our last, stored bottle; or was. This disaster has given me resolve to go out and get a $9 Cab from California that will show this $30+ bottle from New Mexico HOW IT IS DONE, people. Smells like pickled eggs in a mystery liquid; tastes like eggs in vinegar. No more. BLEH!

40/100.
AVOID...AVOID...AVOID

2001 Amici Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

We just started this bottle, over a large dutch oven pot of chicken-sausage cassoulet. The Amici showed its age in the bowl of my class, with the tell-tale light rust color around the edge, and also on the nose: woody currants and blackberries. This was no longer a rich wine, but the way that Cali Cabs used to be more consistently. A little odd and perhaps nearing peak, not astringent, by itself, but with the cassoulet? Oh my. The bit of Merlot and Cabernet Franc helped out the balance, and there's a restrained sophistication to this wine. 2001 was a good year, not a great year, in Napa, and Amici did themselves proud here with this bottling. This was to be a shared bottle with friends (DTR/CTR) but they couldn't make it down here (tongue sticks out).
91/100 -- An outstanding Napa Cab, the way they used to be. Alcohol? 13.4% abv - perfect for food.
Bottom line: I'm glad I bought it, even for around $40, at the Wine Store in Colorado Springs.

2006 Marques de Casa Concha Merlot (Peumo)

Opened 1.25.10 and enjoyed with some braised short-rib, mashed potatoes, roasted broccoli, this usually $20-something bottle of Merlot was available at Trader Joe's for about $11. What a screaming deal - and yes, this is the 'up line' of the usually solid Concha y Toro producer from Chile. Like most Chilean red wines, it has that tell-tale mint-eucalypt note on the nose, not exactly herbal, followed here by a nice, smooth dark cherry core to it. There are some really enticing fig and spice notes, the latter from the oak, and finishes with a creamy note but gutsy tannins. This should open up over the next couple of nights. Right now, it's a great deal and a lovely wine. 89/100
Bottom line: See a sale on this? Get it.

Tiny foods, not wine

I could not help it. I saw this ridiculous story in the NYTimes, and had to link to it. If your food item is too small to handle (as in HAND), and you're using tweezers, that is simply dumb. Stupid. I'm paying to eat good, flavorful food, not "art" on my plate. Others can disagree as they choose. I'm sharing a quote below to illustrate...well, read for yourself:

“It’s harder to make it look like you didn’t try,” said the chef David Chang, whose kitchen crew at Momofuku Ko tweezes extensively. “It’s more difficult to make it seem it’s plated as it falls. That’s what we call it, ‘as it falls.’ It’s not rustic. It’s naturalistic. It sounds stupid, but you’re using tweezers to make it seem natural.”

Stupid is as stupid sounds.

2007 Seghesio Zinfandel Rockpile Vineyard

This is another outstanding Zin from Seghesio, even for the price ($34), and while perhaps not as monstrously exhuberant as their general Sonoma bottling from the 07 year, it proves once again two things: a) Rockpile Zins/Petite Sirahs are our favorites, and b) the 07 vintage seems to just rock across all regions of Cali and across almost all varietals. It's impressive. For this wine, the sipper-sniffer will be rewarded with some patience. So either decant for an hour (now), or give it a few years before opening. There's a great blackberry cobbler core to this Zin, followed by a tidal wave of spice, tanning, fruit-cake and sage. And yet it's not the fruit-club that the Sonoma bottle is, there's an earthiness or loamy note to the nose and the palate that is simply not present in the blended vineyard bottling Seghesio makes. The finish can become a bit muted if it's too cool, so make sure this is at 64 deg F or around there. For us, it's simply an outstanding wine for the price. Am I really going to pay hundreds of dollars for an equivalent wine from France or Italy? (No.)
93/100.
Bottom line: A fantastic effort, again, by Seghesio, in a great year from a great appellation in California.

2006 Rosenblum Syrah (Lodi) Abba Vineyard

This bottle of blackstrap Syrah was a bargain, discounted from a retail of about $25 to a great price of $11 at the local World Market here in Santa Fe. Since I have not tried many Lodi Syrahs, this was a good chance to experiment on a dime. I was a little concerned about the alcohol level, typical of Rosenblum's love for big wines, but it went nicely with a gnocchi arrabiata-spinach sauce last night. It had good balance, no whiff or back-burn of alcohol. It looks like a Petite Sirah, smells like saddles, cloves, and cigar box, then the dark cherry core emerges a bit in the middle and end. Nice vanillin after-taste, without overwhelming the palate with oak, and the fruity-leather carries through. We really liked this. For us, an 88/100.

Bottom line: If you can find it on discount, well worth a price under $16. Not sure I'd pay retail, but I might!

2005 Marques de Caceres Rioja (Crianza)

This baby Caceres, the budget-line Crianza, was found at Trader Joe's for about $14 and it's a solid, polished, and well-balanced Rioja for the money. It displays everything a red-wine drinker would like: tobacco, dark fruits, some light oak, but also offers the versatility for food-pairing of some heavier whites because of the lack of tannins and its fresh acidity. Between pizza and a stuffed flounder, no problems, just tasty with no 'metallic(a)' effect after the fish. No wonder Rioja is one of my favorites wine-producing regions: there's something tasty for every price point and every style (austere to modern) preference. The "crianza" means it spends the least time in oak compared to Reserva and Gran Reserva Riojas. Salud!
88/100
Bottom line: A Crianza Rioja remains balanced, priced right, and versatile with food.

Wines of Christmas Past...OK, just 2009

Here's a quick photo shot of some (but not all) of the wines "we" worked on during the late 2009 holiday season, with some help from my parents. The highlights were the Chateauneuf (Charbonniere, 2005, note below), and the Jaffurs 07 Syrah (note below). Out of the "budget" wines, I'd have to say the 08 Briccotondo was my favorite, just a batch of wild strawberries with good balance and acidity for food. Since I didn't post a separate tasting note for the Bricco that'll have to do - had the 07 which I found a bit gutsier, but this is still lovely for around a $12-14 wine. Happy 2010 everyone!

2007 Joel Gott Zinfandel (Cali)

This was a pleasant, fruit-mocha-forward Zinfandel, that accompanied a recently milk-braised pork shoulder with spices, polenta with grated peccorino, and roasted green beans. J Gott is, of course, of Taylor's Refresher fame (you know what I'm talking about Bay Area residents), and his wife has taken over operations as winemaker for most of the bottlings. This Zin was a bit reticent on the first night that we enjoyed it, but opened up on the second day into a floral-strawberry-licorice-chocolate treat, and for $14 retail... another good deal from our local Albertson's. Not overly alcoholic, not a bruiser, and a few layers hiding in there...if you wait for them to emerge.
86/100 - for us.
Bottom line: Not hugely complex as Zins go, but not overly syrupy or simple either; a good and balanced Zin from a blend of California regions.