"On Top of the World" by SashaW on Flickr

Wednesday night, July 21st, 2010, we attended the annual blind tasting challenge held at Chris Hinton’s Bin 75 tasting room in Johns Creek. It is the mid-week event during their anniversary sale, which nets you 20% off cases of wine. You can also score some wines at 25% off solid cases. Check the website or call for more information.

My wife went into the event as defending champion and was ready to take down all challengers, myself included.

The event was a slightly different format this year, with the addition of a seventh wine, the reception wine. Normally we know what that wine is, but this year it was also poured blind and would act as the first tier tie-breaker.

You are given choices in each flight, one of four whites, the other of three reds. You have five choices of grape variety and country, with no repeats of correct answers within flights.

Keith, the wine manager, plays host. He goes through the basics of blind tasting, explaining what color will tell you, what the aroma and taste markers are for each grape variety, along with the same tidbits for each country represented and whether or not they even grow that grape in that country. For example, you aren’t going to guess Germany if you think the wine is Chardonnay. He wants each selection to be a solid representative of both the grape and the country, though every once in a while he does throw in a curve ball. Last year, it was in the form of an Italian Cannonau, which most of us know as Grenache.

We arrived just in time, as my lovely bride was returning from a business trip and of course, we got stuck in Atlanta traffic. Go figure. Tired as she was, she got out her notepad and went to work, listening to everything Keith said and writing down notes as we went along. She swirled, sniffed and sipped. She contemplated and then, marked her answers. We don’t collaborate, so our results are completely our own.

The whites, were actually pretty straight forward, though I could see where the first one might trip up folks on the country of origin. When it came to the reds, the first was a bit shut down on the nose, but as it warmed the clues began to emerge. It was the second red which was not only my favorite, but my downfall as well. The third was fairly straight forward, though it could have easily been mistaken for another of the choices.

For whites, we had the following five grapes as our selections:

• Sauvignon Blanc
• Chardonnay
• Pinot Gris / Grigio
• Riesling
• Viognier

and the sources of origin we had to choose from were:

• California / Oregon
• New Zealand
• France
• Italy
• Germany

White Wine #1 (reception wine): The wine was a bit shut down for me, so my first thought was Pinot Grigio, but I wasn’t 100% sure since it was fairly cool at service. I was also a bit frustrated by the lack of hourly parking at the airport and then sitting in traffic, not to mention having not eaten much that day. Eventually, the fairly simple citrus pointed to Pinot Grigio from Italy. 2008 Banfi San Angelo Pinot Grigio $13.98

White Wine #2: Brighter than the first wine, with more white citrus than anything. It tasted sort of lemony to me at first, but eventually more like grapefruit, which of course marked Sauvignon blanc. There wasn’t any real grass or sweet hay notes, so I eliminated California / Oregon. It wasn’t super over the top either, so I got rid of New Zealand. That left France (Germany doesn’t make it and Italy wouldn’t be a good country for a typical SB), though for me it wasn’t obviously Loire Valley since I didn’t get as much minerality as I would expect. If I’d been doing this without choices, I’d have probably gone South African. Turns out, the 2008 Domaine Tariquet Sauvignon Blanc ($13.99) was from Cotes de Gascogne.

White Wine #3: The slam dunk of the night, as a couple inches from the glass and my brain went “OAK MONSTER!”. Yes, a California Chardonnay with plenty of sweet oak, but lacking any real fruit flavor. Nice for those who like this style. 2008 Wente Riva Ranch Chardonnay $13.98.

White Wine #4: Hello German Riesling. Again, this was a slam dunk for me, as I’d have to say that when it comes to still white wines, German Rieslings are my favorite. This was a mouthful of stone fruits, with a touch of slate and just the slightest bit of residual sugar. It was also the favorite of the crowd, with probably 80+% of folks saying it was their favorite. This continues the streak of every single blind tasting event I’ve attended where Riesling was the crowd favorite. Yet, they still languish on shelves. Pity that. This gem of a wine retails for $10.99 and as Keith suggested, you can drink this and mow the grass at the same time. Slammin’ good idea. 2006 GR8 Riesling $10.99.

