Barnyard Action

Anuva Vinos in The Oregonian

2008-12-17T08:01:00.001-08:00

A group of BAs got together recently to sample Argentinian wines from the Anuva Vinos portfolio. Check out this article from The Oregonian featuring Anuva and its founder, Daniel Karlin!

Reviews of the Anuva wines to be posted here soon...

David Lett, Oregon Wine Pioneer, Dies at 69

2008-10-14T09:23:00.000-07:00

NY Times article here.

Ewald's Pick, Part II

2008-10-01T23:59:00.000-07:00

This is the second half of the Ewald's Pick tasting we began on June 25. To see what it's all about, check out the Ewald's Pick Part I entry.

We reconvened at Mich & Matt's for the second half of Ewald's selection and, needless to say, were not disappointed.

1. Karl Lagler Grüner Veltliner Smaragd Vorderseiber - 2006
Spitz-Wachau-Österreich
14.5% abv
$30

Notes by Kate McGillem:

The group found this wine to be a clear lemon color with medium intensity, and just a glint of gold. Several people also observed tiny bubbles in their glass, and declared the wine to be slightly less than effervescent.

This was a fascinating wine that sparked plenty of discussion and debate, as many — but not all — found a striking disconnect between the nose and palate. The nose had a medium plus intensity, and seemed to be developing. Even so, a great deal of fruit was left on the nose — we detected apricot, ripe pear, applesauce, and tropical fruit — as well as an underlying floral quality. Anna was the first to figure out that the wine had probably been left sur lie, evidenced by buttery notes that everyone else quickly picked up on too. Still, there was another layer of aromas that took a few minutes for everyone to put their finger on. We settled on an invented term — "savoryness" — to describe the almost spicy, white peppery, "elephant garlic" notes that provided a surprising contrast against the ripe fruit.

The palate, however, was another story. After a few sips, we determined it was dry, with medium plus acidity and a substantial amount of heat from the 14.5% alcohol. This wine boasts medium plus to high body that seemed creamy (Subhadra was right on the money when she called it "round"), medium plus intensity, and a long finish, with plenty to talk about on the palate: "something pithy" (lemon, grapefruit maybe?), green apple, under-ripe pineapple, garlic, green mango (reminding us of a garlicky mango or pineapple salsa), apricot, butter, toast, toasted nuts with a bitter finish.

Needless to say, it was easy to determine that this wine is good to outstanding and in the high to premium price range. We decided it ready to drink but could age, although before we knew the vintage, a few of us wondered if the nose and palate disconnect could be a signal that this wine was past its prime — maybe a 2001? We were in for a big surprise when we found out it was a 2006. When it came time to guess the varietal, Leo's earlier white pepper description led us to correctly guess that this offbeat wine was indeed a Grüner Veltliner from Austria.

2. Wachtenburg Winzer Riesling Spätlese – 2005
Wachenheimer Schenkenbohl, Pfalz
14% abv
$24

Notes by Kate McGillem:

This wine was clear, medium lemon. With a few swirls, we detected thin legs that dripped slowly down the sides of the glass.

Especially after experiencing the eclectic intensity of wine number one, we settled upon just medium intensity for this wine's nose, with hints of development. After a few whiffs, the aroma of petrol hit us over the head, giving away the grape variety early on. This wine had a sweet freshness about it, and almost a candied quality. Much to Mich's delight, we detected minerality, along with tart berries (gooseberry?), orange blossom, golden raisins, lemon pith or rind, watermelon rind, kerosene, grapefruit seed, butter, Meyer lemon and a curious but unmistakably oily quality.

On the palate, this wine was dry, with medium plus to high acidity, medium body, medium intensity, medium plus alcohol that ended up coming in at 14%, and a (you guessed it) medium finish. The palate in many ways resembled the nose, with hints of honeydew, green apple, minerality, lemon pith, Meyer lemon, lemon oil (notice a theme here?), an herbal/green aroma that Subhadra eventually pinned down as lemongrass, Sweet Tart, and tropical notes reminding us of unripe pineapple.

Considering all of the aromas and flavors going on in this wine, we came to the consensus that this wine was "good plus" in quality, ready to drink but could age, and probably came in around the low $30 range in price. We concluded this was definitely more of a food wine, going back for second helpings of the fantastic cheeses Mich provided and Anna's delicious kale and pear salad.

3. Selbach-Oster Riesling Spätlese – 2006
Graacher Himmelreich, Mosel
8.5% abv
$30

Notes by Lizette Coppinger:

This 2006 Riesling Spätlese from Selbach-Oster is a good choice for a simple medium dry wine. Spätlese indicates a style of wine that is late harvested, which means the flavours will be more concentrated. With this particular wine, we found that it was much more fragrant on the nose but the palate was lacking complexity.

The appearance of this wine was quite pale and clear. After a few swirls, we noted some thick legs and a lemon hue to the wine. The nose had crisp and refreshing aromas that that had a medium–minus to medium intensity. We detected a youthful wine with light petrol aromas, and as Leo put it, “a hint of natural rubber” or a “new beach ball” like Kate suggested. There were scents of delicious lemon and honeysuckle, of floral bouquets, luscious red apples, ripe kiwi and even a faint but certainly there, Lipton ice tea. There was also something very intriguing about this wine, which had a tea bag quality to it. Scents of minerality were certainly present offering aromas of wet sleight and stone.

This is a medium dry wine with medium acidity and fairly low alcohol. The body of the wine was about medium – with an average medium intensity and medium – finish. We did not get many surprises from this wine and decided that it tasted a little watered down. Flavours of red candied apple were prominent with hints of honey and …Orangina. Overall, we decided this would make a good dessert wine as it is safe, simple, fragrant, and fruity. We concluded that this wine was good and at peak. There are not many flavours left so it will not develop any further.

Mich did a great job by identifying this wine as a Riesling Spätlese. Leo was quite close by classifying this wine as a Riesling Kabinett, which is only one level before Spätlese. These classifications for the style of wine are dependent on the initial weight of the must of the wine.

