2008 Croteaux Rosé

Though not our first gathering as a group, it was the first official meeting of our newly formed wine and supper club. It started with an event where we were all gathered to help friends pick a sparkling wine for an event. After that, we got together at the same house and ripped through California Pizza Kitchen frozen pizzas, of which I’ve now become a fan. Everyone was asked to bring a wine (or two since our group isn’t very restrained) to go with pizza and we did.

This time, it was an “official” gathering. The theme was set, BBQ. Due to the fact we live rather far from everyone, we co-hosted the first event with good friends of ours that we’ve shared many a great meal and even more great wines with. They tended to the proteins, which included slow-cooker pulled pork, grilled chicken and kick-butt ribs.

In addition, we had some scrumptious side dishes created by my wife, including a four cheese alfredo sauce mac-n-cheese / pasta bake, the best damn cole slaw I’ve ever had and two kinds of cornbread, traditional and the other (my favorite which I just had for lunch as I write this) with green chiles and cheddar cheese. A meal unto itself.

Of course, I brought sparklers. Rose sparklers. I still believe they go really well with pork, though I didn’t get to re-certify the authenticity of my theory at this festivity. We had them before the food was ready, but both were really tasty and for me personally, the highlights of the evening. Granted, I’m bias that way. I didn’t taste all the wines (too many and a few I was already familiar with) and actually missed a photo of everyone’s apparent favorite (I only got to sip it when I put the wines in order…I always get drafted for that duty), but since it was gone by the time I went to taste it, no matter.

[FULL DISCLOSURE: I received both the Croteaux and Graham Beck Rosés as samples]

2008 Croteaux Sparkling Rosé: Croteaux specializes in rosé and after drinking this, I can say they seem to know what they are doing. At least, from a wine making point of view. This wine isn’t available here in GA and retails for $24 on the winery website. Honestly, I’d pay $15 for it, so it is a bit pricey for what it is. Made in the tank method, this soft and juicy wine reminded me of a cocktail made with fresh red berries, a dab of ripe watermelon, with a spritz and twist of sweet orange (I forget the specific variety we’ve gotten from Whole Foods that are so sweet).

The packaging was whimsical and absolutely screamed W-E-D-D-I-N-G. I didn’t hear anyone complain, except that I only had the one bottle and between 16 people, that doesn’t provide for a very generous pour. C’est la vie. If you live in NY, I’d recommend visiting them and trying all their wines. Summer begs for rosé.

Graham Beck Brut Rosé

NV Graham Beck Brut Rosé: So, this isn’t that well known, nor well regarded by the big reviewers. Good. More for us who know and enjoy it, especially at the mid teens price point I was told it should make here in Georgia. I know the wine is available, as I sampled the lineup back in January at the local distributor’s tasting. I’m pretty sure the rep told me it would make a $15.99 retail. I had two different guests ask me about this, as they wanted to buy some for themselves. [UPDATE: After I wrote this, I saw local wine guru Gil Kulers gave this two thumbs way up.]

A firmer, fuller bodied wine than the Croteaux, this presented a profile of tarter red fruits with fine minerality giving it a more solid finish. I found this to the better wine with food, whereas the Croteaux was a great way to begin with its more pillow-like nature. I’m telling you, based on other professional retail buyer opinions and those of friends I’ve shared this with, I really think Graham Beck is one of the top values in sparkling wine.

I have to say, the rest of the wines that were brought was a more interesting mix than I was expecting. We only had 3 Zinfandels, where as I’d told my wife I thought everyone would bring at least one Zin. I went against my usual preferred tastes and gravitated towards the two old world offerings. First up, Spain.

2008 La Cartuja Priorat: I don’t know what the retail was, but based on my searches, this is usually around $15! Okay, read that again. $15 for Priorat. I wonder if this is somebody’s declassified juice sold on the auction market for a fraction of “normal” price. No matter, it was a good wine. A bit tight at first, it did open up in the glass. I highly recommend decanting this and remember folks, serve your reds at around 65 degrees. That is room temperature in Europe…or at least, it was when that rule was first circulated. Ripe red and black fruits, with plenty of warm spice and the signature “hot rocks” note I always seem to find in wines from this region. I would definitely recommend this as a great introduction to the region and the style of wine. Usually you have to look at the surrounding horse shoe shaped region of Monstant for wines of this taste profile, quality and price point.

