Côtes du Roussillon, Georges, Domaine Puig Parahy, 2003

Big, bright, fruity and easy without being simplistic. This is a great everyday wine bargain produced from 60 to 80 year old vines. Think Australian Shiraz with acidity and a touch of complexity and you’ll get the idea. An amazing bargain at around ten bucks.

Vacqueyras, Domaine Le Clos de Caveau, 2003

Brilliant bright ruby with an enticing nose of currents and raspberry with a touch of bitter tar. This has to be one of the more balanced 2003 Rhone wines I’ve run across. Brilliantly clean and fresh on the palate, it has more than enough power to stand up to roasts and chops, while still being lively and balanced. A great bargain at $16.

Dolcetto d'Alba, Roagna, 2004

Shy at first, this dolcetto soon expands into a gracefully bittersweet razor carried by bright, fresh dark cherry and black raspberry fruit. After an hour or so, layered aromas of wildflowers join the fresh, yet firm fruit flavors. The zesty and fresh finish wakes up your saliva glands.

Dolcetto d'Alba, Bric del Salto, Sottimano, 2004

I must have had this wine a dozen or more times by now and I never tire of it. Perfectly ready to drink, its lean balance of fresh fruit and tart bitterness makes it among the most food friendly wines you’ll run into. Probably about ready to disappear from the market, but no problem as the 2005 is lovely too.

Cabernet Sauvignon, Walla Walla Valley, Seven Hills Vineyard, Seven Hills Winery, 2002

Brilliant ruby, with a fresh nose full of mint, chocolate and smooth dark cherry. Not a lot of complexity, but a lot of pleasure throughout this nicely balanced effort. It’s so smooth and easy to drink now, I don’t see a lot of reason for waiting.  All in all very nice, but a bit pricy for such easy pleasure.

Grüner Veltliner, Sandgrube, Kremstal, Weingut Stadt Krems, 2005

Razor sharp. Lean, electric and racy, with brilliant stony, mineral notes. Very nice and a great bargain at $16. You could age this, of course, but why not enjoy its explosive lean-ness now?

Umbria, IGT, Ca' Andrea, Carlo Massimiliano Gritti, 2004

Racy and refined, this is a lovely bargain. Bittersweet with just a touch of tannic bite, this is what Chianti used to be as it sports a nice earthy character along side its streamlined fruit. A very nice wine for everyday drinking.

Pulgia Rosso, IGT, An Arkos, 2004

OK it’s under $10, but this sticky, sweetish cooked wine is not very pleasant.

Back to School

“I’m not drinkin’ any &%#*&$# merlot!”

The movie that kick started pinot noir sales had the opposite effect on merlot sales. Although the Sideways slap was no news to wine geeks, who had long known that merlot was the worst value in the market. Merlot, once the darling of industrial wine world, was suddenly out. Like a congressman caught paging too many pages, one day merlot was hot and the next it was not. Those in the wine-know snickered with glee.

Perhaps now the dust is settled we all need to go back to school on merlot. After all, they make a pretty good one in France that they call Petrus. You would be hard pressed to find a more expensive wine than Petrus, although I doubt that most of those that gulp it because of the price alone actually know their drinking merlot.  There’s a lot of excellent merlot being made in Bordeaux and Washington State and to blow it off is to miss some outstanding wines.

I can think of no better place to go back school on merlot than the 2002 L’Ecole No. 41 Columbia Valley Merlot. This wine is a svelte beauty that came alive paired with some grilled lamb chops. Seamlessly smooth and velvety without any heaviness, the bright ripe plum fruit is highlighted with spicy oak and a refreshing herbal touch that is dominated by a lively minty-ness laced with traces of thyme and sage. I really loved the lean, angular character that well carried the ripe fruit flavors. I would only recommend short term aging for this wine because it is so good to drink right now, but a year or two more in a good cellar is sure to add complexity. A blend of 80% merlot, 12% cabernet franc, 7% cabernet sauvignon and 1 % carmenere aged 18 months in French and American oak.

I’m guess I’m drinkin’ &%#*&$# merlot again.

wine merlot washington+wine

Mann-oh-Mann - That's Real Riesling

I had heard good things, but did not hold out much hope. My tasting experiences with Alsatian wines as of late had almost always been disappointing with seemingly every wine being over-ripe and botrytized. They were heavy boring wines. Yet I loved Alsatian wines so much in the past that I can’t help but keep trying them and a bottle on sale at my local store tempted me once again. The producer had been recommended to me several times so I put down my twenty bucks and gave it a shot.

Hallelujah! Finally some great white wine from Alsace. The Albert Mann 2004 Riesling is an absolute delight. It’s a tightrope of acidity and mineral essences over unmistakable, absolutely bright riesling fruit that even sports a nice touch of petroleum.  This wine was a bargain for $19.99 and I am going out of my way to track down the Grand Crus from this estate. This beauty was made by the  brothers Maurice and Jacky Barthelmé who own 19 hectares of prime vineyards, of which five are in Grand Cru vineyards. 