4. Peter Schandl Blaufränkisch – 2006
Austria
13.5% abv Qualitätswein
$18

Notes by Hannelore Buckenmeyer:

The group spent a long time gazing at the cloudy wine, wondering if it was “Dull” or “Clear –“ in appearance. It was definitely a bit hazy, so we speculated that it hadn’t been filtered. The intensity was “Medium +” and the color was “Garnet.”

The nose was very complex with aromas of green pepper, sour cherries, turpentine, sour cream, must, cedar, stewed black plums, cigar boxes, vanilla and cloves, leading Mich to correctly identify the variety as Blaufrankisch (a.k.a. Lemberger in Germany and Oregon, Franconia in Friuli and Kekfrankos in Hungary).

The body was “Medium–“ with a “Medium” intensity and a “Medium+/Long” finish. The flavor characteristics included: bark, wood, tobaco, brine, bay leaf, cherry, stewed tomato, and dirty martini.

Overall, the group really liked the wine, giving it a “Good” to “Outstanding” rating, and suggesting that it was at its peak. All supposed that it was a premium priced wine. 

5. Wachenheimer Mandelgarten — 1994
Wachtenburg Winzer Ehrenfelser TBA
Rheinland-Pfalz
7.5% abv Qualitätswein
$60 for 375ml bottle

This 14-year-old TBA — Trockenbeerenauslese, meaning that it is made from individually selected berries harvested late for maximum ripening and sugar development — was a revelatory wine, sufficient to convert even those who fear and loathe sweet wines.

This was also the first time we had the Ehrenfelser grape, about which Ewald's materials explain:

A good-quality, white-wine, hybrid grape developed at Geisenheim, Germany in the 1920s. Ehrenfelser is a cross of Riesling and Sylvaner that — except for its lower acid levels — closely resembles Riesling. It has some advantages over Riesling in that Ehrenfelser grows in less desirable locations and ripens earlier, which makes it increasinglypopular in some of Germany's northern growing regions.

We found it a very attractive clear medium amber with ample legs. The medium-intensity, developed aroma characteristics kept us busy pulling out descriptors, including, walnuts, raisins, stewed prunes, dates, marzipan, overripe apples, banana bread, natural rubber, and even black rye bread like the thin-sliced imported Austrian stuff.

The palate gave a sweet, high-acid, full-bodied wine of medium+ intensity. We greatly overestimated the alcohol, in truth very low at 7.5%. In addition to the full pantry we had found on the nose we found lemon and lemon zest, honey and beeswax, more natural rubber, musk melon, cooked pear and apple pie. It all unfolded in a satisfying medium+ finish.

We rated it outstanding and pricey, and decided that it had plenty in it to keep on maturing. I'd be happy to stash a case or two and test that hypothesis in the coming years…

Pairing by colors

2008-09-28T15:15:00.000-07:00

According to the francophone Le saviez-vous feed this morning, the art of food-wine pairings developed originally not according to gastronomical concerns, but in the quest for harmonious coloristic arrangements on the tables of the French kings. (Unfortunately, now I can't find the entry, it being a randomized feed apparently without a search function.)

Wine Sucktator

2008-09-18T11:58:00.000-07:00

This story is too funny.

The Philosopher's Stonefruit

2008-09-11T11:53:00.000-07:00

Now, this is a winemaker after my own heart!

The Connoisseur Who Knew Too Much

2008-09-02T11:14:00.000-07:00

Beware the pitfalls of expertise: Fish or Foul

And here's the original fish forgery article.

I, for one, am confident that I would never mistake a Mozambique tilapia for a Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc...

From the Gob-less Front

2008-08-20T21:33:00.000-07:00

Could it be? Could Napa producers embrace the Gob-less sentiment? Is the pendulum swinging..?

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/20/dining/20pour.html?ref=dining

And more Gob-less, let's hear it for subtlety:

http://www.wineandspiritsmagazine.com/pages/features/0608_Liem.html

I'll jump on that bandwagon!

Summer Wines

2008-08-13T23:59:00.000-07:00

This warm August evening in Bob's back patio was the perfect setting for a round of chilled whites and rosés — and a passel of delicious meats, Oregon cheeses, and a NE Portland garden salad. After a flurry of cancellations, we were down to a nice, intimate group of five, enjoying the oh-well-more-for-us vibe until late into dark (as Bob's notes for the final wine attest).

Turned out it was also a very poignant Barnyard Action, as it'll be the last one with Bob — at least on a regular basis. He and Krissy announced that they are moving to Oakland at the beginning of September. We'll miss them greatly, but really we're looking at this as the launch of Barnyard Action by the Bay, a sister project that will give us a good excuse to get down there now and again. Not a bad silver lining!

1. De Ponte — DFB Estate Dundee Hills 2007 Melon
Melon de Bourgogne (aka Muscadet)
Dundee, Willamette Valley, Oregon
12.5% abv
$20

Notes by Mich Nelson:

DePonte Cellars is a family-owned and -operated winery, set in the heart of Oregon’s Dundee Hills. Winemaker Isabelle Dutartre came to Oregon from Domaine Drouhin in Burgundy, and first worked at Domaine Drouhin Oregon, its US outpost. DePonte’s vineyard includes 3 acres of Melon, headpruned Zinfandel-style onto very old rootstock. With only 450 vines to the acre (modern plantings are around 1450/acre) these ancient vines with their unknown root depth and gnarled trunks are remarkable for their drought tolerance and resistance to disease.

Melon de Bourgogne has a cloudy history in the US. In France, it is known as Muscadet and is extensively planted in the Loire Valley. The term Muscadet is protected and cannot be used outside the Loire region of France. First plantings in the US were mistaken as Pinot Blanc, and there are several wineries in California that are thought to continue to mistakenly label the grape as Pinot Blanc.

For more than you ever wanted to know about Melon de Bourgogne, please visit its special website, which includes a history of the grape in Oregon.

The group found this very pale lemon wine to have a bit of spritz, probably from some dissolved CO2. The medium intense, youthful nose gave off lots of minerality (my favorite!) with an almost salty note. Crisp citrus, ripe squishy banana, papaya, and pineapple lite followed. I also noted a certain freshness about the nose.

