Wednesday Wine Flights 2013 Valentine’s Wines
February 6
March is for Malbec
March 6
Sunny California
April 3
Stunning Spain
May 1
Australia & New Zealand
September 4
The South of France
October 2
Blinded by the Whites
November 13
Holiday Wine & Cheese
December 4
2010 Jean-Baptiste Adam Gewurztraminer Reserve
2010 Château La Freynelle Bordeaux Blanc With floral, apple, and stone fruit aromas, this wine shows apple and pear on the palate with Meyer lemon adding a citrus tang.
This wine has aromas of pineapple, rose, and honeysuckle, with flavors of sweet spice, acid and an overall freshness.
2010 Château de Montfaucon Côtes du Rhône With lovely currant and plum jam aromas, and flavors of black cherry and garrigue, this wine’s graphite notes leave a mouthwatering feel on the finish.
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
From France with Love Valentine’s Wines With speakers Milko Miladinov and Jacob Bacharach
2010 Complices de Loire Chinon la Petite Timonerie This one hundred percent Cabernet Franc grape wine is fruity, soft, and exudes aromas of red berries.
2010 Château La Freynelle Bordeaux Blanc This wine is blended from 50% Sauvignon Blanc, 30% Sémillon, and 20% Muscadelle.
Wine Flight February 6, 2013
From France with Love
2010 Jean-Baptiste Adam Gewurztraminer Reserve, Alsace
2010 Château de Montfaucon Côtes du Rhône
2010 Complices de Loire Chinon la Petite Timonerie
Tasting Notes:
According to French wine law, Côtes du Rhône is a wine that can be made of a blend of up to 23 grapes; that is usually red but can also be white.
France has more cabernet franc vineyards than any other region in the world. In the Loire Valley, Timonerie is used as a synonym for castle. These grapes are grown on clay and gravel soil.
The wine has a light golden hue and carries aromas such as pineapple, rose petals, honeysuckle, as well as a hint of pepper and spice. On the palate, the attack is smooth and deep, with flavors of sweet spice that intermingle with vibrant acidity and an overall freshness.
Tasting Notes:
This 100% Cabernet Franc grape wine is fruity, soft, and exudes aromas of red berries. Servings on the warmer end of the spectrum may seem fruiter and less dry.
Valentine’s Wines Tasting Notes:
This wine is a blend of typical Rhône grape varieties: Grenache,
Very pretty floral and stone fruit aromas waft up from the glass, with apple, peach and pear showing as well. There is apple and pear on the palate with Meyer lemon adding a citrus tang. Partial malolactic fermentation softens the palate, acids are well balanced, and the finish is buttery.
Food Pairings:
The pictures of food come from Mimi Thorisson wonderful blog, Manger, which chronicles her life in Medoc and there are many wonderful recipes to be found there. http://mimithorisson.com/life-in-medoc
Try with a salad of Frisée with poached egg and bacon, drizzled with a light, honey mustard vinaigrette.
PLCB 516009 @ $12.99*
*This is for the ’09 vintage.
Syrah, Cinsault and Carignan.
Tasting Notes:
Food Pairings:
Pair this sweetly spicy wine with an appetizer of chicken liver pâté, wine-soaked figs and caramelized, spicy walnuts. For an entrée, this wine goes well with lobster and other shellfish.
PLCB 519731 @ $15.99
Lovely currant and Damson plum jam aromas and flavors backed by black cherry, garrigue, mineral and graphite notes that leave a mouthwatering feel on the finish. This wine benefits from decanting before drinking so that the tannins have a chance to soften.
Food Pairings:
Start with Gratinée Lyonnais and then try a traditional French lamb stew called Daube d’agneau,
PLCB 527493 @ $12.99
Food Pairings:
Pair with mussels and oysters or sautéed mushrooms stuffed in fried green peppers, lentil soup with ham hocks, and an herb crusted rack of lamb.
PLCB 527676 @ $14.99
2010 Clos La Coutale Cahors With smoky berry aromas, this blend has flavors of plums and leather to start and a bit of graphite, herbs and vanilla on the finish.
2010 Kris Malbec Delle Venezie With a dark violet color and aromas of blueberries, cherries and a hint of earth, this lush Malbec has a fruit forward palate and a balanced, firm acidic structure.
