The Corkdork - Wine and Food Musing

Sometimes it's a Good Old Fashioned Wine Bash

I sure spit out a lot of wine every year. I probably taste 1000 wines a year or so, modest compared to a lot of people in the wine trade, and the only way to survive the mega-tasting is to spit. But sometimes you are actually supposed to swallow the stuff with your friends! What happens when you get a whole bunch of guys together that can cook and all collect wine? You end up with an epic bacchanal. A group of us opened a couple of dozen bottles on Saturday night, mostly from the 1990s, mostly Cabernet Sauvignons, and a few older surprises. For food, we started with two excellent fresh flatbreads with sage and onioins, then a pasta dish I made, inspired by this month's Saveur magazine: Tagliatelle with wild mushrooms, cream, and a black truffle the size of a child's fist. Man, that was good. (My good friend's Father smuggled in a kilo of black truffles from france and he was kind enough to donate a goodly chunk for the cause). Then some meltingly tender short ribs braised in veal stock.

Through the twenty emails or so that led up to the event, we settled on mostly Cabs, and a lot of them were from the 1990s and early 2000s. I also donated some intesting whites. As usual, here were the standouts.

The Savory Whites:

 2007 J. Rochioli Chardonnay, South River Vineyards
A great American Chardonnay, in the same league as Kistler and Staglin Family. Beautiful forest-floor and mushroom scents along with lemon peel and jasmine. This is like a full-bodied Meursault and could easily pass for a French Chardonnay with a good oaking. Balanced and lovely. Recommended.

2005 Chateau Haut-Bergey Blanc, Passac-Léognan
A stunning blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon (usually 63%/37%) from the owners of Clos L'Eglise along with superstar consultants Michael Rolland and Jean-Luc Thunevin. At first whiff, you wonder where the cat is, but that dissipates quickly and subtle aromas of lime peel, beeswax, and grapefruit take over. Everyone really loved this wine and were disappointed when I said I bought the last bottle at the Wine House. Recommended.

1995 Chapoutier St. Joseph Blanc
Clearly this was reaching the end of its life for fruitiness, but the compelling aromas of honey, peach pit, and citrus keep my nose in the glass wanting more. The fruit has gone flabby, but this is one to keep sniffing all night. Interesting, but if you have any of this, drink up.

The Reds - in order of preference:

1994 Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa
At first this gave off some crazy gases that were frankly, a bit off-putting. But after a half hour or so in the glass, this turned into the hit of the night. The smell was like walking into a cigar store. Both elegant and powerful with toothy tannins and incredible lushness. Excellent now. Recommended.

2001 Corison Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa
Classic and flawless. This also had considerable tobacco scents, but was still fruit-front-and-center. Round and lush, soft but with great acid balance to give it a nice attack. Flavors lasted on the tongue forever. Delicious and recommended.

1996 Chateau Beychevelle, St. Julien
Very clean, almost to the point of a fault, really. Had some slight green flavors, but overall, delicious. This just drinks like a classic St. Julien with a little age on it. Powerful and extracted, though medium in body.

1996 Mas de Daumas Gassac, Languedoc-Roussillon
I threw this in as a blind-bag tasting and asked only where it was from. I had guesses from Chilean Cab to Napa Cab to Nebbiolo from Italy. The guys shouldn't feel so bad, good sommelier's have had a tough time figuring out that this is from Languedoc-Roussillon. Mas de Daumas Gassac is so earthy, chewy, and heady that few can believe it's from France's equivalent of the Central Valley. This isn't a brilliant year, kind of short-lived, so while this started off with a lot of power and character, as the night wore on, it's aromas didn't hold up to the rest of the Bordeaux and California Cabs. I have had 3 other vintages, most notably the incredible 1983, which I tasted blind from magnum, and I swore it was from Margaux. Seek this wine out, especially in years that the South of France had good seasons. Recommended. 

Many of the others were notable, but those were my favorites.

Announcing Wine Blogging Wednesday #56: Fine Kosher Wine

This month's theme, to be posted on Wednesday, April 15th (the last day of Passover), is Fine Kosher Wine, hosted by yours truly, The Corkdork.