Now came the more challenging reds. Our five grape choices were:

• Merlot
• Cabernet Sauvignon
• Grenache
• Pinot Noir
• Sangiovese

and the sources of origin we had to choose from were:

• California / Oregon
• France
• New Zealand
• Italy
• Spain

Red wine #1: A bit reticent, but this eventually opened up and gave plenty of clues as to the grape and origin. It smelled of Sangiovese at first, but it seemed a bit more fruit driven than what I’d expect from a Chianti. Plus, I didn’t get a lot of that leather, bark note which is the classic marker for me. After about five minutes, those notes emerged and I went straight for the correct answer. 2006 Volpaia Chianti Classico $18.99.

Red wine #2: I missed this one. It was bright, juicy and full of crunch red berry fruits, with a touch of earthiness and loads of bouncy acidity. I kept thinking, Grenache or Pinot Noir. I tossed it about and just went with Spanish Grenache, which turned out to be my undoing for the night, as this was the one wine I got wrong. It was my favorite wine of the night and once again, convinces me that if you want to drink Pinot Noir for under $20, you should be checking out the wines from New Zealand. I’m starting to see more of them available and I hope you’ll try this one. 2009 Over the Edge Pinot Noir (Martinborough, New Zealand) $16.99.

Red wine #3: Slam dunk again, as this had the dark black currant fruit and touch of tannic bite that I come to expect from Cabernet Sauvignon. I guess I could see where one might guess Merlot, but in the $20 and under price range (which we knew all the wines fell into), I’ve never tasted a Merlot that wasn’t creamy and velvety soft. 2008 Villa San Juliette (Paso Robles, CA) Cabernet Sauvignon was $14.99.

The answer sheets were turned in, the scores were tallied and the winner was announced. It was a gentleman whom I didn’t recognize and he got every possible answer right, except for the country of origin on the Pinot Noir. I think I neglected to mention, but the grape variety was worth 1 point, the country of origin 2 points, but it only counted if you got the grape right as well. Keith then went through all the wines one by one. The audience cheered and groaned with each reveal, until we were finally done and wait a minute, we had a RECOUNT!

My defending Champion wife had written down her answers and she had 100% of them right. Somehow, a mistake had been made. As it turns out, our sheets (I’m not sure if anyone else got missed) hadn’t been tallied. We had handed in ours first and I think they got put down where they got overlooked. A simple error that was then corrected.

So, not only is my wife now the FIRST EVER two time Blind Tasting Champion at Hinton’s, she is also the first person to get all the answers correct. I think two others have gotten everything right except one country. As for me, in case you weren’t paying attention above, I got everything right except for the Pinot Noir, which like I said, I mistook for a Spanish Grenache.

A grand time and congratulations to my @AtlantaWineGal.

A small sampling of our culinary treats

Lasting as long as the closing volume to Peter Jackson’s vision of The Lord of the Rings, our wine group battled through fourteen different wines, four different cheeses, some amazing appetizers (including smoked salmon) and a dinner of beef tenderloin, Varenyky, grilled veggies and broccoli salad. It was epic.

For only our second formal gathering, I have to say the bar was set quite high with this particular cast. As usual, it was heavy on the new world wines, though all three of the whites did come from Europe which I found to be interesting.

To begin the festivities, we started with some Louis Roederer Brut Premier Champagne, which was actually purchased 2 to 3 years ago. I commented to the provider (and our gracious host for this installment) I thought that was actually the best way to consume NV (non-vintage) Champagne, as the extra time in bottle typically adds some richness and nutty character to the wine. It was a solid example of the region, with nice citrus and hints of yeast and toasted nuts coming through as well. We had four cheeses to snack on (along with smoked salmon, fresh chopped liver and assorted other munchies) and I thought the Champagne went best with the Robusto. A solid above average wine, but I still prefer their domestic stuff for the money.

