Sud de France 2010 - the wines

I was invited to participate in a worldwide synchronized tasting today. It was put on by Sud de France, a trade group that promotes the diverse wines grown in the Languedoc-Roussillon region in the south of France.

According to the information I received, there were 90 bloggers and journalists who were invited to participate. The cover photo you see is the package we received, which I have to say was very well put together. In addition to the five wines, we also received a tasting glass, a corkscrew and two very informative pamphlets on the wines from the region. I’ll admit, I’ve not put the energy into reading through them, as I had other plans over the Father’s Day weekend. Speaking of which, belated Happy Father’s Day to all you dads out there. It is the most important job you’ll ever have. Trust me.

The tasting was supposed to occur at 11AM in your local country and you could talk about your experience in a variety of ways. Some folks had blog posts already up before I finished, some folks had streaming vids posted, while myself and others were also posting on Twitter using the hashtag #suddefrance to keep up with the comments. I didn’t see a lot of Twitter activity during my time, which I did from 11AM to 12:30PM.

Technical stuff:

• I tasted all the wines from the provided tasting glass (which I ended up breaking after I was done).
• I swirled, sipped and spit everything.
• I rinsed with the next wine before tasting it. I don’t believe in rinsing with water.
• I had no food with any of these wines, nor bread between.

Normally, I’m not a real big fan of tasting wines this way, as it removes them from actual context in how I enjoy my wines, which is almost always with food.

Now, onto the wines.
Grand Cuvee 1531 Cremant de Limoux: A blend of 70% Chardonnay, 20% Chenin blanc and 10% Mauzac. One bit of history regarding wines from this region is they were making sparkling wine here over 100 years before Dom Perignon did in France. I still don’t think that makes them first in the world, but it sure puts them ahead of the Champenois, at least in terms of history.

I got some floral aromas, almost something like magnolia, though I wouldn’t lay money on something that specific. The primary notes were lemon, green apple and grapefruit, somewhere between white and pink, leaning more towards the pink. It was light and crisp, with no real faults. A crisp finish makes this a great apéritif to have with egg dishes or some nice creamy brie. There wasn’t a lot of complexity or length, but I’d buy this above average offering for under $15. It is better than other examples from the region that I’ve had. This was my favorite wine of the tasting.

Fruité Catalan Rosé: First off, I didn’t get nearly enough of a chill on this wine. I typically like my rosés to be pretty cold, leaning towards the too-cold-I’ll-let-it-warm-up-in-the-glass camp. My buddy and fellow blogger Ed said it smelled like strawberry Bubblicious. I agree, in that it had somewhat of an artificial smell to me, like strawberry juice with 10% real juice and artificial flavors added. On the palate, it just didn’t do it for me. It wasn’t a fruity as I expected and it was just sort of blah. Benito commented on Twitter that he saw it for as low as $6 and I retorted that I’d still not buy it. There are plenty of $10 or so dry rosés from France I’d buy before this. I can see where newbie wine drinkers might enjoy this sitting poolside, drinking it at an ice cold temperature, but those who appreciate rosés already should pass on this. It goes in the not for me category.

2008 Gerard Bertrand Cigalus: was the next wine and by far the most expensive, coming in around the $30 – $35 mark. A blend (I couldn’t find the breakdown) of Chardonnay, Viognier and Sauvignon blanc, this opened up like a California Chardonnay drinker’s delight. I found a very strong presence of vanilla laced butter, but it didn’t dominate on the palate like I was fearing. I discovered some pineapple and apricot in addition to the buttered peaches I referred to in my first salvo on Twitter.

The Viognier contributed the stone fruit and maybe a touch of floral, but not much else. The Sauvignon blanc must have kept the Chardonnay from being too heavy, though this was a very creamy and smooth drinking wine. Though this is again, not a wine I’d drink, it was well crafted and above average in quality. I would say those who like the richer style of Chardonnay would be pleased with this, though I think the price is a bit steep and it would be a hard sell for California drinkers. Maybe a good alternative to White Burgundy for the price?