Much of the reason for creating Wine Blogging Wednesday, now nearly 56 months ago, was to push us out of our comfort zones and to learn something new about the infinite subject of wine.  This month's theme is no exception. It was inspired by a tasting I attended a few weeks ago where I was poured an excellent Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa that I was later informed was Kosher. I was aware that there were some quality wines out there that were labeled Kosher, but I had no idea what that really meant. I was shocked and amazed. The wine was the 2006 Covenant, by winemaker Jeff Morgan. It inspired me to contact Lenn and Tim and suggest this theme, which they fast-tracked (Thanks, guys!) to hit the holiday. I have since been fascinated by a world of Kosher wine out there that I had no idea existed --Fine Kosher Wine.

It also inspired me to arrange a vertical tasting with Jeff Morgan for Alder of Vinography.com and myself at the SF Wine Center yesterday. We got a chance to taste some of the most high-end Kosher wines on the market and get a really deep dive into the challenges and responsibilities of a someone making Kosher wine, which I'll be writing up for my formal post. I urge those of you close to a Kosher winery to visit and you'll be very surprised about what it really takes. Jeff's site has tons of great information on it as well to get you started on what makes wine Kosher.

I doubt there are any other categories of wine that are more stigmatized than the Kosher Wine category. Most of us, gentiles like me or most Jewish wine enthusiasts alike, have a lot of negative reactions to the very concept. Most of that has to do with the supermarket Concord grape wines that we're all familiar with (Jancis Robinson calls these sweet wines with foxy flavors). I won't go into the technical details of what makes those wines Mevushal and why most of the finer Kosher wines are Non-Mevushal here. I'll leave that for you to explore.

I realize this one is more challenging an assignment for some in rural areas, but there are some excellent on-line resources for Kosher wine. A quick bit of Googling and you'll find many specialty wine merchants that can send you some.

So find something reputed to be Fine Kosher Wine, taste it, blog about it, then send me a link to your blog posting by Wednesday, April 15th, 2009. You can email me the links to: thecorkdork (at sign) gmail.com.

Another Superb Pinot from Vergari: Van der Kamp 2005

I discovered the lovely wines of David Vergari at Quince a couple years ago and a few months ago noticed that the Vergari Van der Kamp Pinot Noir 2005 was recognized as one of the top 100 wines this year from Wine & Spirits, so I got a few to put down and one to open up before they all fly away! This has since been sold out at the winery, but there are still some 2004s available. I'm sure you can find some of the 2005s on exceptional wine lists and crafty wine stores though.

Vergari Van der Kamp Pinot Noir 2005

This is an exceptional Pinot Noir that is clearly a result of extremely careful winemaking. The grapes were sorted twice to catch any rot or botrytis which can lead to off flavors, a slow and painstaking process. The oaking was done with equal portions of new, once-filled, and neutral French barrels. One third was whole cluster.

When David wrote his orginal tasting notes, he thought the wine was tightly wound, and at this point I believe he would describe it as blooming nicely. The aromas pop out of the glass of strawberry-rhubarb pie, ripe cherries, and a tangible earthiness. In the mouth, it shows great vitality and terrific mountain flavors that compliment the heady aroma --full of cherry. There is an incredible spicyness to it that will make this a great food wine for the next several years. Perfectly balanced acid and fruit. Highly recommended.

Move over Pinot Grigio, try some Silvaner from Alto Adige Instead!

Last night I had a thrilling wine, and it was less than $19. If you are unfamiliar with the wines of Alto Adige, especially the stunning whites, you're in for a treat. Südtiroler is the name the largely German-speaking part of Alpine Italy call themselves and it's from this area that borders Austria that some great cold-clime whites are from. You should be able to find Müller-Thurgau, Gewürtztraminer, Pinot Bianco, Sauvignon Blanc, and in the Bolzano area, Silvaner.

 "Südtiroler Silvaner"  Cantina Convento Muri-Gries 2007, Alto Adige, Italy

This is everything you want in a non-Chardonnay. It's got huge minerality, wrapped in a big, round wrapper of fruit. On the nose, it blooms with wild mountain herbs and flowers. In the mouth, this is lush and mouth-filling with great acid balance to make it food friendly. I served this with the superb Swordfish recipe in Jamie Oliver's Italy cookbook and the match was memorable. Highly recommended.