After that, I made un-inspired sips at two of the whites. I didn’t care for the 2007 Chateau de la Greffiere Macon-la-Roche-Vineuse, but that is just more for personal taste reasons. It was a solid example of the region and for under $20, it is a nice introduction to white Burgundy. The 2008 Vina Godeval was a 100% Godello from Spain that was one of the more interesting whites I’ve had in quite a while. It had a nice complexity to it, with stone fruit, floral notes, spice and beeswax. If you want something off the beaten path for summer, this is a solid choice. I didn’t try the 2004 Carl Ehrhard Spatlese Riesling, but I’ve had wines from this producer and they have always been solid. I really meant to get back to it after all the reds, but I totally forgot about it.

Now, onto the reds, which from beginning to end were all above average to outstanding.

2005 Tolo Cellars Asini Paso Robles Red Wine (16.2% alcohol): A $28 from the winery blend of 60% Sangiovese and 40% Zinfandel, this had been opened in bottle for 5 hours, then decanted for 2 hours the day before. It was still as peppy as your local Starbucks barista who has enjoyed too much of their own product for anyone’s good. A bright melange of red fruits and licorice on the nose (the Sangiovese) gave way to more blackberry and bramble on the palate. I’d call this a  danger Will Robinson wine because of the high alcohol and too easy to slug palate. I wouldn’t pay $28 for it, but I was more than happy to drink it.

2007 Santa Ema Amplus One: I didn’t sample because I’ve had and raved about it before.

2004 Frog’s Leap Rutherford: A very easy to drink style of Cabernet that was lacking in any real tannin, but had enough acidity to keep it from falling flat on its face. A glass of subtle, yet flavorful black currant and black cherry. If you’ve got Napa Cabs from this hot and juicy vintage, I’d start drinking them now.

2003 Stella Maris Columbia Valley Red Wine by Northstar (14.5% alcohol): A blend of 47% Cabernet Sauvignon; 45% Merlot; 4% Malbec; 4% Syrah, this was the early contender for WOTN (wine of the night) for me. Earthy smoked herbs danced with dark red cherries in a graceful manner those folks on reality TV dancing shows can only dream of. It had a long, smooth finish and was a great pairing with the beef tenderloin. A fine second label effort that is drinking in its prime right now. As the evening wore on, the wine did begin to give way a bit and wasn’t as good the second time around, but I still enjoyed it. #2 for me, as I really liked the mix of both old and new world style.

2000 The Ojai Vineyard Santa Barbara County Bien Nacido Vineyard Syrah: A bowlful of blueberries and spice, this was smooth and easy to drink. I’m not a big California Syrah person typically and while this didn’t convert me, it was a fine effort for a wine I really thought would be past prime.

2005 Kilikanoon Barossa Valley Testament Shiraz (15% alcohol): I remember when my wine sensei first touted Kilikanoon wines to me. Like many red wine newbies, it was easy to love the fruit-laden style of Barossa Valley Shiraz, like a teenage boy falls for Sports Illustrated swimsuit models. I still find Kilikanoon wines to show more restraint and deft hand in obtaining balanced and refinement from their wines, as opposed to Mollydooker where the volume knob starts at 10 and goes up from there. Unfortunately, these big Aussie bombs have fallen on hard times and for those who like them, you can often score tremendous bargains. This wine has loads of tooth-staining black fruits, with nice baking spice and vanilla notes to round out the flavors. A big wine with soft tannins, a core of acidity and big rich flavors that will overwhelm all but the biggest of food.