2011 Bodegas Renacer Malbec Clรกsico With candied berry, plum, and floral aromas, this wine has flavors of baked berry, fig and brown sugar with a bit of wood smoke on its long, lush finish.
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
March is for Malbec With speakers Milko Miladinov and Jacob Bacharach
2010 Nieto Malbec Reserva
This dark, smoky red has notes of plum and figs that combine with aromas of vanilla and tobacco and a hint of the French oak in which it is aged. It has flavors of mesquite and bittersweet chocolate on the finish.
Wine Flight March 6, 2013
March is for Malbec The name comes from Bordeaux, but Argentina made Malbec popular recently, helped by the value of the dollar against the peso. The grapes are from the south of France and traditionally known as Auxerrois or Côt in Cahors. Argentinian Malbec tends toward a new world style, using prominent new oak and displays less tannins and a more pronounced, silky texture. The French expression, on the other hand, is earthy – expressing terroir. In Cahors, merlot and tannat are used for blending and the flavors and textures are a bit more rustic and chewy. Malbec itself is used as a blending grape in Bordeaux. French Malbecs often get even better a day or two after the cork is pulled.
2010 Kris Malbec Delle Venezie, Italy
2010 Clos La Coutale Cahors, France
Tasting Notes:
Cahors is known as the “black wine” of the Southwest—the deeply inky, earthy wines that seem to complement the regional fare of duck so wonderfully. Cahors is also the birthplace of Côt, the grape more commonly known as Malbec. This wine is a blend of 80% Malbec and 20% Merlot. It is said that if you can see your fingers through the glass, it is not Cahors.
With a dark violet color and aromas of blueberries, cherries and a hint of earth, this lush Malbec has a fruit forward palate and a balanced, firm acidic structure.
Food Pairings:
Try this Italian Malbec with rare steak covered with parmesan butter, truffle shavings, and arugula.
PLCB 516360 @ $14.99
Tasting Notes:
With smoky berry aromas, this blend has flavors of plums and leather to start and a bit of graphite, herbs and vanilla on the finish. This wine benefits from decanting.
Food Pairings:
Malbec and Truffles Because truffles grow in the French region of Cahors which produces Malbec, they are a perfect pairing for this wine. Female pigs have an innate ability to smell truffles because the tuber secretes a pheromone that resembles the sex hormone secreted by wild boars.
2011 Bodegas Renacer Malbec Clásico, Mendoza
2010 Nieto Malbec Reserva, Mendoza
The grapes are sourced primarily from the higher altitude vineyard sites and then aged in French oak.
This dark, smoky red has notes of plum and figs that combine with aromas of vanilla and tobacco and a hint of the French oak in which it is aged. It has flavors of mesquite and bittersweet chocolate on the finish.
Tasting Notes:
With candied berry, plum, and floral aromas, this wine has flavors of baked berry, fig and brown sugar with a bit of wood smoke on its long, lush finish.
Food Pairings:
This wine goes well with Malbec braised duck legs, caramelized onions, and red potatoes (reserve a few tablespoons of the duck fat and toss well with thyme). Also try with sausages and French green lentils.
Try with cassoulet, beef cheeks, foie gras and truffles.
PLCB 524483 @ $12.99
Faire Chabrot consists of pouring some red wine in your soup bowl as you are about to be done. Raise your bowl to your lips and lap it up.
The fungus attaches to the roots of oak and hazelnut trees and has a very fine root structure of its own called mycelium. Symbiotically, the tree will provide necessary carbohydrate for the fungus while the fungus will give back essential micro nutrients, which it extracts from the soil that the tree cannot access.
PLCB 526114 @ $15.99 For a wonderful read about a wine trip to Cahors with truffle hunting, please see: www.davidlebovitz.com
Tasting Notes:
Food Pairings:
Pair this wine with grilled lamb chops, shrimp, chorizo, skirt steak with chimichurri and grilled chicken kabobs.
PLCB 514704 @ $13.99
Truffles
Truffles The black Truffle of Périgord may be available all year round, flown in from Argentina. Trufas del Nuevo Mundo has planted 4,754 of the inoculated oak trees that produce Tuber Melanosporum in Buenos Aires.
2010 Lincourt Unoaked Chardonnay
2009 Sebastiani Cabernet Sauvignon
Bright and bold, this Chardonnay offers a mix of apples, pears, lemons and guava. The palate is broad and crisp with great acidity.