Two favorite still red wines of the evening...yes, I'm shocked too...

2005 Les Bois du Menestrel Vacqueyras: Another nice value, but again, I don’t know the retail. I think it is probably in the same range as the La Cartuja, mid-teens. A good choice, but this would have gone much better with beef. The smoked tobacco leaf and roasted red cherry character, wrapped around a core of iron, beg for big food. I’d even say wild game or mushroom laden dishes would work well with this. It was another solid choice and give it bonus points for probably being the most esoteric. Nice job Mark.

2005 Wilson Diane’s Reserve Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel: This sucker weighed in at a whopping 16.2% alcohol. Safety tip: no open flames near this one. It should have been decanted and served much cooler, something the generous bringer of this wine lamented not doing. A limited production wine of 200 cases, with an approximate price of $48, this screamed Zinfandel. Black as tar dark fruits, but of the ripest variety, with a healthy dose of fresh cracked black peppercorns. You could definitely taste the alcohol, but it was more in the sweetness than in the heat. A big wine for big food. Throw down with some ribs, plenty of water and a cooler service temperature.

So, those were my three favorites. One other wine, which was the most interesting because it was the most non-typical example of a grape variety wine I’ve ever had, was the 2006 Montoya Petite Sirah from Paso Robles. It was light, almost to the point of if you wondered if the grapes were all under enormous shade trees. This wasn’t PS. It was PS masquerading as I don’t even know what. Maybe a Grenache or warm vintage Oregon Pinot Noir, with a pinch of Syrah thrown in. It was actually not bad, it was just not what a Petite Sirah drinker would want in their glass.

To finish the evening, there was an assortment of Pepperidge Farm chocolate cookies (Genevas are my favorite) and some two bite (really…why do I always eat them in one then?!) brownies. To accompany them, Mark brought a bottle of Casa Sant’Orsola Brachetto d’Acqui. Liquified raspberry juice is how I always find these sweet Italian red sparkling wines. Perfect with the chocolate and a nice way to wrap things up after a very rich, savory and superb meal. My compliments to the chefs! (All I did was some prep work, pour our two bubblies and put the wines in order…that was an easy gig.)

So, there you have it, the birth of Wineaux 75, our social supper and wine club.

View the video below or on YouTube.

Birdman / Big House White / Big House Red / The Lineup

About a week ago, I was fortunate enough to have been invited to dinner [FULL DISCLOSURE: Dinner and wine were provided for by the winery, so I spent nothing.] with the wine maker in charge of Big House, Georgetta Dane. Georgetta has an interesting story, one which embodies the American dream of making for a better life.

She was born in Romania and came to this country 11 years ago via a lottery where her husband was selected to receive a U.S. visa. They didn’t speak the language, but took the chance, packed up and moved to America. I don’t know the exact history of her career, but she did mention she was at Kendall-Jackson before getting the opportunity to take over the reigns of Big House.

One thing I found really fascinating was her comparison of winemaker to perfume maker. As someone who was a smell-ophile before getting into wine, I was curious for her to expound on this statement. She said with the number of varieties in the Big House brands, she had many notes to work with. She said she worked like a perfumer, establishing a base note with heavier grapes like Tannat and Petite Sirah, then added the heart notes with many of the traditional Italian grapes, finishing with bright and aromatic grapes for the top notes. I wonder if there are any other wine makers with a similar philosophy?

Big House is the label that was once owned by Randall Grahm, who sold it in 2006 to focus on more vin de terroir, a departure from the strategy of building brands and making wine like a negociant (one who purchases grapes or finished wine, then sells it…there is a lot of this, especially in the more value priced categories). Randall is an icon of the industry and if you want to get a great sense of who he is and what he is currently up to, check out these vids of him on Gary V’s show WLTV.

