Napa Valley is a big place
Whenever I am asked, "where should I go in Napa?", my response is to focus on a specific area within Napa. It makes the travel easier and you get to really get to know one area. Napa is a big place and it isn't as quaint as people imagine. The size is an advantage because it provides variety... it would be boring if all the views were the same, the wines were monotonous, and the people were similar wherever you went.
I decided to post a quick note while I was reading
this article about the various agriculturally divided areas. (AVAs are sub-regions that are defined by unique weather, soils, etc. Although it is often used as a marketing tool, the process is rigorous and new AVAs have to prove themselves.)
I think this type of information is great - knowing the theoretical terroir of an AVA and what types of wines/flavors it tends to produce - this makes it easier to get to know a region.
Interestingly,
another winemaker/winery is taking the opposite approach - combining grapes from all over Napa to produce one wine. In a sense, this should represent the overall terroir of Napa. I think Neal Martin (formerly of
wine-journal.com and now on-board with
Robert Parker) would agree because he recently was discussing terroir on the
Mark Squires bulletin board. His suggestion was that the major wines in Bordeaux do not display terroir because they de-classify (they do not include every barrel). This new Napa Valley wine is theoretically a disposition of Napa terroir because it has barrels from each area of the valley. Not sure if I agree with my own argument, but it is a hypothesis.
Tasting wines and identifying chemicals
I am working on a project that involves analyzing the chemistry of wines, so I came across this article entitled "
Are reductionist approaches useful for understanding wine?"
I think the general concern is that winemaking and wine are being reduced to a single analytic method, instead of an art that allows for faults. A wine may have faults, but it may still be great as a whole. Sometimes subtlety and defects can make an experience more memorable. In general, I guess I agree with the traditionalist for this argument.
My question isn't whether we can analyze wine to determine what chemicals will get a highly rated wine; I am interested in finding out if you can analyze two wines and determine whether they'll be similar based on their chemistries.
Labels: chemistry, wine
German wines demystified... a little
German wines have recently become my favorite wines. Why? It is hard to spend over $40 on a bottle, they drink nicely with food, and they have a uniqueness in each wine. I am still an amateur - I still do not know much about variation between vintages or variation among the sub-regions (Mosel, Nahe, Mittelrhein, etc). That said, I wanted to share the insights I have gained. Note: there are a lot of grapes planted in Germany but riesling is the most common and my favorite. It carries lots of fruit, transfers minerality, and can age forever.
First, German wines have difficult labels. Tougher than French labels because the words are longer and they do not have user-friendly labeling practices. For example, it is tough to predict where the vineyard name will be printed. Also, there are producer names which are confusing because they are common. Example: multiple producers with Prum or Christoffel in the name. Finally, it seems like wines are made in small batches based on vineyards or picking dates... but the names of the wines aren't very different.
If you want a step-by-step primer to reading labels, this
webpage is a good place to start. While it would be nice if everyone understood labels in detail, I have some suggestions to simplify. Here are my few hints to reading the labels:
Start by looking for the word "trocken", either by itself or in the word "halbtrocken". I often hear folks say they don't like the sweetness in a German riesling. Most German rieslings do have sweetness, so when you see these words you know you've found dry (not sweet) options. "Trocken" literally means dry, so "halbtrocken" means half-dry.
You can look for the words Tablewine, Qualitätswein or "Qualitätswein mit Prädikat"... but I don't think they tell you very much. But within the latter category, that is where you find the best wines (both pricey and reasonable).
So next, look for the words Kabinett, Spätlese, Auslese, Beerenauslese (rare), or Trockenbeerenauslese (very rare). What do they mean? In general, they are indications of ripeness, sweetness, and sugar level at harvest.
Kabinett is the lowest level in terms of ripeness and sweetness. As a result, they usually show the most acidity and often show off the minerality of the vineyard. They are not meant to age long-term.Spätlese is the next level in ripeness. It literally means late harvest. They pick the grapes at least a week after the first picking. The best ones retain the acidity, but are more intense than Kabinett.Auslese means select harvest, and it occurs even later. Auslese are handpicked much later and as a result, they can be very sweet. I really love a medium-aged Auslese (like 5-10 years old) with spicy foods.Beerenauslese and Trockenbeerenauslese are continuations of the same trend, but they are dessert wines. They are effected by noble rot and they can age for a long time.That's where I'd start. Send me an email and I'd be happy to send along some specific recommendations.
If you want to learn more, check out the
German Wine Society or the
German Wine Information Bureau USA. Of course
Wikipedia also has great information.