With a dark garnet color and black tea and cherry aromas, this wine has flavors of cherry and truffles, and is complemented by coconut and mocha on the oaky finish.
2011 Daniel Gehrs Chenin Blanc With aromas of plums, springtime flowers and honey, this wine is ripe with pear, white peach and melon flavors, and finishes with apple tartness.
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
Sunny California
With speakers Jacob Bacharach, Jesse Peters and Amerilis D. Ersery, CSW
2011 Cline Ancient Vines Zinfandel With jammy aromas of strawberry, chocolate and coffee characters, this wine has vanilla and spice flavors that complement the fruity notes.
2011 Daniel Gehrs Chenin Blanc, Santa Barbara
Wine Flight April 3, 2013
Sunny California
A versatile grape from France’s Loire valley, the best Chenin Blanc offers high acidity combined with a touch of viscosity – leaving an unctuous mouth feel. Tasting Notes: With lovely aromas of plums, springtime flowers, and clover honey, this wine is ripe with pear, white peach, melon flavors, and apple tartness. It has a dry, yet fruity, medium-bodied, tangy finish. As it ages, this wine will develop a vanilla and roasted hazelnut character that will complement the fruitiness of youth. Food Pairings: For an appetizer, pair with foie gras and chicken liver parfait with homemade apple chutney on a toasted brioche. For an entrée, pair with zucchini soufflé with baked goat cheese and pancetta cream. PLCB 55608 @ $15.59
Napa California, oil painting by Lisa HaasMoulthrop (for sale on Etsy). Other paintings are by Ann Rea.
2010 Lincourt Unoaked Chardonnay, Santa Barbara
2009 Sebastiani Cabernet Sauvignon, Sonoma Tasting Notes: With a dark garnet color and black tea and cherry aromas, this wine has flavors of cherry and truffles, and is complemented by coconut and mocha on the oaky finish. This wine benefits from ageing.
PLCB 520700 @ $16.49
Zinfandel is mostly grown in warm places, so the grapes get very ripe, producing Zin's signature jammy flavors ― and high alcohol levels. If you don't love fruit bombs, look for Zins from cooler places, which are slightly leaner, often with interesting herbal flavors. Tasting Notes: With jammy aromas and fat strawberry, chocolate and coffee characters, this red is aged in oak that adds a vanilla and spice flavor that complements the fruity notes. It has a long finish with a spicy, sour cherry flavor.
Tasting Notes: Bright and bold, this chardonnay offers a mix of apples, pears, lemons and guava. The palate is broad and crisp with great acidity. Food Pairings: Try with roasted quail in a cranberry red wine sauce, grilled scallop and shrimp ceviche, and asparagus and Swiss cheese tart.
2011 Cline Ancient Vines Zinfandel, Lodi, Conta Costa & Sonoma
Food Paring: Pair with charcoal grilled steak and zucchini with a bitter green salad of arugula and radicchio, topped with Pecorino Toscano shavings and a lemon, herb dressing.
Food Pairings: This wine has a definite sweetness, so complementary food choices include barbecue, red meat with a sauce, or a loaded pizza with sun-dried tomatoes, Kalamata olives and caramelized onions.
PLCB 508332 @ $17.59
PLCB 59297 @ $17.49
2011 Licia Albariño, Rías Baixas This summer white has a pale yellow color, a floral nose of white pit fruit, strawberry, citrus, and a hint of honey. The distinct citrus notes carry over to peach and green apple tones on the palate.
NV Juvé y camps Cinta Purpura Reserva Brut, Cava
With a golden color and effervescent bubbles, this brut has fleshy fruit notes, a light floral background and a bit of toast. Its mild lemony acidity gives it creaminess and freshness.
2009 Castillo Labastida Crianza, Rioja Ruby-red in color, this wine has notes of ripe black cherry, damson, and a hint of toasted oak. On the palate, the wine exhibits a supple body, medium tannins and a pleasing finish.
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
Stunning Spain
With speakers Jacob Bacharach and Milko Miladinov
2009 Enrique Mendoza La Tremenda Monastrell, Alicante With a nose of strawberry, cherry and dark chocolate, this medium bodied wine has supple tannins, light acidity and a finish of oak, black cherries and cassis.