What is unique, besides the names and concept of the brand, is the number of varietals used in making the blended wines, Big House White and Red. [NOTE: There was a pink, but due to sluggish sales, it looks like there won't be one any more. That would be a shame as it is one of the best values in domestic rosé.] Big House Red contains 13 different grapes, the white has 4 and last year’s pink had 8.

Before I get into the wines, a quick word about our restaurant, Abbatoir. We started with the cheese sampler and two of the “Food in a Jar” selections. Our selections were the potted chicken liver with foie gras and duck rillettes. Both were nice ways to start the meal, though I’d probably switch to something lighter or skip the appetizers next time, as this is some heavy duty food. Our cheese plate was a small sampling of four, with the bleu des basques being my favorite. My second was the one that came with the honey comb, though I don’t remember which it was. You could always ask them for that one, as each cheese comes with an appropriate accoutrement. For dinner, I had the local pork sampler, which included a full sized chop, a healthy portion of tenderloin and a nice square of belly. It was decadent and a very healthy portion, easily something two could share, though you may want extra belly since that stuff is hard to share. The finish was an assortment of desserts, with the standout for me being the maple bacon beignets. Sweet, salty and smoky make for a great combination and I’d recommend stopping by just to try these. They are that good.

So, onto the wines. I didn’t take real detailed notes, so these are going to be short and sweet.

2009 Big House White – estimated retail $9.99: A blend of 56% Malvasia Bianca, 22% Muscat Canelli, 18% Viognier and 4% Rousanne, this wine is patterned after whites from the Friuli region of Italy. It was crisp and clean, with nice fruit flavors that were largely melon in tone. I found this version inferior to the amazing 2008, but still a good bottle of wine to have with summer fare like salads or fish.

2009 Big House Birdman Pinot Grigio – estimated retail $14.99: A blend of 82% Pinot Grigio, 8% Malvasia, 3% Muscat Canelli, 2% Vigonier and 5% other, I found this was the better of the two whites. I found it to have a bit more balance and fruit than the Big House White, with a smoother and longer finish. I’m not sure if it is worth the $5 more, but if you find it for $12 or so, it would be a nice selection instead of the usual plonk I find coming out of Italy in this price range.

2008 Big House Red – estimated retail $9.99: A blend of…hold on to your hats…26% Syrah, 13% Petite Sirah, 9% Grenache, 9% Montepulciano, 7% Mourvedre, 6% Sangiovese, 6% Aglianico, 6% Tannat, 5% Nero d’Avola, 4% Sagrentino, 3% Touriga, 3% Barbera and 3% Petite Verdot. I forgot to ask and now I wonder, how many different blends does Georgetta try before she comes up with her final answer. I was pleasantly surprised by this bottle, as I’ve NEVER been a fan in the past. Granted, I think I’ve only had it three times and one time of each vintage, but it has always struck me as a disjointed effort with no cohesive direction. I’m not saying this is great, but for me, it was an improvement. You could really smell the Italian varieties in the nose, but the palate was a bit more spicy and fruity than I remember. Good wine to have with burgers or BBQ.

2007 Big House The Lineup GSM – estimated retail $14.99: 43.8% Grenache, 41.4% Syrah and 14.8% Mourvedre, a lightweight tribute to the wines of the southern Rhone. I found this to be a bit light and lacking in all categories, but I also note that this probably should have been consumed first in the reds. Not recommended.

Cardinal Zin / Prodigal Son / The Slammer

2007 Big House The Slammer Syrah – estimated retail $14.99: 100% Syrah, this was also a tad lighter than one might expect given the varietal. I think I was the one least enamored with this one. Just not my cup of tea.

2006 Big House The Prodigal Son – estimated retail $14.99: 100% Petite sirah, this was my favorite wine of the evening. Full of dark fruit, chocolate and spice, this wine begs for bloody red meat fresh off the grill. While still not quite as good a value as the Bogle Petite Sirah, this makes a nice alternative to other BBQ wines and for the money, shouldn’t disappoint anyone.