Labels: classification, education, German, wine
ERI pre-auction tasting
Thanks to Alder Yarrow from
Vinography for letting everyone know about this event. And thanks to my friend
James for pointing out the posting. Congratulations James and Ace! It's about time... too bad they didn't have vintage champagne.
The event was a pre-auction tasting for the Edward Roberts International (ERI) auction. It was held at an art gallery near Union Square in San Francisco. When auction houses hold wine auctions, they usually invite heavy hitters to events in advance to sample wines from the collection. I think they also hope to loosen wallets, which I think is a good idea. In addition to the invited patrons, ERI sold tickets to the public... which is how I ended up there.
The tasting was not very crowded at all (maybe 25 people), so I was able to taste as many wines as I wanted. In retrospect, I should have taken my time and spent more time with each wine. Even though I only spent a couple minutes with each wine, it was definitely $50 well spent. I wouldn't be able to afford many of these wines on an individual bases.
Here are some notes. I wasn't writing anything down, and many of these wines seemed to be evolving rapidly. All of the younger wines were decanted, as were some of the olderwines. I didn't make note of which older wines were decanted.
2000 Fisher Chardonnay O'Conner Vineyard - holding up quite well but not memorable. Some other imbibers noted an oak that wasn't quite elegant nor was it over-the-top.
1966 Pierre Gelin Fixin Clos de Chapitre Domaine Marion - I wasn't a fan of this wine, but this may be an example of Burgundy I do not understand. It was a little muted on the nose, with sweetness and earth on the palate.
1966 Jean Grivot Vosne-Romanee - very sweet nose and short finish; it had a very distinctive nose that I couldn't quite place.
1967 DRC Echezeaux - this was the wine everyone wanted to taste... and the nose didn't let us down. Forest floor, pine needles, roasted vegetables, and sour cherry. The palate was zippy but the finish was not up to the rest of the wine.
1990 Domaine Chantal Lescare Vosne-Romanee Les Suchots - surprisingly, this was sweet and not as balanced as I expected.
1965 Inglenook Pinot Noir - much rounder on the palate than the Burgs, but it tasted like Pinot - cherry and earth. This was a pleasure to sample, but I would not seek it out.
2002 Kistler Pinot Noir Kistler Vineyard - pure fruit and not too sweet, but more monotonous than the W-S.
2003 William Selyem Pinot Noir Westside Road neighbors - I thought this was good young Pinot - lots of mushroom and spice... very pleasant.
1949 Chateau Gruaud-Larose - this was one of the wines everyone was talking about... it was holding up very well, with classic Bordeaux nose and a little bit of coffee. The fruit was there along with some tannins holding on for dear life. I think this was a highlight was a less experienced wine geek like myself - I don't know enough to appreciate the aged Burgs, but I have tried enough old Bordeaux to know this was special. I was thinking about how I wanted to call an unnamed family member (to protect the innocence of age) and let her know I was tasting a wine from his birth year. And it was alive!
1964 Chateau Latour - this was another one of the highlights for me. This old man was still dark in color and it had a nose of black fruit. The finish was long and while I wish I could remember the taste of this wine, I know it was great.
1966 Chateau Ducru-Beaucaillou - this wine might have been off - there was no finish and the fruit was overly tart.
1967 Chateau Lafite-Rothschild - the Lafite was not quite fulfilling of its name, but it was a nice mature Bordeaux. It had pencil lead and grippy tannins with a little bit of sweet currant fruit.
1994 Chateau Mouton-Rothschild - nothing special -- I was wondering whether I missed something.
1995 Chateau Calon-Segur - a spicy nose which immediately announced its St. Estephe breeding. I expected more power; otherwise, this was exactly what I expected from this wine. It was crying out for a food pairing.
1999 Banfi Brunello di Montalcino - this was very young and the big fruit/oak overpowered the subtleties of this wine.
1987 Groth Cabernet Sauvignon - excellent! I believe this was the Reserve (if there is a difference). I think this was the over-achiever of the tasting. Some mintiness, plum fruit, and long finish. I think I will remember this wine. I was surprised to see the low opinion from Tanzer.
1997 Viberti San Pietro Barolo - this was added to the tasting, but I didn't write down the producer. Thanks to James for the reminder. The nose was amazing - like candied flower petals. Delicious satiny palate and a finish that says it will meet me in middle-age.
1995 Plumpjack Cabernet Sauvignon - not tasted.
1997 Heitz Cabernet Sauvignon Bella Oaks - this was outclassed by its twin sister. There was simply less complexity and the fruit was getting tart. I am not sure if this wine willgo the distance.
