The Corkdork - Wine and Food Musing

Archery Summit Premier Cuvee Oregon Pinot Noir 1996

I get it now. Oregon Pinot is capable of greatness. This is a first class Pinot and has aged like a good Burgundy.

Archery Summit Pinot Noir Premier Cuvee Oregon 1996

Earthy, mushroom-humus scents and the heavenly  leftovers of the toasted oak from 11 years ago remain in the glass. This is one of those wines where you wonder how the winemakers knew the right mix of old and new oak, and how long to keep the wine in it before bottling.

And this was only the 2nd year of the winery's existence. Find it, buy it, and drink up.

I served this beauty with mustard-coasted salmon with French green lentils and roasted garlic jus from a Balthazar recipe which was a perfect pairing. I also made something from the new Tyler Florence's Tyler's Ultimate book –herbed goat cheese in little toasted baguette cups made in a muffin tin --very nice . I know, you want to hate him, but he has both a palate and restaurant savvy and experience which makes him quite a fine chef (just ignore his on-screen persona and try his dishes).

Martin & Weyrich Nebbiolo 2001 Paso Robles

I know I'm always the bombast for authenticity, but once in a while, I pick up some calculated-risk-wine, at the local Safeway when I'm traveling to another part of California. This bottle was around $15 or so in the Paso Robles or Cambria Safeway the last time I was down there tasting. The only other California Nebbiolo in my cellar is from Benjamin Silver, which I have yet to try, from down in Santa Barbara County. If an excellent winemaker like Benjamin can make Nebbiolo in a hot region, why can't someone do it in Paso? Martin & Weyrich has 17 acres of Nebbiolo in production and another 27 getting ready to go, so they must think they are on to something. Gusty.

Anyway, I still had my doubts.

Martin & Weyrich Nebbiolo 2001 Paso Robles

No, it's no Barolo or Barbaresco, but it's clearly Nebbiolo. It has a nose of cocoa powder and spice, and that cellar dankness that the Italian interpretations have. But, it's after all, from California, so it's got a lot more new fruit to it. Light in body, it still has the subtle brown hue that is indicative of Nebbiolo. Chewy on the palate and full of dried red fruit flavors, this has an enjoyable, long finish. Overall, a pretty good find!

Would I buy it again for $15? You bet. Would I if they jack the price up to $25? Probably not.

Graeser Coeur de Leon 2002

When I got this email from Richard Graeser, I started doing the math and turns out that even with shipping and tax, this Diamond Mt. blend oddity is less than $20 a bottle, so I figured I would give it a shot. 2 days later, I had a box of the stuff on my desk. How could I go wrong?

Richard Graeser is not afraid to do things a little differently, and this bottle and offer certainly proves the point. It's a backwards Bordeaux blend, with 50% Cab Franc, 15% Cab, and 30% Merlot. As expected, the dominant aromas and flavors are Cab Franc-ish, which I enjoy for a change.

On first sniff, I thought it reminded me more of the Cab Franc from Pride up on nearby Spring Mt. Road.
Floral blueberry nose and dark blackberries on the tongue, the wine gets a nice lift from the Cab and Merlot which pulls the blend out of the Cab Franc dank depths. Plenty of acid on this one, maybe even a little tartness.

Well worth $20 and I'll be anxious to try it in a few years. It's unusual, for sure, but Richard's other blends usually are better than you would expect by the percentages of each grape. Maybe if you act fast, you can still get a bottle, and another one for a dime. 

Wine with Corned Beef: 2nd Annual Pairing

After getting lots and lots of Google hits from last year's Wine with Corned Beef post, I thought I would see what others are saying about it. My  Google search turned up something that caught my eye: L. PIERCE CARSON of the Napa Valley Register quoted Scott Lewis, an Irish wine merchant in Yountville,  that Charbono was "the wine for Corned Beef and Cabbage".

So of course, I pulled out a bottle of Charbono. Granted, it's not a Napa Charbono, but give me a little credit! At least I had some good Mendocino Charbono in the coffers from my visit to Pacific Star. Scott attested that it was the high tannins in Charbono that was a good foil for the salty-fatty-goodness of the meat, so I had to try it this year.

We started off the St. P's Feast with some Black & Tans, made sheepishly with English beer (Fuller's London Pride) and Guiness. That was for my smoked salmon appetizer with home made onion pickles, cold steamed fingerlings, and dilled créme fraiche.

Next with my pal D's Corned Beef with Champ (mash with scallions) and home made brown soda bread, we opened the 2000 Charbono. This was not the tannic beast that I think our friend Scott was talking about, but rather a well balanced fruity wine with lots of blue fruit components. It was nice with the beef, but I think I'll reach for another vintage zinfandel next year...or will I?

Read on for info from this sold out wine from the Pacific Star website. I bought this at the winery  in 2002 upon release.

Announcement: Wine Enthusiast's Toast of the Town tasting 2007

Wine Enthusiast Magazine is hosting a music, wine, and restaurant event on Thursday, March 29, 2007 at the War Memorial Opera House in San Francisco. This tasting event benefits America's Second Harvest and tickets are available at Wine Enthusiast  or by phone: 800-847-5949. Sure to be a good time with local live jazz, and food from 30 top SF restaurants. Read on for the list of participating wineries, and hope to see you there!

Rosenblum Rousanne 2005

After hanging out and tasting with Kent Rosenblum at ZAP this year, I think I have begun to understand what makes him tick. He wants to get every last nuance from everything he touches. Yes, maybe that equates "over-extracted" for some wines, but what he is looking for is the most a grape can give. It was this I had in mind when I picked up this wine at BevMo. I see Rousanne, which I love, I see Kent's name, and I see Santa Barbara, which I know is the home of many good Rhone tweakers.

Yes, I too try to find wines at BevMo. Just like you, I walk aisle after aisle shaking my head --"wine, wine, everywhere but not a drop to drink". It's not that Wilfred Wong isn't a credible taster and buyer, but he's stuck in Cost Plus-land, where if he can't put at least a case or 2 in every one of his stores, it's simply not worth his while. It's a rare day when I find something that jumps off the shelf  at me like this one.

OK - I was right. This is just what I expected. Ultra-ripe and super-extracted, reflective of the hot sun it was exposed to, unctuous and viscous, with bright tropical and stone-fruit scents. It's white Hermitage gone wild, shirt-off, flashing it all to the world.

I served it with a little boneless chicken breasts in tarragon cream and it cut through the sauce and was a really nice foil. Recommended.