2007 Cardinal Zin – estimated retail $19.99: Honestly, I only tried a little bit of this and found it to be okay, but I think you can do better for the money with other choices. Nothing bad about the wine, it just didn’t stand out like the Prodigal Son. Not recommended.

So, there are my recollections, thoughts, remembrances. Overall, I think the whites are both solid, the Big House Red has improved and the Petite sirah is the big winner amongst the “upper cell block” (aka pricier wines with names) series. As always, let your palate guide you to where you want to go and take everything me and every other wine reviewer (professional, amateur and semi-pro) say with a big old lick of salt, as your mileage will vary.

Cheers,
Kevin

Quivira wines at Miller Union dinner with wine maker Steven Canter

Every once in a while, you meet someone who really makes you think.

Steven Canter, the wine maker for Quivira, is such a person.

I always liked to meet wine makers when I was a retail buyer, much more so than the PR / marketing folks. I enjoyed shaking hands and sharing wine with the folks who were doing what I considered the real work. There weren’t a lot of these meetings, but I always learned something. Having dinner with Steven taught me a lot about wine and has me looking at it in a new way.

It didn’t hit me like a wall, more like a slow trickle as I recounted the dinner with Steven and my wife at Miller Union. We met up with Steven at 7:30 on Wednesday, February 17th 2010. Dinner concluded right before 11PM, as we realized we were about the only guests still in the restaurant. I didn’t take formal notes, but will rely on my memory to give you a general impression of the topics we covered, along with my opinions of the wines we sampled.

I’ll start with saying that Quivira is Demeter certified Biodynamic and has been since 2005. I’m not going to give you a lesson in what that means, which is what the links are for. My view is that bio-dynamics seeks to create harmony between man and the land. Steven even commented that he goes beyond the “rules” and when I probed what that meant, he said how the workers were treated. He worked in South Africa not long after the fall of apartheid and he saw poor treatment of workers. Though not part of the Demeter doctrine, it is still a vital aspect of how he makes wine. This is one man who not only talks the talk and walks the walk, but also writes the words. If I were an aspiring wine maker, he is one person I’d seek to intern under.

Keep in mind, these are not in order, just how I remember them.

On wine critics: I’d say that Steven feels like they fill a certain role and understands their use, but he doesn’t get especially excited when he gets a good review. He also provided a story that made me wonder, just what would happen when someone reviews the same wine in two different labels. The answer is, the scores will be dramatically different.

On Champagne: Hands down, the grower stuff is better and what he drinks.

On alternative packaging: Steven replied the FDA wouldn’t allow him to use animal bladders. I’m not sure if he was kidding or not, but honestly, I think it is kind of a cool idea for local consumers who wanted to buy wine from the winery. He did say they were looking, but some things they couldn’t use. For instance, Tetra-paks have certain chemicals in them that Demeter doesn’t allow, so those are out. We also discussed closures and Steven is a very big believer in cork. He says it is natural, warm and ecologically the best choice. Cork taint is of very little concern these days, as any producer who belongs to a certain cork quality alliance (that I can’t recall the name of) has very few incidents of TCA anymore. My primary complaint regarding cork is the relatively limited ability to recycle them, though I know there is some movement towards improving that.

On oxygen and wine making: While drinking the Quivira Sauvignon blanc, my wife commented on how many of the New Zealand versions are overly grapefruit driven in taste. The Quivira was pure and tropical, but not very grassy. Steven remarked how a lot of wine makers are paranoid about the juice being exposed to oxygen and that they go through tremendous lengths to keep the wine away from oxygen at all times. He doesn’t do that and talked about how the juice will run from golden green to espresso brown during the fermentation process, but it will return back. He called this the “pucker stage”, hoping he has not ruined 10,000 gallons of wine. Trust me, he didn’t.

On natural yeasts: Quivira doesn’t use cultured yeast. I commented that I often read and hear direct from the mouths of other wine makers that natural yeasts are too much of a gamble and you can get off-flavors. At this point, I began to wonder, perhaps the use of all those artificial compounds in the farming process are what cause the flavors, since the naturally occurring yeasts might not know how to process them. I’m no chemist, so it was just a theory. I think Quivira proves if you take care of the land, the land will take care of the wine, as I found no off-flavors in the wines, though the Petite Sirah did go through a weird phase. See below.