1997 Heitz Cabernet Sauvignon Martha's Vineyard - this had pleasant plum fruit, but it also had elegance and complexity. The tell-tale eucalyptus was there, side-by-side with some spice and light oak. I think I enjoyed the Groth a little bit more, but they were close.
1998 Hanna Cabernet Sauvignon Bismarck Ranch - a bit more restrained than the three 2002 California Cabs, but it still had mocha, coffee, and dark raspberry fruit.
1999 Bacio Divino - not tasted.
2000 Selene Merlot - not tasted.
2002 Paul Hobbs Cabernet Sauvignon - big wine - loads of bright black fruit and gobs of chocolate. I don't see how this will age like the Groth, but I can see why Cali Cab lovers would gush over this right now.
2002 Piedra Hill Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain - too over-the-top for me. After tasting all of the aged mature wines, this just didn't seem worth drinking.
2002 Behrens and Hitchcock Les Chats du Monde - same as the Piedra Hill but even more syrupy. Just not worth the price of admission.
2003 Pax Cuvee Moriah - I think my palate was shot by this point, but I wasn't getting many secondary characteristics. I don't know how they restrain the heat on these wines.
2004 Pax Syrah Walker Vine Hill - loads of blackberry and raspberry... what else is going on?
1962 Jaboulet Cornas - I don't purport to understand Cornas, but this was one of my least favorites. Just dirt and sweet-n-tarts.
2002 Parsons Flat Shiraz//Cabernet RTW - didn't try this. I have decided not to buy any expensive Australian Shiraz, so no need to try.
1983 Schloss Schonborn Hattenheimer Nussbrunnen Riesling Kabinett - this didn't have much fruit or weight. It was light and zippy, but I'd rather drink a younger Kabinett.
1976 Schloss Eltz Eltviller Sonnenberg Riesling Spatlese - just lovely - not too much sweetness.
1976 Schloss Schonborn Hockheimer Domdechaney Riesling Auslese - lovely gold color and a wine at its peak.
1985 Erben Hockheimer Holle Riesling Auslese - supple tropical fruit, some bottle funk, and minerality.
1996 Trimbach Gewurztraminer Cuvee des Seigneurs de Ribeaupierre Vendange Tardive - big flamboyant fruit compared to the '85 Auslese, but still with verve and acidity. I could see some folks loving this wine.
1994 Graham Vintage Porto - not tasted.
Labels: auction, ERI, wine
Another visit with McClure and a big Cab
McClure came over for dinner along with a bottle of Silver Oak. Since I probably wouldn't buy this wine myself, I was glad he brought it. We decided to get some steaks to match with the Cali Cab, so we called
Gregoire for take-out. Overall, pretty good showing for a wine that is criticized by many wine geeks. Thanks Flo.
- 2002 Silver Oak Cabernet Sauvignon Alexander Valley - USA, California, Sonoma County, Alexander Valley (2/10/2007)
Dark ruby color. I didn't want to like this wine, but it had everything one should expect - good black fruit, nice structure, and medium length finish. There is a little too much oak for me, but it isn't overextracted or over-ripe. If this was available for ~$40, I would buy it for myself.
After the Silver Oak, I wanted to open something interesting for McClure so I went into the Linne Calodo stash. I think he liked it, but it was pretty different.
- 2004 Linne Calodo The Outsider - USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles (2/10/2007)
This wine was slightly fizzy when opened. We put it in the decanter for a 30 minutes, and most of that dissipated. My friend described it as champagne port because of the combination of fizziness and port-like noise. Very floral nose - combined with raisins... it smells like the grape skins discarded after pressing wine. This bottle had a little more heat on the nose and on the palate, but there is a ton of crushed black berry fruit to go with it.
Labels: Linne Calodo, McClure, wine
Visits to Revana and Lewelling
With my 3-week old daughter in tow, we decided to drive up to Napa. My wife was happy to no longer be the designated driver and I was happy to visit wine country. Running a little late (a baby in tow will do that), we pulled up to Revana where fellow BB'er Alan Kurland was waiting with Todd, one the cellar workers and Tasting Room Manager.