Wine Flight May 1, 2013
Stunning Spain
NV Juvé y camps Cinta Purpura Reserva Brut, Cava
2011 Licia Albariño, Rías Baixas
2009 Castillo Labastida Crianza, Rioja
The name “Cava” comes from its initial aging in caves. This wine is as old and storied as French Champagne. To make Cava, harvested white grapes of Xarel-lo, Macabeo and Parellada are blended. Then, the bottles are filled with wine and licor de tiraj, a syrupy mixture of yeast and sugar, and cellared. During the second fermentation, the yeasts convert the sugar to carbon dioxide over a nine month period. The bottles are turned occasionally by hand, in a process called remuage, causing the residue from the yeast to collect at the neck. Then, the neck of the bottle is frozen, forcing the sediment out, and the bottle is recorked.
Galileo has a famous saying that "wine is sunlight, held together by water" and no other grape variety pulls that off so well as Albariño. This is ironic considering that Albariño vines thrive in Rías Baixas, a drizzly corner of northwestern Spain that is misty and cool and often the color of the gray-greenAtlantic.
Designations for how Rioja is aged are indicated by the terms joven (less than six months in oak), crianza (two years with 12 months in oak), reserve (three years, with 12 months in oak), and gran reserva (three years with two years in oak).
Tasting Notes:
With a golden yellow color and effervescent bubbles, this brut has fleshy fruit notes, a light floral background and a bit of toast. Its mild lemony acidity gives this Cava a nice creaminess and freshness.
Food Pairings:
Salty foods loved to be paired with Cava, so try with marinated, spiced olives or even potato chips. Also pairs well with all seafood prepared ceviche style. The Wine Harvest (Goya)
PLCB 506117 @ $13.99
Food Pairings:
Try with raw oysters, the briny, wavy-shelled species, and purpleedged cockles with paprika and olive oil. Or pair with almejas a la marinera (clams in the fisherman's style); and garlicky tiny estuarial shrimp.
PLCB 17744 (09) @ $14.49
It's called Monastrell in Spain, Mourvèdre or Mataró in the U.S., and Mataró in Australia. Wines from Bandol, Gigondas, and Châteneauf-du -Pape in France also have good percentages of Mourvèdre.
Tasting Notes:
Tasting Notes:
This great summer white has a pale yellow color with a silvergreen tint, a floral nose of white pit fruit, strawberry, citrus, and a hint of honey. The distinct citrus notes carry over to peach and green apple tones on the palate. It is medium bodied, with very lively seashell minerality and a long, crisp finish.
2009 Enrique Mendoza La Tremenda Monastrell, Alicante
Velazquez’s Bacchus
With a very ripe nose of wild strawberry, baked red cherry and dark chocolate, this medium bodied wine has supple tannins, light acidity and a heart-warming finish of oak, black cherries and cassis. Some people call this one a dog strangler.
Tasting Notes:
Deep ruby with violet reflections, this red has notes of ripe black cherry, damson, and a hint of oak. On the palate, the wine is zesty, with supple body, medium tannins and a pleasing finish.
The Source (Picasso)
Food Paring:
Food Pairings:
While great as a sipping wine (in other words, what you drink while you’re cooking dinner) and a summer barbecue wine, it is also great for red sangria and marinades.
PLCB 18394 (07) @ $14.99
Fill your shopping bag with bell peppers, tomatoes, garlic, saffron and paprika. Pick up a great piece of grilling meat, season, grill, and enjoy!
PLCB 527723 @ $14.99
2012 Yealands Sauvignon Blanc With aromas of dried thyme, spice, and blackcurrant, this wine has citrus notes of lime and tons of pink grapefruit with wet stone, nettle and a mineral acidity that all come together in perfect harmony.
2010 Coopers Creek Riesling
2010 Coopers Creek Pinot Noir
With a golden green color, this wine displays green apple, and subtle chalky characters on the nose. On the palate, this medium bodied wine shows crisp acidity and candied lemon with tropical notes and a spry finish.
With a dense core and a ruby red rim, this wine has aromas of red and black fruits and a touch of oak. Typically round and supple, with just enough tannin to give overall structure, there are masses of sweet fruit on the finish.