2001 Stags’ Leap Winery Petite Syrah (14.2% alcohol): One of our two offerings, this was one of my earliest wines-to-lay-down acquisitions. Another wine I read about in Karen McNeil’s The Wine Bible. One of the most fascinating things about this wine is how it got trashed by one publication, but then lauded by two others. If I had been paying attention, I probably would have drank this earlier. It failed to exhibit my expectation of wrestling alligators with their teeth bared that makes Petite Sirah (I have no idea why they spell it with a Y instead of an I) such a great wine. It still had nice spice, black plum and blackberry fruit with hints of toast, but it just lacked the power I expected. Yes, I know the wine is 9 years old, but I wasn’t expecting it to have totally lost its grip. From what I am now reading, it may have never really had that strong of one to begin with. A good wine, but I really was hoping for more.

1999 Pieve Santa Restituta Brunello di Montalcino Sugarille (14% alcohol): A wine from famed Italian winemaker Angelo Gaja, whom I associate more with Barolo than Brunello. I believe this wine had been opened for over 24 hours by the time we drank it and in talking with the host (and provider of this wine), we both concluded that may have been too much. While nowhere near dead or shut down, it seemed to have lost a bit of luster that you’d expect from such an expensive (retail is estimated around $130 – 140) and highly rated (91, 92, 93+) wine. Now don’t get me wrong, it didn’t suck, but it didn’t blow anybody out of the water either. It exhibited classic Brunello dark cherry, leather and floral character, but also a good bit of oak character in the smoke and chocolate notes. Tannins were relatively mild, but I should hope so after breathing as much air as this did. I think this would have been better the day before and a more fair comparison to the next wine. All in all, my third favorite.

2001 Talenti Brunello di Montalcino Pian di Conte: This was one of my first Brunellos, having tasted (and bought it for the store) it as a wine retail buyer. It was later in the day and we were the rep’s last stop, so after drinking and loving this so much, he offered me the remainder of the bottle. I corked it and proceeded to consume it later that evening, taking the same time to breathe in its perfume as I did in drinking it. When I departed my store, the owner gave me a bottle of this as a gift, as he remembered how much I loved this wine. I think the retail was $59.99. A very modern style, this drinks beautifully right now. Yes, it was a bit on the chewy side when we opened it, as it came right out of storage and was popped and poured, no decant time permitted. As the wine opened up, the spiced cherry with smoky cedar flavors sailed on in a finish that was easily in the 45+ second range. Fans of more old world, “traditional” Brunello might find this too much, but it wasn’t like we were drinking Napa Cab. You knew this was Italian, you knew this was Brunello and most important of all, you knew this was just down right tasty. While it wasn’t the overall crowd favorite (I don’t know what was), I know myself and two others were in agreement that it was ours.

Many thanks to our hosts for their generous spread of delicious food and wine, along with great hospitality. I know that myself and my wife are looking forward to the next gathering of Wineaux 75. Until then, be well, drink well and love well.

Cupcake Vineyards

Adam Richardson’s first love is flying, earning his pilot’s license before his driver’s license. Before he became a winemaker, he was a lieutenant aviator in the Royal Australian Navy. He flew helicopter search and rescue missions for 8 years before making a dramatic change in careers, entering the world of the vine.

“You can spend your whole life looking for the bottom of the glass and not get there”.

I had the pleasure of meeting this true flying winemaker for dinner at one of Atlanta’s finest new restaurants, Miller Union. Adam is the head winemaker for Cupcake Vineyards, which is a part of the larger Underdog Wine Merchants organization. We enjoyed 9 different wines, along with great food during all three courses of our meal. FULL DISCLOSURE: The meal and wines were all covered by the winery, so I had to pay for nothing.

First, let’s talk about some of the highlights from our conversation.

Least favorite varieties to work with: Merlot and Pinot Noir. My wife was a bit taken aback by his lack of appreciation for Pinot Noir. We got to talking about it and he did say he loved (to drink) a good Burgundy, but that it could quite frustrating to really find those that really moved you.

Favorite variety to work with: Shiraz. He commented that his answer might seem obvious, being it is a major grape in his homeland, but he said that wasn’t the real reason. He felt Shiraz was a grape you could generally always make a good wine with, but that to make a distinctive, unique wine was a much more challenging task. It was finding that distinct voice which made it his favorite grape to work with.