First of all, Todd was a great host. Super enthusiastic and he clearly loved his job. He is new to the production side, but it seems like he has landed in a good place to learn. He had 375s of the 2003 and 2004 Revana Cabernet Sauvignon opened for us to try. The 2003 had a lot of black pepper on the nose which turned me off, but the palate was velvety and filled with red fruit. The finish was long and mouth-filling. In comparison, the 2004 had a lot more red fruit (raspberry) on the nose, with some minerality to round it out. The palate was just as silky but the fruit was brighter and the wine seemed more balanced. The finish didn't coat the mouth in the same way, but I still preferred this vintage. We talked a lot about Heidi Peterson-Barrett's other projects and the style of this wine within the portfolio. It was a fun visit and I wish Todd luck as he starts his own label (making wine with Syrah and Tempranillo).
Next, we made the 5 minute drive to Lewelling. David Wight was fantastic. We spent about two hours with him as we walked out to the vineyards (during a break in the rain) and tasted his 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon. (All of his 2004s are sold out and his 2003 Wight Vineyard is sold out.)
I don't think I have time to type out everything I learned from David. Here is a short version - the vineyards have been in the Lewelling family for five generations. They have about 80 acres of planted vineyards and another couple hundred unplantable acres. They sell off most of their grapes (like 90%) to producers like Caymus. For the 1200 cases they produce, about 2/3 goes into their basic Cab and the rest goes into a barrel selection for the Wight Vineyard Cab. That is about 800 cases of Cab and 400 cases of Wight Vineyard Cab. They use about 90% new oak, most of it French. I think David said something like, "90% of the oak is French because it is best, 10% is American because we are patriotic."
After talking about the family history, we walked out to the vineyard and David gave us a lesson in pruning. We learned about where to prune, how many shoots to leave, the relationships with the various trellis systems. He said that the rain was great and the warm weather had been concerning them... apparently some vineyards in Napa had seen bud break on their Chardonnay vines last week. This is concerning because once a bud breaks, it is not resistant to frost.
We also talked a little about grafting, because I never understood what actually happened. He showed where they graft on new varietals and the place where the vine connects to the rootstock. David also made the interesting point that he expects vines to produce fruit for 25-35 years... before they die due to disease or need to be replaced.
The 2003 Lewelling Cab was much darker in profile compared to the Revana wines. Dark cherries and some plums, along with the smokiness and a little bit of ashiness. I liked the fruit profile, but I would enjoy the wine with a little less oak/ashy flavor profile. Still, for $40, this is a well made wine and I purchased a couple bottles for a future steak dinner.
Thanks to David for a great educational visit, and good seeing you Alan.
Labels: Lewelling, Revana, wine
Haas wine tasting at Vintage Berkeley - Spanish wines
The Spanish wine we drink is changing. Over the past 5-10 years, the Spanish wines available in the United States are more fruit-forward and have higher alcohol. This is sometimes referred to as the “modern” style of winemaking. They also have labels that look more modern. The wines are usually less than $15 and deliver great value.
Much of this trend has been driven by a few importers. First Eric Solomon and now Jorge Ordonez have sought out producers that represent the style they each prefer. These wines generally appeal to the American palate. The combination of the quality, taste, and value has driven a new boom in Spanish wines coming to America.
You can still find traditionally made Spanish wines from the Rioja or the Ribera del Duero (they are often very earthy, chewy, and smell like dried fruit), but you have to seek them out.
NV Avinho Brut Rosat Cava, Spain
2004 Monjardin Tintico Tempranillo, Navarra, Spain
2005 El Sola d'en Pol "Clua", Terra Alta, Spain
2005 Can Blau, Montsant, Spain
2004 Semele Crianza, Ribera del Duero, Spain
Terroir
I thought this was
an interesting article posted on the WineReviewOnline. Terroir is one of those concepts that is easy to understand cerebrally but hard to understand on a sensory level. I think one has to try a lot of wine in order to recognize terroir of a vineyard or appellation.
I think the author is trying to create a story. I think terroir is real but I also enjoy blended wines. I don't think there are many people who would say blended wines are worse than terroir-centric wines - his so-called "terroir snobs". Sure there are people who prefer wines where they can identify terroir, but I bet they respect the winemaking abilities if winemakers making blends.
For example, I enjoy both single vineyard and blended wines from one of my favorite wineries -
Siduri. Their
Pisoni single vineyard Pinot Noir is always a special wine, which I think is based on its vineyard terroir. On the other hand, for pure drinking enjoyment, they make regional blends (like the Russian River Valley blend) that are very tasty.
I would encourage people to try both types of wines, but look for the terroir when you taste wines from a specific region. Being able to understand the signatures of vineyards/regions/wineries is very rewarding -- it is the point when the brain and the tongue meet.
Labels: opinion, terroir, wine