On the palate, this wine is dry and medium-minus-bodied. Medium + acidity, medium intensity and a medium + finish. It lingered! In addition to the characteristics on the nose, Anna noted pineapple sage on the palate. Others described a salty/brinyness and a little herbaceousness. Bob and Leo both picked up on something petro-chem, as in a Riesling. Others, including myself, begged to differ on this point.

The group determined that this Good wine (I say Good+) was At Peak and a value at $20 retail. Chardonnay and Riesling were both eliminated as guesses right away. Pinot Blanc and Chenin Blanc were quite credible guesses… especially given the history of Melon being mistaken for Pinot Blanc!

2. Cantina del Pino — Langhe Freisa DOC 2006
Langhe, Piemonte, Italia
12.5% abv
$16

This was a real surprise on a few counts. I had read that it was a light, sparkling red, an unusual specialty in the Langhe, from an unusual grape, the Freisa. In fact, it was darker and fuller than expected. And the sparkle had a surprising character too.

Freisa is a vigorous, round, blue-black grape first mentioned in 1517, in the enduring poetry of customs regulations. It makes a range of reds from still to fully sparkling, from dry to very sweet, though it is typically just somewhat sweet and lightly sparkling.

I've seen Cantina del Pino mentioned as an "avant-garde," rising-star winery, with winemaker Renato Vacca at the helm. The following notes refer primarily to his celebrated Barbareschi:

Renato is a modernist opting for small French oak barrels, instead of the traditional botti grande (large oak casks). But he also has a profound understanding of the supreme elegance and fine-grained quality of Barbaresco. You won’t find overly oaky wines; he never uses 100% new oak. His wines are always balanced, complex and fine. Produced in a clean, modern style, yet full of character and personality, Cantina del Pino wines emphasize purity of fruit, and ripe, fresh flavors that reflect their favorably-sited vineyards. It’s a small operation—Renato, his father, and a part-time college student handled the busy days during the harvest and produce just 3,000 cases per year.

I was surprised by the depth of color of this Medium ruby wine. We identified a purple rim and barely a visible sparkle.

We found a Med-minus intensity, youthful nose redolent of grape jelly, bramble, violet, cooked, jammy cherry and fresh blueberry. A couple of us struggled to describe another influence which someone compared to menthol and I called "swampy." A fascinating nose for a putative summer wine.

The palate was decidedly dry, with Med acid, tannin, intensity and alcohol and a Med-minus body. The sparkle, hardly visible as it was, especially the longer it aired, came to its own in the mouth as a distinctly foamy quality. Kind of a shock — but a cool one — from what looked like a still red. We found the palate simpler than the nose, with tart blackberry, tart black cherry, more bramble, and a stony quality. The finish was a startlingly abrupt Med-minus. Now you see it, now you don't.

We called it Good and At Peak, and agreed that it was not a sipper but a food wine, though we debated what food it would go with. Anna made the case for tomatoes and an appropriate cheese, maybe a Robiola. I'm certainly up for testing that combination, especially in its natural habitat.

3. Domaine André Neveu — Le Grand Fricambault Rosé 2007
AOC Sancerre — Pinot Noir Rosé
12.5% abv
$26 at Great Wine Buys

notes by Bob Martin:

The Sancerre DOC is known primarily for its whites, but our next wine, a rosé, showed that there’s more to the region than sauvignon blanc. In fact, prior to the onslaught of phylloxera in the late 1800’s, the primary grape in Sancerre was pinot noir, which still accounts for 1/3 of production.

Our example was pale pink salmon in color (we took the liberty of devising our own color scale for the roses we drank this evening, as the red wine color spectrum didn’t fit the bill). The nose was medium or lower in intensity with an intriguing combination of unripe strawberry, roses, and a yeasty note. We categorized this wine as youthful — an open question at our tasting was whether there are rosés that improve in the bottle, or whether all are made to be consumed young.

The body was on the light side (our collective assessment was medium–) with medium plus acid and alcohol. We were surprised later to learn the actual alcohol was 12.5% as the wine seemed to pack more heat than that. Tannins were definitely present but low. Strawberry and yeast were again present on the palate, along with watermelon and a medium, lemony citrus finish.

We liked this wine, scoring it good to outstanding. In particular we felt it to be a good food wine with the high acidity and good structure — an ideal accompaniment to a salad, seafood or shellfish. Kudos to Leo, Anna, and Hannelore, who correctly guessed the varietal.

4. Domaine Fabrice Gasnier — Chinon Rosé 2007
AOC Chinon — Cabernet Franc rosé)
12% abv
$15

Notes by Mich Nelson:

Our second rosé of the evening came to us from the Loire Valley of France, not that we knew that at the time of tasting (well, I knew…). The Loire has become my personal favorite region of France, from the mineral (again, my favorite!) Muscadets of the west to the spicy Cab Francs of the central valley. Given that I am also a huge fan of the current Rosé Renaissance, I could not resist bringing this wine to the party.

Located in the Touraine region of France, the Chinon AOC lies in the confluence of the Loire and Vienne rivers. The Gasnier Vineyards stretch over the village of Cravant les Coteaux and has been owned by the same family for four generations. Today the vineyard is made up of 23 hectares of Cabernet Franc and 1 hectare of Cabernet Sauvignon.

The clear pale salmon (we think… the evening light was dimming) wine had a youthful, yet medium-minus-intense nose. Tons of minerality (yay!), tart watermelon, powdered floral soap flakes (not a bad thing), passion fruit, and a “mystery flower” were found on the nose.

On the palate, the wine was dry, with medium intensity, body, acid and finish. Stoney minerality, more of the tart watermelon combined with something spicy and white pepper. A generic, non-tropical melon with slight pith was also detected, followed by a flinty finish.

Much to my pleasure, the group gave this one a Good+. The varietal eluded the group, but I was especially pleased that we managed to bring three rosés from three different varietals to the tasting!