Favorite wine to drink: Outside of his own wines, it was Barbaresco. His answer took me aback, as it wasn’t something I really expected. He said he was a big fan of German Rieslings as well, but when it came down to it, Barbaresco was his absolute favorite and it yielded my favorite quote of the evening, “You can spend your whole life looking for the bottom of the glass and not get there”. I thought this was a great way to describe the passion for a particular wine and it is one I feel like many Burgundy fans could identify with.

Worst thing he’s ever eaten: Adam is an enthusiastic cook whose favorite cook book is [AMAZON affiliate link] The French Laundry Cookbook. Not exactly lightweight stuff there. The answer to the question was lamprey eels that had been boiled in their own blood. He said it was as disgusting as it sounded. As for an unusual thing he’d eaten that he did enjoy, it was drunken prawns.

Approach to winemaking for Cupcake: In our conversation, I think I’d say Adam is shooting for a broad audience, but without making wines geared only for newbies. He wants to make balanced wines which exhibit typicity for their region and grape. His personal affinity for European wines and understanding of the US market make him well equipped to pull off his aim of creating value wines that wine drinkers of all experiences can enjoy.

Overall, I got the impression that Adam was quite a fan of food and wine, especially when you consider he is responsible for making wines on four continents and continues to add new wines to the portfolio. At this point in time, the Cupcake brand alone has 12 different wines, with more coming this Fall. From a business point of view, the brand is easy to remember and hints towards a more fruit driven style.

Here are quick notes on all the wines we tasted:

2009 Cupcake Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc (Marlborough, New Zealand) 12.5% alcohol: As before, this was a very nice balanced approach to the grape, which can often exhibit overwhelming grapefruit and herbaceous character. This wine weaves together grapefruit, pear and sweet lemon flavors that make it suitable for drinking alone or with seafood, be it raw, grilled or sautéed.

2009 Cupcake Vineyards Pinot Grigio (D.O.C. Trentino, Italy) 13% alcohol: So, the wine world used to be pretty crazy for this grape, which I often found to be more akin to lemon water as the mass market producers tend to make it. This was actually pretty good and while I’d not personally run out to buy it, I’d have no issue with recommending this as a solid example of the grape.

2009 Cupcake Vineyards Riesling (Mosel Valley, Germany) 10.5% alcohol: We had a nice chat about German Rieslings and how they are becoming an endangered species in the wine world, as the vineyards are hard to work and many of the younger generation have no desire to work the land. At this price point, you have a nice wine that exhibits stone fruit and citrus, but lacked the punch of slate and overall flavor that I so enjoy from this region’s wines. I think you can do better with other choices.

2009 Cupcake Vineyards Riesling (Columbia Valley, Washington) 13.2% alcohol: Creamier and drier than the German wine, I found this more to my liking. It just required the right food, which we weren’t really having and honestly, we sort of rushed through the two Rieslings and the next wine, as our entrees had arrived and we were eager to get to the whites. I’ve got a sample bottle of this in the fridge and think I may try it with some veggie spring rolls.

2009 Cupcake Vineyards Chardonnay (Central Coast, California) 14% alcohol: Well made, with a nice balance to the oak and fruit flavors. The oak shows some character in the buttery vanilla nose, but the palate exhibits some nice tropical fruit flavors and I felt this was well made, though I don’t know if the world needs another $10 Chardonnay. This strikes a nice balance between the classic butter bomb Cali-style and the surging popularity of un-oaked wines. California Chardonnay fans will enjoy.

2007 Cupcake Vineyards Merlot (Central Coast, California) 13.9% alcohol: Juicy, but lacking any real character and was just sort of there. My least favorite wine of the night.