Domaine Dromadaire “30670″ Red: An unoaked blend of 60% Syrah and 40% Grenache, this wine was decanted for an hour when I first tried it. My initial impression was black olives steeping in blackberry syrup over some hot stones. As the wine opened up, it took on additional notes of black pepper and smoky leather. There were some nice tannins and acidity as well, keeping the rich flavors from being overly heavy or in your face. I would pair this above average choice with any richer meat dishes and it makes a great red for summer time, since it still delivers good flavors without being super heavy or alcoholic. It weighed in at 13% ABV. This was my second favorite and a definite buy if the price is in the teens.

2006 Mas de Madame Muscat de Frontignan: Those who know me best will tell you that I’m a dessert wine freak. As a matter of fact, I think dessert wines may actually be more under appreciated than any other category. While I still put sparkling wine at the top of my list, dessert wines of a certain style come in a close second. I qualified that statement because I’m usually a fan of late-harvest stickies and often find fortified wines much too strong for my liking. This was my first experience with a fortified muscat and it was surprisingly good.

First, the alcohol was 15.5% and it was served really cold, which made even that high of an alcohol content undetectable. The muscat grape has a certain aroma and it was definitely present in this wine, along with some nice floral and orange marmalade components. On the palate, it was unctuous and quite smooth. Too smooth actually, as I like a nice dollop of acidity in my stickies to keep the palate refreshed and not feeling like I just drank some honey. A bit of warming brought forth some clover honey aroma and flavor. Overall, this was another good offering and for the $8 I was told it could be found for, a pretty good bargain. I’m not sure what I’d do with a full bottle, but if you’ve got friends who like sweet wines, I think this wouldn’t be a disappointment. Just make sure to grab some blue cheese to serve it with, as the fat, salty tang of the cheese will help reduce some of the fat in this wine.

At the end of the day, you have to give it to the Languedoc-Roussillon region for having a very diverse set of wines to offer the wine consumer. Most of them are going to run under $20, with several closer to $10 and they usually deliver a pretty good bang for the buck. I expect to see a continued rise in quality, which will probably mean rising prices at some point. Outside of today’s rose offering, I thought all the wines were well made and have their audience. It is up to retailers and sommeliers to get the word out and ultimately, up to consumers to do some exploring and discover some really top notch value wines.

A big THANK YOU to the fine folks at Sud de France for including me.

Here is my video:

Here are some links to what others experienced:

• Sour Grapes
• Quentin Sadler’s wine page
• Benito’s Wine Reviews

Happy Monday!

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

Woodfire Grill

My second visit to Woodfire Grill was for a wine dinner featuring wines from Robert Sinskey, a winery I was not real familiar with before this day. I was peripherally knowledgeable of them, knowing their reputation for Pinot Noir more than anything else.

The winery has been farming organically since 1991 and have also incorporated the practices of bio-dynamics. To learn more, watch this video on their website, it explains the concept much better than my words. This philosophy produces what I call slow wines. These are the wines you should appreciate with food, not on their own like some cheap vodka-tini drink (I hate those -tini modifications…shows no imagination whatsoever and disrespects the original drink…but I digress).

For $109 per person (all inclusive of tax and tip), we were treated to one amuse bouche, four courses and five wines, which was one more than promised. There were 37 of us total, all seated in the very back of the restaurant across several tables. Our table included a chef and his wife, who suggested we all rate the courses on a 1 to 5 scale. The below will cover each course, with comments on the food, the wine and the pairing.

Before I get to that, I have to make a quick comment on the 2006 Van Duzer Estate Pinot Noir Willamette Valley that my wife enjoyed. First off, it was $9.50 a glass. Last time I remember seeing this wine, it was about $28, so this price by the glass was pretty decent. I’m guessing some sort of closeout deal to move out old stock, but what a deal. Plenty of dark cherry fruit and well placed spice notes make this a good choice to have on its own or with food.