5. Domaine Earl Bronzo — La Bastide Blanche Rosé 2007
AOC Bandol (predominantly Mourvèdre, with Grenache and Cinsault)
13.5% abv
$23 at Great Wine Buys

notes by Bob Martin:

The final wine, and third rosé, of the evening added further evidence of the range and quality available to wine lovers in the underappreciated world of rosé wines. Bob, who as contributor of this wine bore the responsibility for writing the tasting note, was also our host and was distracted from this tasting by his various and largely unsuccessful attempts (this was, after all, the fifth bottle of wine among five tasters) to combat the fading light, which culminated in the suspension of a flashlight from a garden umbrella that gave us all a nice bright view of Leo’s right shoulder but did little to improve anyone’s ability to assess the color of the wine or see their tasting notes.

But enough excuses. Fortunately Mich and Leo provided their notes on the wine to the hapless host, and so here goes. The color was clear pale salmon, while the nose was medium intensity and, like all our summer wines this evening, youthful. We detected a wide range of primary aromas, and found this Bandol rosé to be the reverse of the two earlier rosés in terms of the mix of fruit and floral characteristics. While for the Chinon and Sancerre rosés the fruit aromas dominated the nose, with just hints of floral, here the floral characteristics were predominant. The Bandol had a flinty minerality on the nose, along with a light, bright floral quality that reminded us, in a good way, of floral soap flakes. We had some difficulty pinpointing the flower, lavender being our best guess. The nose displayed many fruit characteristics ranging from strawberry and watermelon into the tropical realm. Here again we struggled to pin down the tropical fruit, with star fruit and mango (along with sticky rice!) being contributed. Perhaps Leo characterized it best as UBF (unspecified Burmese fruit). Perhaps the floral scent we struggled to identify was UBFl (unspecified Burmese flower), which would neatly solve the mystery!

On the palate we detected largely the same mix of tastes as on the nose, however the fruit tastes were relatively stronger here. The wine was dry and relatively low in acid compared to the earlier roses (we gave it medium minus). We detected no tannins. Alcohol was medium plus, body medium minus, and with all the flavors on the palate we rated the intensity medium plus. The finish was medium with the flintiness coming more to the fore as well as some pith and matchstick character.

We rated this wine the upper side of good and to be drunk now. While the group quickly and correctly focused on France no one was able to guess the region or the varietal, Mourvèdre.

I've been blogged!

2008-07-31T10:25:00.000-07:00

...by Jamie Goode, author of The Science of Wine. He came to visit Stoller yesterday afternoon, and spent some time with me and Melissa Burr, our winemaker. He was a nice chap and was kind enough to sign my copy of his book (which I am looking forward to reading). Lordy, I hate having my picture taken but I guess it means something that I ended up in a wine blog...um, I mean another wine blog...

Stoller Vineyards Goes Extreme!

2008-07-27T14:21:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! Stoller Vineyards will be featured in an upcoming show on the Travel Channel called Extreme Ways to Go Green...airing Wednesday August 20th @ 9pm. Tune in!

Summer Stumper

2008-07-16T23:59:00.000-07:00

It was all madness and summer chaos and everybody was too busy to think, let alone come up with a suitable last-minute theme for the July Barnyard Action. So we hit on a new meta-theme, which proved very popular indeed: The Stumper. The idea is simply to bring something interesting and odd that will be hard if not impossible to guess.

We set up in the backyard, in Anna's garden, and tasted until it was too dark to determine color (at which point someone would have to go inside for a look). We all decided we should make The Stumper a regular thing.

1. Sektkellerei Szigeti — Grand Cru Österreichischer Sekt NV
Grüner Veltliner, Brut, Méthode Traditionnelle
Gols — Am Anger — Burgenland — Österreich
imported by Vin Divino Ltd.
12.5% abv
$16

We kicked it off with this friendly Austrian sparkler, as I told the story of a friend's recent mishap with another sparkler. It had happened just a few days earlier, at the same table out in the garden. Our friend, whom we shall simply call "Z" to protect her career as a wine rep, was bringing out a Savoie brut that we were considering for an event. When she uncorked it, the bottle lurched backwards out of her hands and shot across the lawn like a firework. Z assured us that had never happened before in her illustrious career, and we made the best assessment we could on the basis of the few milliliters that remained. (Some tasters present proposed licking the lawn.)

No such catastrophe this time. Just a nice beginning to The Stumper. We found it to be a clear, pale, lemon-green, with highly varied, mostly medium-sized bubbles. The nose was clean, Med intense, and youthful, with citrus, pear, slight yeast, and a touch of buttercream.

The palate came in as off-dry, with Med body, light mousse, Med intensity and an unexpectedly enduring Med+ finish. In addition to the qualities of the nose, we found white grapefruit and pith, mineral, and white pepper on the finish, which actually let us make the Grüner guess.

We liked it, called it Good and at Peak. A very nice summer celebration sekt (though if you want to launch something across your yard, try the Savoie).

2. Ferdinand — Brda VQPRD 2007
Kakovostno vino ZGP — Pridelano v Sloveniji (Brda, Slovenia)
Ribolla Gialla (Rebula)
12.5%
$15 from Square Deal

Notes by Mich Nelson:

Brda is a winegrowing region on the western frontier of Slovenia… yes, Slovenia. In fact, it is so far to the west, it is practically in the Collio region of northeastern Italy. Rebula is an indigenous varietal of Brda. However, a few years ago, Ferdinand (producer) changed the name of the varietal used on the label from the traditional Slovenian Rebula to the Italian Ribolla Gialla.

The clear pale lemon wine was just a tad spritzy and the youthful nose gave aromas akin to lemon dishwashing soap (which was actually more pleasant that the descriptor). A good helping of minerality, something floral, and a touch of peach. Some determined a slight yeasty character, which was a good call, as this wine is aged on lees.

We found the wine to be dry, with medium intensity and acidity, medium minus in body and alcohol, but with a rather lengthy (medium plus) finish. The somewhat simple palate matched the nose, with citrusy herbaceousness, peachiness, subtle minerality and tart underripe fruit qualities.