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
2011 Tait Ball Buster Shiraz Blend With a purple color, this wine shows blueberry, licorice and wood smoke on the nose. On the palate, it is smooth and sweet, offering black raspberry and cola flavors with a hint of bitter chocolate and black pepper.
Wines of New Zealand and Australia
With speakers Jacob Bacharach and Milko Miladinov
2012 Yealands Sauvignon Blanc
Wine Flight September 4, 2013
Wines of Australia and New Zealand
2010 Coopers Creek Riesling
Peter Yealands, a noted agriculture entrepreneur, set out to make environmentally conscious wine when he opened Yealands Estate in 2008. To that end, it practices strict sustainable viticulture, was constructed in accordance with the Green Drafting Code and has been carbon-neutral since its inception. This wine is made from a single block on the Seaview Vineyard; a dry, windy spot in Awatere Valley.
Tasting Notes:
A great alternative to German Mosel Rieslings. New Zealand Rieslings range from bone dry & steely to luscious & sweet. Most lean towards an off-dry style with balanced citrus & lime. Young wines often show the aromas of apple, citrus, lemon & tropical fruit. With age, toasted honey characters can develop.
Food Pairings:
Tasting Notes:
PLCB 529397 @ $13.99
2011 Tait Ball Buster Shiraz Blend
Situated in the Kumeu-Huapai wine region in Auckland, this vineyard was opened in 1980 and three decades later, Coopers Creek remains a family business that employs 22 workers.
Generally, the wines from cool regions (the Yarra Valley, Great Southern) will have more red fruit, higher acidity, lower alcohol, and herbal or white pepper notes. Those from the middle range (Margaret River, Clare Valley) will have both red and black fruit, more substance and often notes of licorice or black pepper. The warmest regions (Barossa Valley, Heathcote, most of McLaren Vale) will be the wines most along familiar lines: big, rich reds with lots of ripe blackberry and blackcherry fruit.
Tasting Notes:
Aromas of dried thyme and blackcurrant, spice and cream dominate the nose. The palate is concentrated with citrus and savory notes: passion fruit, lime and a ton of pink grapefruit combine with wet stone, nettle and mineral acidity that all come together in perfect harmony. The mid palate is textured and rich, yet elegant.
It is excellent with Ahi tuna seviche with mango and avocado, but because of their herby quality on the nose (which is loving referred to cat pee on a gooseberry bush), New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs are the perfect partner in crime to anything with dill, thyme, rosemary or virtually anything that is green and sprinkled on food.
2010 Coopers Creek Pinot Noir
With a golden green color, this youthful wine displays green apple, lemon/lime, floral and subtle chalky characters on the nose. On the palate, this medium bodied wine shows crisp acidity and candied lemon with light tropical notes and a refreshingly spry finish.
This wine is very deeply colored for a Pinot Noir. It has a dense core and a ruby red rim. It has aromas of red and black fruits and a touch of oak. Typically round and supple, with just enough tannin to give overall structure, there are masses of sweet fruit on the finish.
Even with 15% alcohol, this big, fruit bomb red has a lot of finesse, particularly due to the blending of 77% Shiraz, 16% Cabernet Sauvignon and 7% Merlot.
Tasting Notes:
Food Paring:
Enjoy with steamed mussels, Arcachon or Bouzigues oysters, and littleneck clams. Pair with summer’s end sweet corn and roasted red potatoes for a feast.
Pinot Noir is light enough for salmon but complex enough to hold up to some richer meat including duck. In a pinch, when everyone orders a vastly different entree at a restaurant, you can usually win by picking Pinot Noir; it will make everyone happy.
PLCB 534454@ $15.99
PLCB 534024 @ $14.99
Food Pairings:
With a glass-staining purple color, this wine shows blueberry compote, licorice and wood smoke on the assertively perfumed nose. On the palate, it is smooth and sweet, offering black raspberry and cola flavors and a hint of bitter chocolate and black pepper. Velvety tannins come on late and add subtle grip to a smooth, fruitdriven and persistent finish.
Food Pairings: It’s a cliché, but this red cries out for a thick steak.
PLCB 37284 @ $15.99
2012 Domaine du Tariquet Amplitude Côtes de Gascogne
Superbly intense for a dry fruity white, the bouquet reveals floral and citrus aromas with nice touches of tropical fruit. Despite the tropical theme, it is crisp and focused.