2009 Cupcake Vineyards Malbec (Mendoza, Argentina) 13.5% alcohol: Starts off with a great smoky leather aroma that lays over the black fruits, which make their presence known once you get this lovely drop in your mouth. I liked the sort of restraint this wine shows, as I’ve been finding so many Malbecs of late to be over ripened fruit bombs that are one trick ponies. This went really well with my NY strip, which was cooked to a perfect rare. (Thank you Miller Union!). This was my favorite wine of the night and something I’d buy.

Overall, the Cupcake brand is off to a fairly good start. They have an easy to remember name, no critters or low-brow marketing, an appealing price point and cover most of the major grapes. I had my favorites, as any wine drinker will, but it wasn’t like I found any of the wines undrinkable. Those I didn’t care for (Merlot and German Riesling) weren’t bad, I’ve just had better for the money.

A big thanks to Adam for taking the time to meet with me and my wife, we really enjoyed it.

Cheers!

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!

Lucien Albrecht

When you work wine retail, there are several  comments you’ll hear repeatedly from your customers. These are your opportunities to educate and expand palates. One of the most typical was the comment regarding my recommendations for Riesling, which was often right around Thanksgiving, or if someone wants something to pair with spicy pan-Asian cuisine.

Can you guess what the comment was?

“Rieslings are too sweet.”

To quote one of my favorite sages of childhood, Col. Potter, “horse pucky!”

Okay, so I didn’t actually say that, but I did think it. I would explain to people that while yes, most Rieslings from Germany and many we produce right here in the good ol’ USA are a touch sweet, there were bone dry examples readily available from Australia and Alsace. Al-who?

Alsace, the region of France which borders Germany and has often been under German control. That would explain why so many of the wine makers there have German sounding names (the same goes for Champagne, which isn’t too far away).

So, when I was invited to attend a lunch featuring wines from Lucien Albrecht, a top producer of the region, I was more than happy to say yes. Of course, I will have to say that our venue of choice was a bit surprising (Chops), because I wouldn’t associate wines from this region as being those that pair well with steak. As it turns out, we had no red meat served to us. C’est la vie.

First up was a wine I’d already had (and enjoyed) at the Toast of the Town event back in April. It was the 2008 Lucien Albrecht Riesling Reserve. I found the same zippy tang of lime juice with generous mineral components that I did back then. A solid value and a perfect introduction to dry style Riesling without breaking the bank.

Up next, to accompany our corn meal encrusted diver scallop with arugula and creole remoulade was the NV Lucien Albrecht Brut Rosé Cremant, a sparkling wine made from 100% Pinot Noir. A delicate, but flavorful melange of red fruits that was soft on the palate and complimented the spice in the dish. It would have been better if my scallop had been done all the way through, but since I was the only one not served on time, I didn’t send it back. Hey, I eat sushi and raw oysters, so a 3/4 done scallop is not going to scare me. Overall, a very nice wine for the $19.99 retail I’ve seen it for.

The next course was chicken vesuvio with whipped potatoes, green beans and natural jus. Okay, before I get into the three wines we were served with this course, I have to say this was the second best (next to my wife’s roasted chicken) chicken dish I’ve ever had.* It was perfectly cooked and so juicy, you didn’t even need the jus, though I’m never one to let that simple delight go to waste. If I’d been at home, I’d have sopped it up with bread, but manners won and I just dipped my chicken in it like I was supposed to. Stupid food rules.

The three wines were all from the 2007 vintage. One thing I need to point out is that I drank them in the order they were presented in the booklet, not the usual left to right order in which they were poured (yes, one glass for each wine). That probably means I drank them in the “wrong” order, which I realized when I started, but I wanted to see what would happen. Based on what I heard from other attendees (20+ of us), I think the order I tried them gave me a different opinion. It was a test of context, something I really believe is overlooked in most blogging review sites, be they food or wine.