There was some confusion about the vintage year of the wine. The label said 2007, whereas the retail label read 2006 and the producer’s website claims that their Rebula is placed on the market after two years of maturation. So was it a 2007 or a 2006 after all??

It is a good wine, albeit somewhat simple. A tasty and refreshing alternative to overused party wines like Pinot Grigio, perhaps. And besides, now we can all say we’ve had a Slovenian wine!

3. Domaine Lafond — Roc-Epine 2006 Lirac
Appellation Lirac Controlée
Alain Junguenet selection
13.5% abv
$18

Notes by Amy Rehagen:

The third stumper wine was a lovely white Lirac from the Rhone. I run across the white versions of Rhone blends much less often than the reds, which was my reason for using it as a stumper. Composed of 60% Grenache Blanc, 20% Viognier, and 10% Roussanne, it was a perfect example of a white Rhone.

From the start this wine seemed to entice us all into describing its complex aromas. A bit of debate on gold or lemon ended up with lemon as the winner with a Pale (+) intensity. We mostly agreed on Developing for the nose with Medium intensity and loads of almond marzipan and plenty of peachy melon, as well as creamy, buttery pastry and a zip of fresh olive. On the palate it was fuller-bodied, on the Med– side of acidity. The flavors here mimicked the nose with the addition of some spice — ginger, jalapeño — and an intense spiced apple on the long finish, with a dash of bitter melon. Some of us also found a not unpleasant tang we dubbed "underripe beachball."

It was delicious pairing with the spiciness of the mole salami [as in the Mexican sauce, not the burrowing mammal!] and of course the several goudas present.

4. Umathum — Blaufränkisch 2005
Burgenland, Austria
Red Table Wine 13% abv
imported by Vin Divino Ltd.
~$20

Mike knew what this one was because of the glass stopper and the distinctive typeface it bore, which, now that I've seen it, I'm also unlikely to forget.

The rest of us, without that advantage, were stumped. The appearance was a clear Medium+ purple. The nose was clean, Med intensity and Developing. "Barnyard Action!" I exclaimed, and we all went on to enumerate herbaceousness, oak, violet soap, stewed cherries, metalic notes like an empty tin of tomatoes, dried pinecone, marjoram, and a wonderfully complex melange we agreed to just go ahead and call spicerack. Lots going on!

On the palate we found it dry, Med+ acid, soft Med tannins, Med alcohol, Med body, Med intensity, and a Medium finish. To the nose, we added sour red cherry "stewed in a reactive pan," baseball glove, and still more spicerack.

We called it Good (fascinating would work too) and at Peak.

5. Weingut Glatzer — St. Laurent, Altenburg 2003
Göttlesbrunn, Carnuntum, Austria
Qualitätswein 13% abv
imported by Michael Skurnik Wines

Notes by Mike Draper:

I brought this one as a certain guaranteed stumper. The last time I had it was at least six months prior and it was one of the most unique wine experiences that I’d had. Having just experienced another Austrian red earlier in the evening, I hoped it wouldn’t be a giveaway.

The general consensus of the color was a clear, deep ruby, approaching purple, with some nice legs cascading down the glass. On the nose it was relatively intense, achieving a medium +, but not quite all the way to high. The aromas perceived included stewed tomatoes, wet cookie dough, raisins, wet leather, wet hay, candied/cooked yam, and vegetable.

On the palate, this unusual wine gave a turn for the unexpected and yielded surprisingly bracing acid, in the medium + category, but with the perception of low tannin that registered about a medium – for most of us. Considering the nose, I think most of us expected quite the opposite. I believe the wine registered lower on the tannin because the tannins were very soft, not necessarily due to lack of tannin. The alcohol seemed about a medium (a cool 13%). The body, balanced between the acid and tannin also registered about a medium. But the flavors were pretty intense, at a medium +, and the finish didn’t diminish and maintained that medium +. The flavors on the palate reflected what we got on the nose with the added flavors of jam, nectarine, and coffee/mocha on finish. Also, it was generally agreed upon that the wine was ready to drink but could still age [RTDBCA], given the acid.

I don’t remember anyone guessing the region or the wine correctly. But given the fact that we had just tried the Blaufränkisch, which was so different from this one, nobody was really thinking Austria. After unveiling, I pointed out another oddity of this wine. Where some wines with extra tannin when aged will throw a deposit on the side of the bottle. The tannin in this wine adhered to the bottle on all surfaces, leaving a frosted-glass appearance. I’d never seen that before or since.

6. Trentadue — Viognier Port 2001
Russian River Valley
18.5% abv, 375ml

Notes by Mike Draper:

This was another oddity, and an old favorite. Also, as far as I know, this is the only of its kind made, so unless anyone has also had this wine before, it was sure to be another stumper. How did we do? In the glass, and in the fading light there in the garden, the wine had a clear and pale gold appearance.

Not being able to see much else by that time, we moved onto the nose (Before it would become a real blind-tasting. A blind-and-stumbling-around-in-the-dark tasting.) The nose yielded a clean aroma with a medium intensity and was apparently still developing. We could all tell it had some age on it. The age gave to it all kinds of “developing” aromas piled onto the natural fruit and fortification aromas. Just a partial list of what we found included yeasty, lemon-honey, brown sugar, rubber tree sap, paraffin/beeswax, overripe muskmelon, poached pear, clove/allspice and an explosion of others.

Excitedly moving onto the palate we, almost unsurprisingly, found it as sweet. The acid was on the higher end still, at a medium + , as was the alcohol (fortified, of course. 18.5%). Everything else seemed to fall into the medium + category. Body, medium +. Intensity, medium +. Length, medium +. (Actually, there were some of us who thought the intensity was more of a medium.) The flavors we found on the palate didn’t directly mirror the nose, but included cognac, orange, orange blossom, Ricola (Yes. “Riiiiicooolaaaa!”), reedy, white chocolate, natural rubber, caramel, and butter.

All rated this as outstanding and thought it could be consumed now, as we just did, or could age more. A lot more. Honestly, having not tried this for a couple years, even I was surprised at how gracefully it was aging. That said, trying to get anyone to correctly guess the wine was turning into a game of twenty-questions, so I moved to a hasty unveiling.