2011 Henriques Força Premium Côtes du Roussillon Villages
2009 Château Roquebrune Lalande de Pomerol Cuvée Reine
This is a perfect everyday red with a typical Rhône profile of ripe plum and raspberry flavors with a touch of mint and dried herbs. This wine is un-oaked and full-bodied.
With blackberry and licorice on the nose, this wine is full of red fruit, licorice and a hint of tobacco. Nicely layered flavors and good structure abound.
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
The South of France
With speaker Jacob Bacharach and special guest Toni Pais
2012 Domaine Cazes Muscat de Rivesaultes Vin Doux Naturel With citrus, tropical fruit, peach and apricot on the nose, this wine has a light citrus taste and a sweet finish.
Wine Flight October 2, 2013
The South of France
2012 Domaine de Tariquet Amplitude Côtes de Gascogne
2011 Henriques Força Premium Côtes du Roussillon
2009 Château Roquebrune Lalande de Pomerol Cuvée Reine
2012 Domaine Cazes Muscat de Rivesaltes Vin Doux Naturel
In Gascony, the onset of winter heralds the arrival of the first thrushes (‘premières grives’), eager for their share of the season’s pickings. Harvested in late autumn, mature grapes packed with sweetness and pleasure produce an elegant wine. This is a really lovely blend of Sauvignon Blanc (25%), Sémillon (25%), Ugni Blanc (25%) and Colombard (25%).
From the hills of Corbières to the Pyrénées mountains, Roussillon is the sunniest region in France. The climate and the traditions of Roussillon make it more similar to Spain than to Languedoc.
“This wine is like a child to whom the owner gave all his love.” Winemaker Florent Guinjard
As a group of wines, Roussillon vins doux naturel (VDN) include those carrying the appellations of Banyuls, Rivesaltes and Maury. Rivesaltes is the name of a town in northeastern Roussillon and the name itself means “high (river) banks.” This is Muscat country, producing more than 70% of France’s Muscat production. Vin doux naturel wines are made by a technique known as mutage, whereby higher alcohol from longer-hang-time grapes is added to the fermenting juice, arresting the fermentation, and leaving a sweet wine.
Tasting Notes:
Superbly intense for a dry fruity white, the bouquet reveals floral and citrus aromas with nice touches of tropical fruit. Despite the tropical theme, it is crisp and focused, yet quite flavorful at the same time. Light and well-balanced, it is full of fruit and refreshing on its own or with food.
Food Pairings:
Try with roast butternut squash with thyme on pasta.
PLCB 32723 @ $9.99 From bear training to immigrating to America, back to France, WW1, and a serious bought of amnesia, the Tariquet family has quite a history. Read more at: www.tariquet.com/uk/historytariquet.asp
GSM stands for Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre – the three grapes blended to make this wine. They’re also the principal varieties of France’s Rhône Valley. Syrah holds sway in the north around Hermitage, Grenache dominates the southern Rhône region of Châteauneuf du Pape, while Mourvedre is used in the south to add complexity to blends.
Tasting Notes:
Here is a perfect everyday red with the typical Rhône profile of ripe plum and raspberry flavors with a touch of mint and dried herbs. This wine is well made, unoaked, and full-bodied.
Château de Roquebrune has been a family-owned winery for over five generations. Florent Guinjard, the winemaker, is mindful of family tradition and considers the wine almost like one of his children. Harvesting is done by hand, and the entire vineyard is run using no chemical treatment.
Tasting Notes:
“What I dig about this bottle is how it revels in hedonism: round blackberry and liquorice unfold on the nose, while fruit flavors cascade over the lips. On the palate, the liquorice returns with red fruit and a hint of tobacco. Nicely layered flavors and good structure abound, especially for the price.” Keith Wallace
Food Paring:
Forget about scallops and salads; pair this wine with duck risotto or grilled meats.
Start with Gravette Huitres (oysters from the Arcachon bay), then serve Lamproie au Pomerol (eels cooked in red wine and chocolate). For dessert, indulge yourself with Cannelles de Bordeaux ("Portable Crême Brulée).
PLCB 33202 @ $7.99
PLCB 33180 @ $16.99
Food Pairings:
Tasting Notes:
With citrus, tropical fruit, peach and apricot on the nose, this viscous wine has a light citrus taste and a sweet finish. After 10 years in the bottle, it will develop candied citrus aromas and oriental spices.
