The Corkdork - Wine and Food Musing

House Wine

Once people hear that I write about wine, the first question I hear is always "what's your house wine". And until about a year ago, I would have said that I really don't have one. I don't always have cases of a single wine at the house that I would consider my house wine, but it has recently occurred to me that I have a couple white wines that I seem to always have around and because I seem to love them every year, they are the very definition of a house wine --dependable.

Those two whites coincidentally are made within feet of each other. The first is the Au Bon Climat Santa Barbara Chardonnay. Right now we're drinking the 2007, but we had easily a case of the 2006 last year. It's not cheap, but you can find it for around $17 a bottle at BevMo or other pretty big wine stores. Since I've gotten to know Jim Clendenon a bit over the last couple of years, I trust his unbelievable palate and am happy to throw my chardonnay allowance at him.

The other white is not made by Jim, but by Bob Lindquist at Qupé. The Qupé Bien Nacido "Y" block Chardonnay is a bit heavier on the wood, but still offers the fresh Santa Barbara County fruit that I really enjoy. It's a tad more expensive, usually a bit over $20. I tend to pull this out when we have something a little richer, or something cries out for something more full-bodied.

Reds? Every day I get to taste red wine is a special day, so I try to have something delicious and unusual on hand, but rarely the same bottle twice within 6 months or so...During the winter months, when my wine cellar gets pretty cold, I tend to pull something out in the morning when I go to work so it's at room temp when I come home. Right now, I have sitting out the 2003 Cotes du Rhone from Roger Perrin - a big juicy, earthy Rhone that I haven't had for a year or so.

Barack Celebration Wine: Champagne Marguet Réserve Grand Cru

As everyone knows now, we in America have a new President and those of us who cheered Barack Obama on through the campaign are rejoicing. Despite being a weekday with work coming too early tomorrow, we had to open one of the best Champagnes I had on hand, the lovely Grand Cru Réserve from Marguet. I wanted a wine that tasted like history, with Old World charm and sophistication, because part of Barack's wonder is his ability to evoke both the wisdom of our forefathers as well as relish in the spark of youth. 

This is just such a wine, falling into the nutty-chocolate category that a lot of Champagnes that are Pinot/Chardonnay blends fall into. It evokes the memory of many of the Moët wines with newly embraced careful tending of the earth that gives a sense of place: terroir. Full of toasty goodness, tt's both fresh and earthy --ultimately celebratory. 

So I hope you raised a good glass to the day. This one is highly recommended and available at K&L in San Francisco.

Yes! I Take Tasting Requests. 2007 Teliani Valley Saperavi: Georgia

This post is for Pez, who responded to my review of the tasty Debit from Croatia asking if I could try the wine from Georgia that is currently at Paul Marcus Wines. Conveniently, traffic stopped tonight right by the Claremont exit on 24 and I popped off to Market Hall and straight to Paul Marcus and asked to see their finest post-Soviet red. It took a bit of searching around the bins, but eventually we found this:

2007 Teliani Valley Saperavi, Georgia
This red is from the Kakheti region of the ex-Soviet state of Eastern Georgia. For those who keep track of unusual varietals, Saperavi is the grape and it's quite common to the region, especially as a blending grape (According to Jancis Robinson's Guide to Wine Grapes). You'll find this in Russia, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Moldova, Kazakhstan, etc. and the acidity varies depending on how much of the Russian sun the grapes see and how much of the Siberian winds blow across them.

The first whiff suggests a tart Beaujolais, then yields to aromas of light mountain herbs, licorice, orange peel, and burnt rasperry (like on the top of a nicely charred tart). It is a tad puckery but doesn't have enough to call it grippy. This would be nice in the summer with a nice grilled lamb. Not a stand-out wine, but it's certainly interesting. Thanks a ton to Pez for asking for me to taste and comment.

ZAP Is Coming Up! Time to Open a Great Zin: Radio-Coteau von Weidlich Russian River Zinfandel 2006

What better to celebrate the coming of ZAP, the annual Zinfandel orgy at Fort Mason, than to pop a bottle that typifies what makes Zinfandel so special. The Von Weidlich Vineyards may be familiar to you from the Ottimino wines, but Robert Von Weidlich also sells some fruit to Eric Sussman of the hidden treasure, Radio-Coteau (translated "word-of-mouth"). Sussman is known for his exceptional Pinot Noir, but the combination of his skills and the excellent Russian River fruit that was first planted in 1937 (both organic and dry-farmed) is magical.

When I first put my nose in the glass, I thought I was smelling one of the fine Turley Zins; the first hit is rich blackberry bramble and cloves -like a sublime blackberry crisp. The body is full and round --very concentrated. The mouth feel is lucious and silky, with the tannins in perfect balance with wood. This is a rare treat and highly recommended for those who love the big Zin.

Tickets for the 18th Annual Zinfandel Advocates & Producers Festival are now available through the website and on the phone (530/274-4900). The Festival takes place January 28-31, 2009 in San Francisco at Fort Mason. See you there and look for my report soon after Feb 1, 2009.

4Bears Wines: Not your average Critter Wine

I get quite a bit of bargain wines as samples, and most of it never gets a mention, I admit. I got some samples from  Sean Minor Wines and as it's marketed as a family operation, I wanted to make sure I gave them a try. The name is 4Bears, representing Sean and his wife Nicole's four children, though the wines are also going to be marketed with the Sean Minor Wines packaging in the future. Not a picture of a bear anywhere on the labels, though!  The two that piqued my interest were the 2006 4Bears Sonoma Sauvignon Blanc and the 2006 Sean Minor Napa Cabernet Sauvignon.

The 2006 4Bears Sonoma Sauvignon Blanc has classic grapefruit and lime peel notes in the nose and a long citrus-tinged finish. It's a pretty simple quaff, but has a pretty full mouth feel and a nicely balanced level of neutral oak. The balance of the oak and the way that sits back in the mix makes it a standout from the usual fare in a $14.00 bottle of SB.

I like the  2006 Sean Minor Wines 4Bears Napa Cabernet Sauvignon for different reasons. While the nose is that of a very ripe Cab with perhaps overly-juicy overtones, the wine has been balanced with some good tannins and a not-too heavy hand with the oak. It is very tough to find a $17.00 Cab that is good for much more than weekday burger fare and this one you'll find yourself drinking throughout the evening with enjoyment. Simple but tasty fare.