Wild mushrooms on restaurant menus: A pet peeve of his and one I’d never have thought 0f, but the fact that when a menu says wild mushrooms, he has been served varieties that were obviously cultivated and not foraged, which is what wild mushrooms are. Our mushroom toast appetizer was obviously foraged and he inquired about their source, since the restaurant obviously emphasizes their use of local ingredients and these couldn’t have been. We were informed they did come from the West coast. I have to say, I’ll always be more attentive to the menu on these types of restaurants in my future dining excursions. It also makes me respect those restaurants that do support local sources and list them as partners on their menu. Great food really does start with great ingredients.

What Steven drinks: I’m always curious as to what other wineries a wine maker likes. Here is where I wish I’d taken notes, as the only one I can remember is Navarro, as it was the only name I recognized. I know that in general, he leans towards the old world wines.

On alcohol levels: A popular topic that never seems to lose life, my personal take is that alcohol levels are one component of what gives a wine balance and no matter what their alcohol content, it was neither inherently good or bad. I think Steven agreed, as he brought up Amarone, a still wine that ranges over 16% fairly regularly, yet nobody disparages those wines because of it. I did say that some high alcohol wines can be tiring to drink or even pair with food, but it wasn’t always the case. Yes, Quivira wines are all close to 15% and I found none of them to be out of balance or show signs of heat on the back palate.

On the difficulty of different varietals: I proposed that Pinot noir is often portrayed as being the most difficult of grapes to grow. Steven just smirked and disagreed, saying that Zinfandel is inherently more difficult because of its proclivity to have un-even ripeness of berries within the bunches. That and it tended to get raisiny if you let it go just a bit too far. I don’t recall getting a definitive answer as to what he thought was most difficult, but he did say it was NOT Pinot noir.

My overall impression: Steven is an extremely intelligent and convicted person. He lives on a farm, raises goats and vegetables, along with practicing bio-dynamic farming. It isn’t about marketing or some other bullshit reason, he just believes it is the best way to farm, which in the end, is what wine making is really all about. You respect the land, treat it well and you can be rewarded with excellent fruit. Shepard that fruit with minimal intervention and you get good to great wine. It may not be for everyone, but it is what the land has provided and you either like it or not. At least you aren’t getting a wine that has been forged into something it was never meant to be in the first place. I know that dinner with Steven has really changed how I view wine and the wine making process. While I’m not going to convert to 100% drinking bio-dynamic wines only, I know it will be something I’m more aware of when I’m looking for new wines to try, especially once I get past this year.

Now, onto the wines.

2008 Quivira Figtree Sauvignon blanc (approximate retail of $18): Clean and tropical, with a fullness of body that comes from six months sur lies. It has an ABV of 13.9%, pH of 3.25 and T.A. of .57g/100mL, with a production of 3,316 cases bottled in February of 2009. A great food wine and it had this very compelling aromatic I just couldn’t place. My wife said Steven sort of smirked when I kept referencing it, but made no comment regarding the wine. I read somewhere on Cellar Tracker that someone said it smelled like caraway, but I’m not sure that was it either. While not my favorite overall wine, it was very good and something we plan to have the next time we have oysters.

2006 Quivira Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel (approximate retail of $20): A blend of 92% Zinfandel and 8% Petite sirah, aged for 10 months in 15% new French oak barrels, ABV of 14.9%, pH 3.71, T.A. .55g/100mL, with a production of 3,900 cases bottled in August of 2008. A very claret like style, with the signature bramble, blackberry and baking spice wrapped in a jacket of soft tannins. For me, this was the second best wine of the night and a really good value.

2006 Quivira Dry Creek Valley Anderson Ranch Zinfandel (approximate retail of $34): We actually talked about the pros and cons of single vineyard wines a bit when this came out. I think we both agreed that single vineyards aren’t necessarily any better, but they do have that perception in the marketplace and often, that is where the higher prices come from. This is a brawnier wine, more like an old school middle linebacker who fills the gap and stuffs the running back on 3rd and short. Not as refined or as smooth as the Dry Creek, this wine needs more time in bottle and bigger food, but I think your patience will be rewarded, as the fruit has plenty of stuffing to stand the test of time.