the menu

First up, I tasted the 2007 Lucien Albrecht Gewurztraminer Cuvée Marie. Like Julius Erving (or Michael Jordan for those less sports inclined), the aromatics were highly elevated and delivered strong in the finish. The classic lychee was coupled with a spice infused honey. It was creamy, almost as if honey had been stirred into the wine. Part of this is just the grape, with the addition of aging this wine “sur lie”. Sur lie = leaving the wine to age with the dead yeast cells, which add body and with time, bread or yeasty notes. While it totally overwhelmed the food (and the next two wines for me), this would be an awesome wine with Indian cuisine. While the rule guideline suggestion of pairing wines with their local cuisine does usually work, this is one of those pairings that just simply works even if the cuisine comes from a place with no real wine culture to speak of (though it is burgeoning at the moment). This was my favorite wine…by far.

Next up was the 2007 Lucien Albrecht Pinot Gris Cuvée Cécile, which seemed to be a favorite with the chicken amongst those seated around me. For me, it was reticent and just blown over by the previous wine. See, there goes that whole context thing again. Later on, as I let the wines sit, drank some water and let my palate rest, I did try this in the “correct” order and got more out of it. While I didn’t get any of the spice or rosewater (winery tasting note), it was a nice wine with pear and apple notes that just didn’t grab me. Honestly, there is only one Pinot Gris that does, so I guess I need to explore these wines more to find some new ones to love. My least favorite wine and one I (though I was probably the only non-fan) wouldn’t buy.

Last, I had the 2007 Lucien Albrecht Riesling Cuvée Henri. More subdued than the first Riesling, this was cut more from the fabric of stone fruit and touches of green herbs. A wine that showed better the warmer it got, I liked this, but still found the first Riesling to be my preference for drinking. I like bold flavors, I will not deny.

The Pinot Noir was up next. You read that right, Pinot Noir from Alsace. I’d never heard of such a thing, associating the region with pretty much only the white grapes we’d had (and Pinot Blanc, which wasn’t invited to the party). The 2005 Lucien Albrecht Amplus Pinot Noir had a darker than expected color, but still fell in line with what one might expect from Pinot Noir grown in a relatively cool climate. Smoked sour cherries laced with vanilla and wrapped up in a tobacco leaf. Take that and store it inside a leather lined pouch, let it sit for a few hours and that is what this wine tasted like. Subtle, refined and definitely for fans of Burgundy, a place where I’ve yet to make camp. I don’t know the price, but it may have some appeal to those who prefer this style. If for no other reason, to say you have tried Pinot Noir from Alsace. Well crafted, just not my personal preference. I’d say it was above average in quality. The cheese and wine jelly it was served with completely hollowed how the wine, so everyone agreed it needed different food and to be evaluated after a palate cleansing slug of water.

To finish, we were treated to the 2007 Lucien Albrecht Gewurztraminer Vendanges Tardives (VT = late harvest in French), paired with apricot and chantilly creme crèpes. When it comes to late harvest wines (my personal favorite category and overall second only to Champagne), I usually go with blue cheese of some sorts. The wine itself was still very fat and young, requiring many years in the cellar to reveal the true character that lies within. Loaded with lychee, honey and vanilla toasted spices, the acidity takes a few moments to dig out from the sugar and refresh the palate. An above average wine, but you’ll need to cellar this for a while before it can be called outstanding.

To conclude (finally), I’d put the wines in this order:

1. Gewurztraminer Cuvée Marie
2. Brut Rosé Cremant
3. Riesling Reserve
4. Vendanges Tardive
5. Amplus Pinot Noir
6. Riesling Cuvée Henri
7. Pinot Gris Cuvée Cécile (I think I may have been the only one with this opinion…c’est la vie)

Overall, this was a really nice tasting, though I think a few different choices in food pairings would have made the wines shine a bit more. Lucien Albrecht is a quality producer and a label name you can trust to deliver quality wine, you just have to find the one that suits your palate best.

Thank you very much to Pasternak Wine Imports for including me as a guest.

* That didn’t involve frying, which is like being a veteran when applying for government jobs, it just comes with well deserved and earned bonus points.