In such a wine you can taste varietal, vineyard and vintage - none of which are overwelmed by cellar technique or ultra-ripe fruit. The  Barthelmé brothers are to be complimented for their skill, vision, focus and their courage to make a wine counter to the “hot” style in Alsace these days. They made an outstanding wine with this riesling and I’ll soon report on their other offerings. As good as this wine is, I’m sure they’ll be excellent. Not suprisingly, the Mann wines are selected by the talented importer Peter Weygandt and imported by the Weygandt-Metzler company.

Dancing Troupe - September 2006

I believe in wines that dance across the palate. “Dancers” I call them as they are wines that are alive. Wines that don’t dominate the palate, but invite you as the taster to share in their energy - not stand back as an awed spectator. These real food wines are wines that don’t short you on complexity, in fact, they offer more to the attentive taster. Yet, despite their complexity they float across the palate, not deaden it, and make the matching of food and wine a glorious experience.

So on a monthly basis I will offer my “Dancing Troupe” of the month, a selection of wines that have made my meals and my life better - wines that dance across my palate. I suppose they are my “Zen” experiences with wine and food, which I choose not to separate as an experience.

My September 2006 Dancers are:

Muscadet, Climat, Château de la Fessardièe, Alex Sauvion, 2004  A svelte, compelling Muscadet. 

Sparkling Wine, Argyle, Knudsen Vineyard Brut, Willamette Valley Oregon, 1998 A great sparkling wine - on par with the world’s best.

Bourgueil, Trinch!, Catherine & Pierre Breton, 2004 Perhaps one of the best everyday wines ever.

Cour Cheverny, Le Petit Chambord, Domaine Francois Cazin, 2002 One of the best dry white wines you’ve never heard of.

Picpoul de Pinet, Coteaux du Languedoc, Saint Peyre, 2005 What a BARGAIN!! 

Muscadet Sèvre et Maine sur lie, Domaine de l’Ecu, Expression de Granite, Domaine Guy Boussard, 2001 Very simply a great white wine. 

Pian del Ciampolo, Sangioveto e Canaiolo, Montevertine, Radda in Chianti, 2002  A pure experience in what should be great about Tuscan red wine.

Régnié, Cuvée des Braves, Cuvée des Braves, Domaine Jöel Rochette, Vielles Vignes, 2004  A wonderfully pure Beaujolais. 

Touraine, Clos Roche Blanche, Cuvee Pif, 2004 Does anyone create more reliably delicious wines than Clos Roche Blanche - I don’t think so.

Marsannay, Les Longeroies, Domaine Charles Audoin, 2002 Real Burgundy, real character without a big price tag. 

Muscadet, Climat, Château de la Fessardièe, Alex Sauvion, 2004

It’s almost getting boring to write about excellent Muscadet, but it may well be the most exciting white wine region around these days. Not that there are so many great producers, but now there are literally dozens of top notch wines being imported by small importers dedicated to quality and these wines are without a doubt the best values in white wine available in the market today.

 This wine is no exception with a refined balance between its firm, mineral-laden fruity-ness and its bright acidity.  Just lovely and only about $12 a bottle. Delicious now, but this fine wine will improve for the next several years.

Pinot Gris, Carabella, Willamette Valley Oregon, 2005

Carabella is one of the labels to seek out. Great vineyards farmed by great people. This fine pinot gris combines richness, balance and freshness into a style all Oregon producers should aspire. A perfect rich shellfish wine.

Côtes de Provence Rosé, Les Domaniers de Puits Mouret, Ott Selection, 2005

I love rosé and, in general, the best I have tasted are French. Strangely they have become a fashion with young New Yorkers and that means that will spread across the country. Ott is the in-brand in NYC and has long been famed for their dry pink wines, but let’s face the fact that the name is in makes it one of the worst values around. Yes, it’s very pleasant light stuff, but at these prices??? Please!

Sparkling Wine, Argyle, Knudsen Vineyard Brut, Willamette Valley Oregon, 1998

I never thought anything would convince me that real Champagne was not king. I’ve had many fine sparkling wines from many countries that approached the finest Champagnes (notably Iron Horse in California and Bellavista in Italy), but I’ve never had a wine that really knocked out Champagne.

However, that is the past and the reality is that Oregon’s Argyle is not only producing world class sparkling wines that compete with some of Champagne’s finest, but extraordinary values that have their own unique personality.

 This wine is flat out extraordinary and somewhat widely available for under $50. Toasty, frothy, lively and most of all complex, this has to be a top quality sparkler in anyone’s book. In fact, I rather drink this than the hotshot big names of Champagne that are in with the rappers, but out with anyone who is thinking about what they drink.

This is a great sparkling wine.