2007 Quivira Grenache (approximate retail of $26): I loved this wine. For those of you who like Pinot noir, this is the wine to try. I tell that to a lot of folks, especially when I was in retail. I knew you could always get a really good Grenache, especially at the lower price points where many of the Pinots tasted more like their fillers. It was full of brown sugar laced red raspberries with toasted herbs spinkled in for good measure. Very food friendly and easy to drink, it was a great match with the pork. 100% Grenache, 15 months in 10% new oak (origin not specified), ABV of 14.9%, pH 3.71, T.A. .54 g/100mL, with a production of 812 cases that were bottled in January of 2009.

2007 Quivira Petite Sirah (approximate retail of $26): My wife’s favorite, surprisingly so considering her sworn allegiance to the fiefdom known as Pinot noir. While I associate Petite sirah with wrestling alligators bearing their teeth, this one was sedated, but not dead. I found the tannins to be modest, nothing a good steak, burger or juicy piece of pork won’t ease. Full of dark black fruits and peppered citrus, this wine did have about a 15 minute spell for me where a funky earth character took over. After that, it began to smell like a coffee house first thing in the morning where the baristas are pouring themselves shots of espresso and French roasted coffee made in a French press (I really need one of those…best way to have coffee really). I’d say the development in the couple or hours we had this open indicate a nice future, so you can drink it now and 5 to 7 years from now, though it will be hard pressed to see life beyond that. UPDATED 03/26/10 You can read another review at NorCalWine dot com.

Overally, I found all the wines to be of good to outstanding quality. While by no means cheap, I think the Grenache, Zinfandel and Petitie sirah over deliver for their respective price points and the Sauvignon blanc is a great change of pace from the usual new world styles. You can taste the dedication to quality and the purity of the flavors. For those who want to try bio-dynamic / organic wine, Quivira is a label I believe you can trust, but only your palate can determine what you like.

RETAILERS: Please call for pricing and availability. If you don’t shop at any of these fine establishments, you can always ask about special orders. Quivira is distributed by Empire.

• Tower Beer & Wine
• The Wine Cellars
• Whole Foods
• Sherlock’s Wine Merchant
• Bullock’s

RESTAURANTS:

• Miller Union
• Eno
• Pampas Steakhouse
• Quanto Basta
• South City Kitchen
• la Tavola
• Ecco
• Ellis Hotel
• Cakes and Ale

As for the food, I will say that everything we ate was quite good. We all had different appetizers, entrees and desserts, but everyone got to try a taste of everyone else’s dish. My personal favorite was the chicken liver mousse, which had a sweet component that was quite delicious, but when you threw in some of the stone ground mustard, it really elevated to a new level. The pork, duck and trout were all equally good and the desserts were good, but not stellar. Go for the appetizers and main dishes and give them some time on dessert, I’m sure they will come up to par with the others in due time. We will definitely return, which in my book, is the best endorsement you can give to any restaurant. Oh yeah, I’ve been told the farm egg appetizer is really rockin’, so consider it as well. Just make sure to do like we did and double up on nothing so you can try as many items as possible.

Cheers and many, many thanks to the fine folks at Folsom for arranging this intimate dinner and for Steven being so kind in sharing his time, wit and knowledge with us. If you ever get the chance to meet him, ask about the 5 billion dollar bill he carries.

Ahh, the joys of a trade tasting. It has been quite a while since I’ve been to one, but I was fortunate enough to be invited to Empire’s event on January 21st, 2010. Thank Eric!

For those outside the industry, trade tastings come in all different shapes and sizes. Some are hosted in warehouses or meeting rooms, with lavish spreads. Others are at locations like 103 West or the Cobb Galleria. The biggest ones typically happen in September, as everyone is gearing up to get their products into the hands of retailers who will be looking to bulk up for the critical holiday season.