Ewald's Pick, Part I

2008-06-25T23:44:00.000-07:00

The setting was perfect: mild Portland summer evening, standing out on Mich & Matt's porch gazing out at the magnificent St. Johns bridge and the lazy ships beneath it. Below us, across the street, a cadre of gentlemen in grimy white tank tops were gaily slim-jimming a Chevy Monte Carlo, its new front end sitting expectantly on the gravel before it.

A gentle fragrance of — what is that, petrol? — wafted up to us. My cue to go break into the first tasting bottle.

The theme was Germany & Austria, and I had suggested a choice: bring your own pick as usual, or pitch in for a box of Ewald's choosing. Ewald, of course, is the guy — in the Northwest and arguably in the country — for these wines, particularly of the Mosel. His last name is, after all, Moseler. (The company is Moseler Selections.) It's like getting your Pinot list from a Mr. Bourguignon.

Everyone signed on for Ewald's Pick, natürlich.

Now, no one has ever accused me of being overly hemmed in by reasonableness. So when I asked Ewald to put together a selection for ten people, I gave him our budget and asked for the same number of wines. We only made it through half, and not for lack of diligence. That's why this is only Part I. (And now I have to endure the challenge of keeping the rest of the wines in the cellar. Better lock up the corkscrew.)

1. Sekt b.A. Pfalz — Riesling Sekt, Extra Dry
Wachtenburg Winzer, 2006er — Wachenheimer Königswingert
$22

First out of the gate was this very enjoyable Sekt, which I recognized from a recent tasting Ewald gave at Alu. There, Barnaby Tuttle told me that in his days at Papa Haydn this was their very free-flowing house sparkler. I can see why. It has a nice big Medium lemon appearance and a Medium-intensity, youthful nose of citrus, floral, golden delicious apple, juicy canned pineapple, and Mich's fave: mineral.

On the palate we decided it was very much the shorthand I use for these situations: "As Nose." We took it for a little less sweet than Extra Dry (12–20 g/l R.S.), probably thanks to healthy Med+ acid. We also misunderestimated the alcohol, though that might have been our brains getting in the way, because a few of us felt there was more heat there, but we guessed lower because of, well, Germany. In fact, it's right at 12.5%. We found it to be pretty full for a sparkler, at Med body, with Med intensity and a nice Med finish. The mousse was low, actually falling off rapidly to nearly still, probably a function of the sweetness.

The wine comes from the village of Wachenheim in the heart of the Pfalz. Here, Hugh Johnson and Jancis Robinson assure us we can expect not richness but "finely poised sweetness and purity of flavor." The Königswingert is the "excellent vineyard" of source (not "exceptional"), though I don't know if this is one of those Grosslage-named-for-an-Einzellage situations or what.

In any case we called it Good, and at Peak (drink now). I have to wonder, though, with that good acid, being a Riesling, maybe it could... Nah, drink it now.

2. Riesling Schieferterrassen, Q.b.A.
Heymann-Löwenstein, 2006 — Winningen an der Mosel
$33

Winningen is way up at the northern tip of the Terrassenmosel, near Koblenz, where the story is all about the steep slate slopes (Schiefer means slate). Hugh and Jancis note that wines from here "have been firmly put back on the map by producers such as Heymann-Löwenstein, best known for mineral-laden dry Rieslings. . . ." I'll say!

Ewald puts this under "Terroir-Focused Dry Style Wines" and this wine just tastes like that, like slate and "focus." Not a crowd-pleasure for the quaff set, this is a strict wine that rewards close attention. A pretty, Medium gold, it has a Medium intensity on a youthful, but precocious, nose of serious mineral (hot slate, say, from which a sudden rain has just evaporated) with a thought-provoking fruitbasket of apricot, lychee, ripe banana, and pear, all spiced with white pepper.

Med acid, 13.5% abv, and Med-bodied, the palate of Med+ intensity augments the nose with honey-drizzled melon, a malo-buttery sensation, more fresh-groung pepper, and a lift of ginger at the tail of an impressive Med+ finish. We called it Good, but personally I'd go to Outstanding, and I'm sure this wine will continue to get even more interesting with time: RTDBCA.

I must confess, I cheated slightly. I put a bit of spin on the blindness by hinting to Ewald that it would be alright if he put in something like the '85 or '93 Christoffel-Prüm Rieslings I'd loved at his last tasting. Hence:

3. Riesling Kabinett
Jos. Christoffel jr. (Christoffel-Prüm), 2000 — Ürziger Würzgarten
$18

Ürzig is just downstream from Bernkastel-Kues, on a particularly salient westward knee of the sinuous river in the mittel of the Mittelmosel. Here, the archetypal dark slate of Bernkastel breaks into "red slate, in rocky pockets instead of a smooth bank, [giving] the Würzgarten (spice garden) [vineyard] wines a different flavour, more penetrating and racy than Zeltingers" (ibid).

We dug this pale, lemon-green wine with its Med+, developing nose. Great cheers of "Petrol!" filled the air, and for a while petrol was the only thing we could find. It opened into lemon chiffon, unripe d'Anjou pear, and green almond. Someone misheard me saying almond and said "green olive." I think that works too, if I imagine toweling the brine off a Castelvetrano and sniffing it dry. Some of us also found something flinty or matchsticky beside the petrol.

We didn't discuss residual sugar, but it read dry, as I remember it. We found kicky but integrated Med+ acid, low alcohol (7%) in a Med body, Med-intensity palate which added to the nose some sweet pink grapefruit (not pithy) and what Barry identified as white corn tortilla on the satisfying Med++ finish. (He speculated about having it with tamales, maybe a dessert tamal. I'm game.)

We called it Outstanding, and RTDBCA (Ready To Drink But Can Age), and figured it was high-priced ($20–30 retail on the WSET scale, though with oil prices and the useless dollar, that scale is going to have to inflate). All of which makes it an amazing value at the ~$18 retail mark. Of course, if you can get the 1993 Spätlese for $30, at least take a half case of each.

