The Corkdork - Wine and Food Musing

Tiny Shining Star: Matthiasson Wines: 2005 Napa Valley Red and 2006 Napa Valley White

I got a nice note with an offer to taste the wares of this very special family the other day, and got some 375 ml samples the next day. And what a treat when I opened them up tonight. The name Steve Matthiasson  (pronounced ma-thahy-uh son) may not roll off the tongue easily, but it should ring a few bells - and these wines should make the phones ring. As a viticulturist, he has worked his farming magic on over 30 high end vineyards for top wineries, including R.H. Phillips. With his wife Jill Klein, they own the Napa Fruit Company and this winery whose output is currently at around 240 cases. Mini-micro sensibilities with a careful and hands-off approach makes for some great, complex wines.

2006 Matthiasson Napa Valley White Wine

The first thing that hits your nose is this is no ordinary Napa White. The only thing I've smelled lately that comes even close is the iClivi wines of Fruili. Huge honey, citrus flowers, and faintly mushroomy, this is a blend of Sauvignon blanc, Ribolla gialla and Tokai friulano --not your everyday garden Napa varietals. It is such a beautiful fresh scent and so unusual that you keep coming back to the glass trying to figure out what's in it. Oh, and it tastes absolutely delicious. Highly recommended.

2005 Napa Valley Red Wine

When I first pulled the cork, immense amounts of sediment were on the cork and I knew this was some serious unfiltered juice.  I don't have any information on what is in this, but I'm guessing that it is mostly Merlot, some Cab Franc and Cabernet, perhaps with a dose of Petite Syrah in there. (I'm sure they will correct this!)  The nose is as complex as Fernet Branca - crazy earthiness, menthol, blueberries, --wow. The flavor is quite dark in the mid-palate and finish, and shows this is a very meaty wine, ready to put down for a few more years. The tannins are up-front but a great drink now. Again, highly recommended.

Loire Valley Wine Bureau Sauvignon Blanc Tasting Wrap-up

I was very pleased to get invited to last week's tasting in San Francisco of Sauvignon Blancs, mostly from 2006, organized by the Loire Valley Wine Bureau.  Similar tastings are coming up if you're in the trade in Boston, New York, and Chicago. See their website for more information.

As usual, in the interest of keeping the info-noise to a minimum, I'm just going to call out the ones that I was most impressed with. Really, there wasn't a dog in the bunch, but although the styles of many Sancerres are similar, some did really stand out. I've already bought a few of them since the tasting over at the Wine House.

Sancerre Henri Bourgeois Grand Réserve 2006 - round with a very earthy, dark finish, almost tarry.

Sancerre Daniel Chotard 2006 - this had a surprising bit of orange peel on the nose. At Kermit Lynch

Pouilly Fumé Régis Minet Vielles Vignes 2005 - very light bodied, nicely smokey. Also at Kermit Lynch.

Pouilly Fumé Domaine Eric Louis 2005 - very earthy and full of dense minerality

Pouilly Fumé Domaine des Berthiers Cuvée D'Eve 2005 - made by the father of Loire rebel Didier Dagueneau, Jean Claude Dagueneau and named for his mother, Eve. This is a really fine Fumé, loads of terroir and beautiful ripeness from the old vines grown high up on the slopes. One of my favorites.

Sancerre Domaine Hubert Brochard Unfiltered 2006 - rich and unctuous with explosive minerals. Another favorite.

Pouilly Fumé Domaine Alain Cailbourdin Les Cris 2006 - Named for the pebbles (I think cris is slang or regional French) in the soil, this one had a hint of baked gingersnaps and smoke - very interesting.

Sancerre Domaine Thomas et Fils Ultimus 2006 - all lime soil and 50-70 year old vines, this wine was fussed over and it shows, the body super creamy. Recommended. At the Wine House.

Quincy Jean-Claude Roux 2006 - This was smokier than most of the Quincy, and my favorite.

Pouilly Fumé Claude Michot Les Berthiers 2006 - Very fragrant with stones and flint. Lemony tartness dominates.

Nice Video about the 13 Grapes of Chateauneuf du Pape

Just a quick link to a video sent to me by my friend Fabrice who has the amazing job of sommelier for the Perrin's at Beacuastel.

13 Grapes of Chateauneuf du Pape

Enjoy!

The Sweet In & Out Hendrick's Martini

Tonight, I wanted a nice bone-dry Hendrick's martini and was out of white vermouth! I've known about "perfect" martinis for years --1/2 sweet and 1/2 dry vermouth, but I decided to try a variation of my normal 'in-and-out Martini" by using sweet vermouth to coat the ice instead. It is a really wonderful combination and the cucumber garnish brings out the magic of the cuke infusion of Hendrick's.

Hendrick's Sweet In & Out

Fill a cocktail shaker with as much ice as will fit in your old-fashioned glass. Toss in a big splash of red vermouth (I used Martini and Rossi) and stir vigorously to coat the ice. Dump out the sweet vermouth and add 2-1/2 oz. of Hendrick's Gin. Stir with your bar spoon and pour into an old-fashioned. Garnish with a wedge of cucumber or two. (a word to the wise...if you want to serve this over ice, eat the cucumber pretty quickly as it turns very icy quickly!) Yum!

WBW#43: Comfort Wines: Olson Ogden Syrah 2005

Wine Blogging Wednesday #44 Comfort Wines

This month's theme, thanks to Joel at Wine Life Today, has been surprisingly thought provoking. For the last week, I've been wondering what makes a wine comforting. Is it a wine you want to  sink your nose in after a bad day? Or a wine that sparks with nostalgia? Is it fatty and plump like a mature merlot, or is it to be lean and leggy, like a great Loire white?

Ultimately, I decided that for me, a wine that is pure comfort should be that reliable bottle that you can count on to be consistently great each time you open it. It should be round and complete with the edges artfully sanded off. Certainly, it should be a wine you are always proud to serve. And, of course, it should be just plain delicious.

As I picked though my cellar looking for something to fill the bill, I had two immediate thoughts. My first reaction was to grab a great mature zinfandel. I had a 2000 Tin Barn Jensen Vineyards in my hands. Good zinfandel was the first thing I started to collect, the first wines I bought futures in, and despite my wandering eonophilic eye --tempted by the fruit of other grapes, I still maintain a large supply of excellent zins.

But alas, WBW is a weeknight event and the thought of having leftover Tin Barn made me shudder. So I grabbed something else that fit the bill perfectly. Sonoma County Syrah.

2005 Olson Ogden Syrah, Sonoma

Tim Olson makes a quintessential American Syrah. In this case American is a euphemism for tastefully oaked. Though I do occasionally look downunder for a bit of Shiraz, most of the non-American syrah I drink is French, and the vast majority of the French syrah I drink is made in giant wood or cement foudres and rarely touches oak. The lack of oak, especially Southern Rhônes, yields the angularity I often seek out for the spark of interest, not necessarily pure comfort.

On the nose, there is a bramble character to it, --both the berry and a bit of stem, along with a controlled whiff of toasted vanilla from the 17% new French Oak treatment. The mouth feel is round with just the right balance between fruit and acid, so it avoids flabbiness.   148 cases made. Around $25.00 US.

Find this wine, buy it, drink it, and be comforted by it.

As an aside, I was thrilled to read in their new blog that they have moved their operations back to Sebastapol, near my friend Fred Scherrer's winery.