This is not my favorite way to taste wine, but it is cost effective for the suppliers and distributors, so you just deal with it. Now that I’m outside the trade, I can look back and realize that I both loved and hated these events. First off, I prefer to taste wine at a deliberate pace, with a nice meal and conversation. Rushing from table to table, sniffing, swirling, slurping and spitting gets to be pretty old after a while, especially when the wine sucks and the spit bucket has gone on a bathroom break.

Fortunately, I was there yesterday to taste some sparkling wines, which I did. After that, I went around and tasted a variety of wines, focusing on the Pinot Noirs that were being poured. This wasn’t an overwhelmingly large tasting, as it focused on new vintages and new products, which made the size much more managable than other shows I’ve been too. These notes are very brief and from memory for everything outside the bubblies, which I did take some notebook written notes on.

Sparklers:

• #007 – Veuve Clicquot Rosé: Firm with strawberry and toast. A very good wine and from what I remember, a better buy than the eponymous Yellow (I still say it is orange) label.
• #008 – Wolf Mountain Blanc de Blancs: Georgia wines all seem to have this certain green herbal quality to them and it makes an appearance here as well. Notes of pear and apple join in, with a sweet hint of lemon in the dry, crisp finish.
• #009 – 071 Prosecco: Seemed to have a high amount of sulfur, with little fruit and more minerality than anything. I wasn’t really into this and think the bottle may have been bad.
• #010 – 2005 Graham Beck Blanc de Blancs: First off, I actually tried 4 wines from Graham Beck, but am only writing up this one because I have full sample bottles of the other 3 I tried. I will say that the Brut, Rosé and Bliss Demi-sec are all really worthy of your attention at $15.99. This particular offering should retail for around $23.99 and is also a great value. It spends 36 months on the lees, which is the equivalent of vintage Champagne. Notes of chalky mineral dance with stone fruits and bright citrus that begs for raw oysters or your favorite cooked shellfish.
• #011 – Charles de Fère Brut Rosé: A blend of Groslot, Cot and Cabernet Franc, so not only do I get another notch on the sparkling wine wheel, but two more varietals on the Wine Century count. This was a good wine with nice red fruits and a touch of the green herbal qualities often associated with Cabernet franc. Serve with light appetizers to start the meal.
• #012 – Il Falchetto Moscato d’Asti: A really sweet moscato that suffered from a lack of balancing acidity to me. For those who like a sweet wine with low alcohol.
• #013 – Il Falchetto Brachetto d’Acqui: Sweet red sparkling wine from Italy that had more acidity than the moscato. Sweet red raspberry preserves that begs for a dance partner of chocolate to really shine.

Well, that concludes the bubblies. The Graham Beck lineup was the easy star, but the locally grown Wolf Mountain Blanc de Blancs is worth your attention as well, if for no other reason to see what can be done with our own terroir.

There were many other wines I tried, a few of which really stood out. Here are quick thoughts on those.

2007 Joseph Swan Cuvee de Trois Pinot Noir: I’d heard of the producer, but never sampled the wines. Apparently they are new to Georgia distribution. This wine was outstanding, with loads of bright red cherry and cranberry flavors, accented by wonderful spices. The color was nice and pale, but the palate packed a punch and the finish, man did it go on and on. I tasted a total of 3 Pinots from this producer and for the money, this was the real winner. I found out later this got a whopping 93 from Spectator and was a Top 100 selection. I guess that means it will be nearly impossible to get, but if you spot anything from them, I’d say pick up a bottle and try it out for yourself. This is great juice.

2005 Joseph Swan Mancini Ranch Zinfandel: Refined, restrained, but packed with flavor. No over-ripened fruit or light the campfire with your breath alcohol levels, just a nice wine filled with classic brambly black fruits. This is from the Russian River Valley, an area that you don’t normally associated with Zinfandel.

2008 Belle Glos Pinot Noirs including Clark & Telephone, Las Alturas, Meiomi and Taylor Lane: Generally speaking, I liked all four of these, but they were still very youthful and need a bit of time. I think my favorite was the Meiomi, but I could be wrong. Maybe it was the Clark & Telephone.