4. Riesling Kabinett
Schmitges, "vom roten Schiefer", 2007
$21

The next stop downstream from Ürzig is Erden, where Waltraud & Andreas Schmitges grow and make their wines. The Schmitges issue a call for "Finesse pur statt schierer Kraft!" (Pure finesse instead of overwhelming power!):

Viele fette Marmeladenweine werden aus internationalen Rebsorten produziert um auf Verkostungen zu punkten: Rubens trifft Schwarzenegger. Aber viele Liebhaber haben einfach keine Lust mehr, diese „barriquegeschwängerten“ Monstertropfen zu trinken, die vor schierer Kraft kaum zu laufen, geschweige denn grazil im Glase zu stehen vermögen!

(Many fat jam wines from international varietals are being produced to score points at tastings: Rubens meets Schwarzenegger. But many wine lovers are tired of drinking immense, oak-dominated wines — wines with sheer muscles hardly able to walk, let alone stand up in the glass in elegant beauty!)

The Schwarzenegger riff would in the past have just been about inarticulate heft, but now it takes on all of California!

We found the "vom roten Schiefer" quite able to stand up in its glass, amicably and charmingly. It's no steroidal Ahnold, but it's not a Kant treatise either.

Pale lemon in appearance, it had a jovial Med+ intensity, youthful, aromatic nose of peach, lemon cream pie, and white flower (apple blossom, white sweetpea), with a pleasant touch of laundry soap flake — clean white sheets hanging in a lemon grove, let's say.

Med-dry in sweetness, with Med acidity (or more, given the sugar). 8% abv, with a nice Med+ body. The Med-intensity palate yielded plenty of "As Nose" with maybe some sweet apple leading out to a satisfying Medium finish. We called it Good, and RTDBCA.

5. Riesling Kabinett
Vollenweider, 2006 — Wolfer Goldgrube
$30

A half-dozen kilometers further downstream we come to Wolf, and the west-facing Goldgrube vineyard on the outside of a sharp southward bend. This is where we find Swiss-born winemaker Daniel Vollenweider scoring one for Helvetic ingenuity.

Pale lemon hue, with a subtler Med-minus, developing nose of good complexity: unctuous lanolin, lemon cheesecake and crème brûlée right when you light the blowtorch, plus a hint of zest, as if someone were peeling a lemon nearby — call it "zest at three paces."

The wine is Medium-sweet, at least, with acidity that reads Medium but must be higher to keep things in balance. 8.5% abv, a refreshing Med body with Med+ intensity and finish. On the palate, the lanolin becomes petrol, and we also liked dried, candied papaya. Krissy spotted bubbles on the rim right at pour, and we concurred it had started with a hint of spritz.

Some have their limits with sweet wines. I don't — not if they're well made and intelligently balanced, as this one is. Adeeba had the misfortune of trying it on the heels of one of Nancy's phenomenal turtle brownies — a disaster that I confirmed experimentally.

However, I had one last helping of Krissy's nicely hot wun sen koong sot (she made two versions, mild and hot, which she called "the seven percent" and "the fourteen-five," respectively). I must have gotten into a thick chili patch, and so was looking around for something to take the edge off. The austere Heymann-Löwenstein (#2) only made things worse, but a quick pour of this Wolfer Goldgrube was just the thing. I will henceforth enthusiastically recommend it with hot Thai food. (Always a challenge, and Riesling is the typical answer. Deservedly so, in this case.)

We called it Good++, and RTDBCA, and pegged it at high-priced. Worth it.

Stay tuned for Part 2!

Bordeaux East India Company

2008-06-04T11:32:00.000-07:00

Wines from India? Probably better than the saag paneer in Dijon. Check out the article here.

(Thanks to Mich for sending the link.)

L'Azione di capannone

2008-05-29T23:59:00.000-07:00

"I'll give you a hint," said Bob, enjoying our bewilderment at the cheerful starter sipper, which seemed a bit like lots of things but not quite like any. "It's a local Italian grape. That narrows it down to about a thousand."

Tonight's theme was Italy. Va bene, va bene. Bob's greeting pour was a very pale lemon color with nice med+ acid, a lighter med- body, 12.5% abv, a medium intensity and a simple med– finish. We found citrus, white floral, green almonds and mineral on the nose, with a similar palate, and Mike caught something not unpleasant we ended up giving the unflattering name "latex lite."

We tossed out a bunch of ideas but we were stumped, all according to Bob's diabolical plan. So what was it? Hey, what else:

1. Erbaluce di Caluso DOC
Terroir del Nord, 2006
$13
Caluso is a small comune in Piedmont:

It went very nicely with the salumi Bob and Krissy — our hosts for the evening — had provided. As Mich noted, you have to consider a wine's intentions. Sure, no great complexity, no lingering finish, but it's meant to be simple and good-natured with nothing unwelcome. At $13, it fits the bill very nicely. It made us happy.

Apparently the Erbaluce makes some quite nice spumante. Lo credo.

We moved on to the "serious" tasting with a white at the same $13 price point, clearly with more serious intentions:

2. Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi DOC
Conti di Buscareto, 2006
$13
We were all impressed by the richness and interest of this wine, lately leaving its kitschy amphora-bottle days far behind. Pale lemon color, medium intensity (nose & palate), lemony med+ acid with a slightly fuller medium body, 12.5% abv and a nice medium finish. In addition to the nice balance of mineral, pear/apple and underripe peach we found on the nose, we were surprised to get a distinct, welcome whiff of butter. Almond filled out the palate nicely, with a bit of green pepper on the finish and a nice bitterness like sucking on a peach pit, but in a good way. Props to Peter at Pastaworks for recommending this great value.

And props to the designer (speaking disegnatore a disegnatore):

The Verdicchio played well with Krissy's Italianate salad. Now as we headed into the pasta — with a yellow cherry tomato sauce from Anna's garden — we left the bianchi for the rossi.