Amuse bouche: Pimento cheese prefiterole

• Spicy and creamy, but mine squished out and got on me. I would have preferred a flatbread with the cheese. (B)

Seared scallop

First course: Seared scallop, ras el hanout, creamed lentils, walnut apricot jus with 2008 Abraxas Vin de Terroir

• My scallop was perfectly cooked through, but I would have preferred just a bit more crust. One guest said their scallop wasn’t done all the way through, but he didn’t send it back. The creamed lentils complimented the soft texture and sweet flavor, adding a welcome earth note to the seafood. Overall, I liked the dish. (B+)
• The wine is a blend of Pinot gris, Gewurztraminer, Riesling and Pinot Blanc. The two Pinots were most dominant to me, with plenty of clean, white and green fruit flavors, pear being the strongest taste. A fine wine for summer time and it went well with the dish, helping to cut the creamed lentils. (B+)
• Pairing: (A) – A case of where the two actually elevated one another.

Coca-Cola glazed pork loin

Second course: Coca-cola glazed smoked pork loin, truffled beets, spiced cranberries, tarragon puree with two wines, the 2004 Vandal Vineyard Pinot Noir and 2007 Pinot Noir.

• I loved the pork loin, though I will say I didn’t find a lot of the Coca-cola flavor. A couple of guests found the texture a bit firmer than they liked, to which I commented it reminded me of a thick slab of canadian bacon, which I like. The truffled beets and spiced cranberries made great accompaniments, but the tarragon through things off for me, adding a rather un-welcome note of licorice to the dish. (A)
• The 2004 Vandal Vinyeard Pinot Noir was very open and fruit forward, with wonderful baking spice notes. It was very fragrant and easy to drink, just like a library wine should. The heat of the vintage definitely showed and I’d recommend drinking these now and over the next year. (B)
• 2007 Los Carneros Pinot Noir: Tight as a drum, this really showed much better with the food. The bright red fruit flavors seemed to come out of the dark when you’d take a sip after eating the pork. This will benefit from aging and for those who drink it now, make sure to air it out for a bit. (B now, with B+ to A for potential)
• Pairing: I liked the Vandal better with the food. I’d say both were an A in terms of pairing up well with the dish.

Wood grilled quail

Third course: Wood grilled quail, currant-garlic glaze, roasted farro, mint, sweet potato paired with 2006 Merlot.

• Most folks found this really delicious, even those who commented they typically don’t like quail. I think I even heard the comment that quail were like chickens that never grew up. I think their portion size make them well suited for multi-course menus like this one. The quail was well cooked, but my favorite part was the bed of roasted farro and sweet potato the little birds nested upon. It was just the right balance of sweet and savory, with a variety of textures to please me. (B+)
• 2006 Merlot: Plums and spice, so nice. A medium-full body, this wine had some guts to it and wasn’t over ripened or oaked. I’d say this is a more classic style of Merlot, but still very California. (B+)
• Pairing: (C) I thought the wine was a bit overwhelming for the food. I could have seen this as a second course served with a nice Rose or another Pinot Noir.

Wood grilled painted hills beef strip loin

Main course: Wood grilled painted hills beef strip loin, roasted mushroom ragout, red wine glace, carmelized onion grits, pork fat croutons paired with 2005 POV (Point of View).

• First off, the flavors of this dish were my favorite of the night, but we had one big problem. The temperature was much too cool. Even our plates were cool. The chef at the table gave this a 3 on our 1 to 5 scale. I know it is difficult to serve 37 people the same dish at the same time, but if you can’t accommodate that many people, then keep the size smaller. Again, I don’t know what happened, but it happened to everyone at our table. Outside of that, everything else about the dish was awesome. The beef was well seasoned and perfectly tender. The mushrooms and grits added great layers of flavor, but without overwhelming the tender strip. I tried one of the pork fat croutons by itself, but it was too small to really get a lot of flavor out of. They added a nice crunch and make me think adding them to grits is a great idea. As served, (B-) due to temperature. Otherwise, an (A+).
• 2005 POV: A blend of 45% Merlot, with the remainder equally split between Cabernet brothers, Sauvignon and Franc. The most Bordeaux like, but with the signature fruit of California. Nice earth and dark red fruit notes made this my favorite wine of the evening, though that could have as much to do with the pairing as the wine itself.
• Pairing: A solid A.