2007 Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon: Umm, it is Caymus, so you know the taste profile. If you don’t, it is juicy, brimming with blackberry, cocoa and vanilla. The fruit is very sweet, with moderate tannins and a touch of heat on the finish. Best to decant and drink this now through the next 5 to 7 years. Hard to judge on one sip out of a bottle that hasn’t been decanted, but I think Caymus delivers the goods and most folks who love California Cabernet will dig it.

2007 Angela Pinot Noir: Ken Wright is the winemaker and if you’ve not heard of him, you probably don’t drink a lot of Oregon Pinot Noir. This wine started in 2005 as a blend of two vineyards and is mentioned in this Harvey Steiman blog entry. According to the Angela website, the wine is fairly popular and has almost a cult-like following in some circles. Personally, I thought it was very good, but still needed time in bottle to really shine. A solid combination of tart red fruits intermixed with the earthy smell of a forest the morning after a thunderstorm, built on a solid foundation of acidity.

Well, that about wraps up all the wines that really stood out. Happy Monday to you.

Cheers!

2007 Ravenswood Teldeschi Vineyard Zinfandel

This was one of those wines I’d really been looking forward to, as it came in this awesome packaging (see video at end) and it is from Ravenswood, one of the cornerstones of the California Zinfandel producing community. While I have other producers which I hold in higher regard, most of the wines I’ve had in my day that came from the No Wimpy Wines producer have been good to excellent.

Sadly, this was not one of those cases.

Worse yet, I feel bad to some degree because I was given this wine as a sample without even knowing it was coming. Oh yeah…FULL DISCLOSURE: I received this wine as a free sample. Back to the story…the wine just showed up one day in this impressive gift like box. See the video at the end.

I looked up the wine and found it had this whopping score from Josh Raynolds of Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar. Josh is the one professional critic that I’ve found myself in agreement with more often than not, so I was doubly interested to try the wine. With the Z.A.P. event coming up and the chance to offer the free tickets, I figured it was time to get on with the tasting, that way I could tie the two together.

No such luck.

I will say that my wife and I both tried the wine and I had just finished getting over a rather nasty head cold while she was just starting one. I’m not sure if I was fully recovered or not, but I thought I was when I opened the wine. Upon pouring it into the decanter, I detected very little fruit, which is not a harbinger of good things since Zinfandel typically comes roaring out of the bottle like Captain Kirk goes after rainbow skinned alien females, with a vengeance.

It sat in the decanter for about an hour before we began to drink it. Excuse me, tried to drink it. It just came across dead and without any flavor, other than that of alcohol. We even let our kids smell it, something we make a habit of and neither of them had any fruit descriptors pop out of their mouths. I think somewhere along the line, the bottle just laid down and died, since I’ve found other blog reviews (see below) that had nothing but positive things to say. One of the injustices or risks of wine is such an occurrence. Of course, I had the good fortune (there really is a silver lining) of not having to pay for it.

I will refrain from scoring this because I really do feel something was amiss and if I were a professional, this would be one of those wines that would have the footnote of tasted twice with consistent notes or it would be re-tasted and I’d have a totally different experience.

I also know that I could run the risk of not getting more wine samples from this source, but giving honest reviews, especially for things I’m given free of charge, is something I feel every blogger should do. I’m not going to go all Gary V and totally slam something, one because I don’t have that level of palate experience and two, I’d rather just explain why I don’t like something than to rip it apart or call it a really bad wine. Hey, everyone has different tastes. If I can find this wine at retail, I’ll probably buy it and give it a re-review just because this really was a train wreck that could have been our own fault or it could be just a bad bottle.

No haiku.

Here are other links where you can see some other opinions:

Wine Harlots

Drink Hacker

Side Dish: The Daily Destination for Dallas Foodies

Charles Scicolone on Wine

Wine Access where you can view the two monster scores this wine received.

Yeah, I think it must have been the nose in the kitchen with the facial tissue that did this wine in. Shame really. Well, thanks for stopping by and taking the time out of your busy day to read this. I hope you enjoy, share and become a Facebook Fan. Have an awesome day!