Food Pairings:
Try with pungent cheeses and mango sorbet.
PLCB 32736 @ $16.99 (for 2010 vintage).
Wine 2
Wine 3
Wine 4
Wine 1 Alsace, France
Burgundy, France
Napa, California
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
Blinded by the Whites with speaker Jacob Bacharach
Venezia, Italy
Color:
Wine Flight November 13, 2013
Wines have a distinct color according to the variety of grape used in its production. Rieslings tend to be very light and almost white, while Chardonnays have a more full golden hue. Gewurtztraminers look like an apricot melted into your glass.
Secondary Colors:
Hints of green or silver colors are signs of a white wine that is (a) young and (b) was produced from grapes grown in a cool climate. The color green in a white wine, by the way, is chlorophyll, in this case the unripe portions of the grape.
Brightness:
This is the potential of a wine to reflect light. Tilt your glass of vino forward against a white background and observe how much light is reflected. The following qualities may be observed: cloudy, hazy, dull, bright, star bright, brilliant.
Old world vs. new world: Each individual has different sensitivities to components that make up wine, including tannins, acidity, sulfur dioxide, etc. One's tolerances and sensitivities account for one's personal likes, dislikes, and preferences in wine. This is a simple explanation as to why some like sweet wines while others loathe them; why some relish the harsh tannins of Cabernet Sauvignon when the same wine would do untold damage to others.
What drives the wine: fruit or other-than-fruit elements? Does the wine smell and taste of earth or minerals? If so, the wine is probably from an old world country. High acidity can also be a hint that the wine is from an old world country as there are many cooler growing regions in the old world. If the wine is overtly fruity without a trace of earthiness, chances are it's from one of the new world countries.
White wines tend to gain color as they age, whereas reds lose it. Wines of age start to fade towards the edge of the glass as they get older. An aged Riesling will have light golden hues, whereas an older Chardonnay will have a deep golden color.
A cloudy wine is just that: cloudy, even murky. A cloudy or hazy wine usually means one of two things: the wine is either unfiltered or flawed--or perhaps an older red wine with the sediment mixed into solution. If the wine is flawed you'll know just as soon as you stick your nose in the glass.
Viscosity:
Blinded by the White
Pigment:
A wine high in viscosity will have higher levels of glycerine, an indication of both sweetness and body. Crisp, clean whites will run down the sides into the bottom where a full or sweet wine will slide slowly down. A high alcohol content is evidenced by “legs” of the wine, which gently run down the side of the glass when you swirl the wine. Wines high in alcohol have well-defined legs that crawl slowly back towards the wine. A general rule is that wines from warm growing regions are higher in alcohol than wines from cooler climates.
Does the wine smell hot? That can be an indicator of high alcohol, which as we know is an indicator of climate. Do you smell a lot of fruit, or more earth? Wines from the new world (Australia, the U.S., and S. America) tend to be very fruit forward. On the other hand wines from the “old world” regions of western Europe tend to have more complex earthen aromas.
Taste:
Nose:
The aroma of the wine is the most important factor in determining what the wine is. The palette can differentiate only 5 different tastes (sweet, sour, bitter, salty and umami), but the nose can identify up to 180 aromas. Active inhalation is where one smells wine using both the mouth and nose. Tilt the glass forward to about 40˚ and lean forward, putting your nose just above and over the glass and slowly open your mouth to about a quarter of an inch and begin breathing in and out gently through both mouth and nose.
Take a sip of the wine. Roll it around the inside of your mouth so that it coats all parts of your tongue. Each part of the tongue identifies different sensations so it is important to hit them all. Can you taste any residual sugar? Is the wine high in acidity or tannins? Is it simple or complex? Is it of a low or high quality? These and many other questions can be answered with the palette. Certain grapes are high in residual sugar such as Riesling, Pinot Blanc and Gewurtztraminer.
White wines:
Tree fruit: apple and pear Citrus fruit: lemon, lime, grapefruit, orange, tangerine Tropical fruit: pineapple, mango, papaya, passion fruit, banana Stone fruit: peach, apricot, nectarine
2012 Collevite Pecorino Villa Piatti Offida
NV Gruet Brut New Mexico With a light yellow color and fine bubbles, this brut has a bouquet dominated by green apple and grapefruit flavors, with a toasty finish.