Overall, the evening was quite enjoyable. We had very nice company and vibrant discussions, including one about the appeal of sugar sweetened Coca-Cola vs. HFCS, as one of our tablemates worked for the Latin American division of Coca-Cola. For those interested, read this article on the cult of Mexican Coca-Cola.

Have a great weekend.

One of the very first rosé wines I ever tried was from Big House, then owned and operated by the iconic Randall Grahm. The brand has since been sold to The Wine Group, from which I received sample bottles free of charge (thank you!). These wines all run somewhere in the $10 range, come under screw cap and are eclectic blends of varietals you have and have not heard of. For those interested in quickly joining The Wine Century Club, these are the sort of wines you are looking for. Between the 3 bottles, you could knock out 19. See each note for individual compositions, though I’m sorry to say I couldn’t find details on exact compositions.

2007 Big House Red The day I tried this wine was not the best of days, so I have little re-collection and no formal notes. I remember it had some cherry and red fruit flavors, but it wasn’t super memorable. I can’t honestly say if it was just the day, as a really good wine would have made me take notes or have fonder recollections than I’m experiencing. It is a blend of 11 grapes, including: Syrah, Tannat, Tempranillo, Petite Sirah, Touriga, Malbec, Aglianico, Nero d’Avola, Grenache, Petite Verdot and Montepuliciano. I’m not sure what Randall was thinking when he first created this wine, but he obviously had some master plan in mind.

Big House Pink: If there were a prize for deepest color in a rosé, this would win. Our son noticed the pink flamingos surrounding the neck. Goes to show that packaging does indeed work, if not in this case on the intended target audience. This kitchen sink of varietals includes Syrah, Charbono, Grenache, Tannat, Zinfandel, Barbera, Tempranillo and Sangiovese, four of which you didn’t get to try in the red blend. This smelled like a field of over ripe strawberries with a soil of red cherries. Dust with red raspberries and there you have it, a cornucopia of red fruit flavors. It was very juicy and ripe, but lacked complexity. Granted, I don’t expect a lot of complexity from rosé, but with so many varietals, I guess I was hoping for a bit more. I’m not sure if they left any sugar in this one, but it did seem a tad sweet on the finish. Not White Zin type sweet, just not as dry as most of the French rosés we drink. For $10, I’d buy / recommend this one, especially for those folks who would like to experience a dry rosé, but need some training wheels so they don’t fall off the train before arriving to station. This is what I refer to as a bridge wine, as it connects those who like blush (aka sweet) pinks to the eventual glory of dry rosé.

10-07-09 UPDATE: This wine received 86 points from Wine Spectator in a Tasting Highlights feature regarding 14 Great Value California Wines on 10-06-09. Take that for what its worth.

Big House White: Wow! This explodes out of the glass in that sort of way that makes you really pay attention. This blend of Malvasia Bianca, Muscat Canelli, Viognier and Rousanne not only smells fantastic, it adds four more notches to your grape varietal belt. It smelled like pineapple, star fruit, meyer lemons and is that, guava? It has been so long since I smelled it that I’m not sure. No matter, it smelled great. It tasted darn good too. I got new flavors of apricots and honeysuckle, giving me the impression that the Viognier was mounting a coup d’état as the flavors wrestled for control. Smooth, easy to drink and packed with flavor. The white is better balanced than the pink by the acidity that made this mouth watering gem such a delight to drink. I’m not a big white wine person, save my beloved German Rieslings, but I highly recommend this and would buy it again. I’d pair it with just about any chicken or white fish dish, especially those that feature citrus or tropical flavors. I’d even venture out and say that a pan seared salmon filet topped with grilled pineapple tossed in teriyaki reduction would go really well with this wine. Too bad I discovered this so late in the year.

10-07-09 UPDATE: This wine received 90 points from Wine Enthusiast and was named their #1 Wine in their annual Top 100 Wines under $15 issue. Take that for what its worth, but take it from me, this is very tasty and now you’ve got a professional opinion to go with that.

Have an awesome Wednesday and don’t forget to smile!