The Corkdork - Wine and Food Musing

2004 Selene Sauvignon Blanc - Hyde Vineyard

2004 Selene  Sauvignon Bland - Hyde Vineyard

You should know this wine. It's an important showcase for what a nimble hand and great fruit can produce in Napa. When the world's short attention span flips on to think only a turf-laden green Sauvignon Blanc of the Marlborough style is worth drinking, it's a pleasure to find a wine of this stature that keeps the fruitiness in mind and elevates what is all too often a humble grape to a new level. Some of you will complain that this is too much like a Chardonnay, too rich, too unctuous, too much lees...I say, look beyond that and taste the essence of Sauvignon Blanc in the magic between the layers.

Winemaker Mia Klein made her mark first under the wing of one of my favorite winemakers, Cathy Corison when they were at Chappellet. She is now a consulting winemaker at such cult favorites as Della Valle and Bressler . She has been making her own boutique wines since 1991 and her Sauvignon Blanc in particular has become a very sought-after prize. She has chosen to focus on Sauvignon Blanc and Merlot, another abused grape of late. I'll be hunting for some of that next!  I found my bottle in the lovely St. Helena Wine Center downtown  . She is also a blogger and has started chronicling her days at the end of the winemaking cycle --a fun read.

2004 Selene Sauvignon Blanc- Hyde Vineyard

The hue is a golden straw color, with visible body. The nose shows no signs of grass or butter, and reveals more lime than lemon, gooseberry, and tropical overtones.) The flavor is layered and mouth-filling. Infinitely pleasing.

I served it with a pasta dish I made up: Farfalle with baby artichokes and fresh asiago.

Canard Rouge Tire Bouchon (Corkscrew)

Oooh. I was so excited to actually have someone out there, from France no less, contact me for a product announcement! I got a nice note from the producer of these lovely corkscrews and he was hoping for me to put in a kind word. Since I'm not a commercial blogger, I thought it best that I buy one via PayPal and give it a test before putting out the word.

This is a substantial piece of machined metal that feels great in your hand, and has enough heft that it feels like it won't break,  but isn't too heavy in your pocket for that hike in the Italian Alps. As it has no leverage to speak of, it delivers a mega-pop of the cork when you pull it...most satisfying. If you have a gift to buy for an oenophile, check out their website and order one. I think I also spied it at the Ferry Building wine shop...

Wine with Corned Beef and Cabbage

This is the first of a few furious backlogged posts...

Lots of folks have chimed in around St. Patrick's Day about what to serve with the ol' corned beef and cabbage and the overall winner seems to be...beer, or Guiness more specifically. But wait! I read a bunch of blogs and online wine articles before grabbing an old nugget for my cellar which was JUST RIGHT. I went for my last bottle of 1997 St. Francis Old Vine Zinfandel. I remembered it as being a heady zin brew that had just enough sweet fruit to cut through the acid in the Corned Beef and the Reisling-braised Cabbage with bacon that I made. If you don't have old vine goodness, maybe look for a Lodi zin, like the Renwood Grandmere or one from the Calistoga region, like the Collier Falls.

WBW#19: When in Rhone

This month's Wine Blogging Wednesday is brought to you by Winexpression: When in Rhone. As most of my readers know, I had an amazing trip to both Northern and Southern Rhone last year, including a visit to the Chave Cave, home to the master blender of Hermitage, Gerard Chave, one of the world's greatest blenders of Rhone grapes.

I was fortunate last month to taste some old Chaves, a 93 Red Hermitage and an 88 White Hermitage, and both sent my mind flying back to the ancient cellar under M. Chave's house in Tain-Hermitage. Not only is there a deep reflection of the many terroirs that make up a Chave Hermitage, but I swear you also get a taste of the musty cellar

Download old_chave_bottles.JPG famously depicted in Kermit Lynch's books.

For this post, however, I turn back to California and to a wine clearly inspired by the Rhone masters, the 2001 White Coat from Turley. As you can see from the bottle above, it was so delicious, my friends and I got very far into the bottle before I could pause and snap a photo! It's a lucious blend of Rousanne and Viognier, with the bulk of the magic of this wine coming from Rousanne.

In much of the Northern Rhone, (Condrieu the obvious exception,) Viognier is used in a blend to add complexity, depth, ripeness, and a touch of its lovely floral perfume. In California, more times than not, it's on its own, a muscular flower --the tuber rose of wine. Sometimes it's quite fine, but in the wrong hands, it can be oh so dangerous. Not so with this delicious wine. The Viognier adds just the right essence of flowers and peach, while the viscous, fruity Rousanne of San Luis Obispo shines through.

Since you may see this on a wine list in America, probably more often than a Chave White Hermitage, I thought I should draw some attention to the White Coat and urge you jump on it if you get the chance. It may be up to $75 or $80 on a list, but with the right food, could be more intersting than some trophy Chardonnay.