Brie
The best pasteurized Brie has a mushroomy aroma and is nicely satiny with a nutty taste that melts in your mouth.
2011 Paul Dolan Deep Red Pinot Noir
With a light gold color and a bouquet of tropical fruit and spring flowers, this wine has mouthwatering acidity of lime, with white pepper, apple and flowers on the palate.
Stelvio/Stilfser
The flavors are tart cherry, strawberry, cola, earth, subtle oaky-creaminess and the slightest hint of green, with mulling spice and a plank of tannin.
Zamorano
Aromatic and slightly sharp with a nutty, pungent flavor, this cow’s milk cheese hails from Alto Adige.
This Spanish Churra and Castilian sheep’s milk cheese has a pale, yellow color, crumbly texture and a buttery yet nutty taste.
Secoli Repasso Della Valpolicella With a dark ruby/purple color, and a silky, sexy texture, this wine has a long, dry finish of chocolate and dried cherries.
Beemster XO
Wednesday, December 4, 2013
Holiday Wine & Cheese with Jacob Bacharach and Carol “Dear Heart” Pascuzzi
Aged 26 months, this cow cheese has a deep amber color and flavors of butterscotch, whiskey and almonds.
NV Gruet Brut
Wine Flight December 4, 2013
Holiday Wine & Cheese
Gruet makes both vintage, and nonvintage sparkling wine, and still wines. It was established by a family who previously made Champagne in France. While traveling through the southwest in 1983, they fell in love with New Mexico and decided to produce sparkling wine here in the United States.
2012 Collevite Pecorino Villa Piatti Offida
2011 Paul Dolan Deep Red Pinot Noir
2011 Secoli Ripasso Della Valpolicella
Tasting Notes:
Tasting Notes:
Ripasso Della Valpolicella received its official DOC status in 2009. It is made by repassing (Ripasso) Valpolicella wine with the leftover grape skins and seeds from fermented Amarone. Many of the rich complexities of Amarone like the color, tannins and softness that attribute to the drying of the grapes are passed on to Valpolicella using this method. “It’s Amarone’s sexy younger cousin. Now don’t let this make you think she’s cheap, but she’ll cost you a lot less than the prima donna.” D. Oteri
With a light gold color and a bouquet of tropical fruit and spring flowers, this wine has mouthwatering acidity behind fresh lime, white pepper, fresh apple and flowers.
This wine hints at the delicate side of Pinot Noir with its scents of spring roses, freshly turned earth and light strawberries. The flavors are tart cherry, strawberry, cola, earth, subtle oak and the slightest hint of green, with mulling spice and a plank of tannin.
Tasting Notes:
This Brut offers a crisp and fullbodied sparkling wine, which has developed rich complexity and fine mousse. It has a light yellow color with fine bubbles and a bouquet dominated by green apple and grapefruit flavors. The toasty finish results from twenty-four months en tirage, and complements the apple and citrus flavor.
Food Pairings:
Try with the obvious oysters and caviar or go for something else like butternut squash raviolis with a brown butter and sage sauce, and a salad of pear, parmesan, candied pecans and arugula.
PLCB 29250 @ $16.99
*Prices are reflective of Chairman Select sales.
Tasting Notes:
Food Pairings:
The name Pecorino is perhaps more widely associated with Pecorino cheese, which is made from ewe's milk (the word means 'little sheep’). Quite how the grape variety came to be named as such is not clear, although there are various folk etymologies. Pecorino cheese is, coincidentally, a surprisingly good food match for Pecorino wine.
PLCB 32900 @ $11.99*
Food Pairings:
Pinot noir is food friendly because it possesses a grand combination of bright acidity, silky tannins, and a lighter body than other reds. Some have called it a red wine masquerading as a white wine since its aromatics and flavors are that of a red wine, but it is stylistically more akin to a white.
PLCB 32887 @ $15.99*
With a dark ruby/purple color, and a silky, sexy texture, this wine has a long, dry finish of chocolate and dried cherries. This wine benefits from decanting.
Food Pairings:
Pair with penne, roasted butternut squash, garlic, and lamb meatballs covered with grated ricotta salata.
PLCB 33197@ 13.99*