3. Chianti Classico DOCG
Felsina Berardenga, 2006
$23
Med+ ruby color, going a bit garnet. Med intensity on a youthful nose rich with drunken cherry, blueberry, bramble, and a bit of sweet spice. Confirmed on the medium-intensity palate, which also yielded some nice dust. Med+ acid, med(+) tannin, 13% abv, med body and a slightly shorter med– finish, maybe because of the youth of the wine. In fact, the youth may have been what threw some of us off about what the wine even was. We all agreed that though this good wine is ready to drink now, we'd like to check back with it in a few years. It struck us as having promise.

4. Ramione IGT
Baglio di Pianetto, Sicilia, 2002
$23
Mike, erstwhile owner of onetime Portland wine shop Carpe Vinum, brought this fascinating Sicilian wine from his own cellar. A 50/50 blend of Nero d'Avola and Merlot (is that unusual odd, or just Sicily odd?), it was a bit less deeply colored at med(+) than we might have expected, but nevertheless a big ruby heading to garnet. I was immediately struck by — yes — barnyard action, about which there was some speculation as to whether it was integral to the wine or connected to a possible cork fault. In any case, it was interesting rather than unpleasant.

Our notes on the med-intensity, developing nose encompassed a hurrah's nest of cherry and raspberry, bramble and stalkiness, herbaceousness, pickle brine and a contentious raw asparagus vibe. With med acid, M+ tannin, 13.5% abv, med body, intensity, and med(+) finish, the palate gave us more of the above, especially the berries, plus cedar and green wood, and dust. Kind of like a donkey-ride through a Sicilian covered market. We were surprised by its age, thinking it younger and capable of further aging. All in all, a fascinating trip.

5. Valpolicella Ripasso Classico Superiore DOC
Nicolis Angelo & Figli; San Pietro, Carino; 2003
Seccal vineyard
$26
70% Corvina, 20% Rondinella, 5% Molinara, 5% Croatina

I was hoping we would have something Amaronesque, and was therefore very pleased with Bob's selection. The Ripasso, or repeat fermentation, technique involves giving this wine a second fermentation on the skins of grapes used for real Amarone or Recioti. Think of it as the poor man's Amarone. This one by Nicolis saw 18 months in large Slavonian oak casks and 6 months in bottle before release (plus another few years before we popped it). Kudos to Mike who nailed it as a Ripasso.

The wine is a deep, rubyish garnet, with a med-intense, surprisingly youthful nose of unmistakeable cherry jam spiked with red currant, black pepper, rosemary, and a bit of a mulled quality.

We found the palate off-dry, and everything else firmly medium-plus: acid, tannin, body, intensity, and finish. The label said 13% abv, but we thought it was hotter.

In addition to the scent notes, we encountered a dollop of stewed plum seasoned with thyme and marjoram, and a bit of citrus pith on the finish. My favorite find: pumpernickel. Really. Gets me thinking: could be a great pairing with a reuben. . .

We found it good-to-outstanding and RTDBCA (ready to drink but could age).

A note on the Croatina: Not uncommon as a tiny component of Amarone, this late budder and ripener shares some of the traits of Dolcetto, yielding fruitiness and deep color. Commonly called Bonarda, it makes a significant appearance in Oltrepò Pavese Bonarda DOC and Colline Novaresi Croatina, among others. It is not the same as Bonarda Piemontese or Bonarda Novarese. Additionally, the widely planted Argentine Bonarda is the subject of debate, possibly being no Bonarda at all, but Charbono. Got all that?

Context is half the fun

2008-05-07T11:16:00.000-07:00

Wine and the inconstancies of taste will never be demystified. Thankfully! Eric Asimov stands up for the essentiality of context in this article.

Barn-raising

2008-03-22T23:45:00.000-07:00

Our first tasting event was undertaken specifically as a study aid in the midst of the WSET Advanced Certificate course through the Wine & Spirit Archive. It was — as expected — as much fun as it was edifying.

Anna and I hosted, with a pasta dinner of Anna's confection. People brought wines exemplary of the places and varietals that we had studied so far (all around $20), and we had the table loaded down with scent and flavor referents from licorice to steamed asparagus to currant (both kinds) to gooseberries to fresh-roasted almonds.

We found out that sometimes the pear you get on the nose of a fruity white is totally different from the sliced bartlett on the plate in front of you, but nevertheless everyone agrees that it's some kind of pear. Maybe an under-ripe bosc? And sometimes when you say peach, it's precisely that — peach.

We also found out that spitting is overrated. Anna may have expressed it best when she proposed that one of the later wines was a Pin de Vays. Leo went on to mutter about "barnyard action" in the final St. Emilion, which in this case was meant as high praise.

We did pretty well with our guesses, though Mich stumped us with a very nice $12 Muscadet Sèvre et Maine sur lie.

THE LIST:

1. Muscadet Sèvre et Maine sur lie
Château Les Fromenteaux, Nantais, 2005
$12
We thought it was great. Yeast, brine — break out the huîtres.

2. Viognier
K Vintners, Columbia Valley, 2006
$24 at Zupan's
Mich nailed it immediately, though the rest of us had all kinds of ideas. Anna found green olives on the nose, which we all agreed on.

3. Bourgogne AC blanc
"Les Perrières", Simon Bize & Fils, Savigny-les-Beaune, Côte d'Or, 2004
$23 at Great Wine Buys on Broadway
We loved it. Complex and creamery-buttery to the utmost.

4. Agate Beach Pinot Noir Rosé
Carlton Cellars, Carlton, Oregon, 2006
$18 from Carlton Cellars
We knew Mimi had found caraway in this one, and we concurred. Who knew caraway and strawberries played so well together?

5. Régnié, Cuvée des Braves, Beaujolais Cru
Domaine Joël Rochette, 2005
$18 at Pastaworks
We were everywhere but Beaujolais on this one. Tons of tannin and acid; not so much else; a bit short and non-dimensional.

6. Château Puynormond, Les Vielles Vignes
Montagne St-Emilion, 2003 (90% Merlot, 10% Cab Franc)
$27
No one wanted to spit this one. Rich, complex, dusty and developed, showing licorice we confirmed with actual, live licorice.