Tasting with the Pros

I had dinner at my dear friends' house the other night in honor of their special guests, Mary Ewing-Mulligan and Ed McCarthy, best-selling authors of the Wine for Dummies series. I had met Ed several years ago when we went to the opening of the Nickel and Nickel winery next door to Opus One (crazy lavish party), but never had the pleasure of meeting Mary before. I figured they would be tasting all day and would want something lush and comforting, so I brought a bottle of the 2004 Turley White Coat, a blend of Marsanne and Rousanne that is thick, viscous, oily and aromatic. There are hints of field herbs and lavender in the nose. It's a lovely wine, but packs a bit of an alcohol punch like most Turleys.

Turns out they were inundated with samples, many of them opened already, so we naturally turned the dinner party into a serious tasting event. We had about 15 things open by the end of the night. Turns out that the pros can taste all day and taste all night! This was the first time I've ever really had dinner with other wine note-takers with laptops on the table, glassware everywhere, and relentless wine-talk. My kinda night.

We had one sparkler, another white, and a bevy of reds, then an unusual dessert wine I brought. Here were my favorites:

2007 Williams Selyem Chardonnay Heitz Vineyard Russian River
I remarked on how drinkable this was for such a young wine. There is a palpable minerality, a bit of butter, and enough acid to cut through the richness and oak. Wonderful finish. This, like the Turley above, is a white wine for red wine drinkers. It gets more massive in the glass over time and has 14.7% alcohol, so it has a little heat on the palate. Delicous and recommended.

NV Jeriko Brut Rosé
Extremely dry with good mouse and sprightly fizz. Lots of strawberry scents. 100% Pinot Noir. Nicely done from this small Mendocino producer. A tad expensive though.

2007 Williams Selyem Pinot Noir Russian River
This was my favorite wine of the night, and I got to take the leftovers home, so I had it again last night and still loved it. Very bright cherry fruits with a beautiful earthiness to it. I have to admit that I've never had a WS Pinot so young before. I've always hoarded mine for a couple of years at least, so this was a pleasure drinking young. The flavors are not yet quite integrated completely, so a few years in the bottle will improve it. Recommended.

2006 Williams Selyem Peay Vineyards Pinot Noir
I'm a big fan of Peay fruit but I was surprised how much I preferred the Russian River bottle. This has nice deep cola notes, a lot for mushroomy terroir, and is quite a bit softer.

2007 Williams Selyem Zinfandel Bacigalupi Vineyard
This has huge blackberry, rasperry bramble notes on the nose and is a lovely zin. Recommended.

2004 Adelaida Nebbiolo
Well, this has some classic Nebbiolo on the nose, but it's distinctly Californian. It's a mouth filling wine with the tight tannins you would expect from this grape. Earthy and unusual. This would be great with a long cooked stew. Recommended

2004 Pian dei Sogni Forteto della Luja Brachetto
Brachetto is a red dessert wine from Piedmont and this particular one was very interesting but had quite a bit of grassy, barnyard aromas on it.

Otima's Older Brother released: Introducing Warre's Otima 20-year old Tawny Port

When I wrote about the Otima 10 year old tawny port back in 2005 it was starting to take off and has now become wildly successful. Warre's hit a home run with this for many reasons. The size at 500 ml is less intimidating that a 750 ml bottle of Tawny, the clear glass to show off the inviting color, and the wine itself --a delicious, youthful expression of caramel and burnt sugar, with a proper backbone of acidity.

So instead of somehow capitalizing on the 10-year's success by releasing some dumbed-down, younger blend at a bargain price, Warre's put out an even finer port, the Otima 20. It has the same form factor, with the same pretty bottle design, this time tinted with blue, but inside is much more of an expression of what Warre's tries to do with 20-year old blends. Traditionally, 20-year old Tawnys are drier and have more fruitcake-type aromas than the youthful brightness that typify 10-year blends. I have tasted a lot of Tawnys that are 10, 20, 30, and 40-years old and the 20-years always have a sweet spot where the fruit flavors are still vibrant but it's just showing some nice maturity.

The Otima 20 has a stunning color, a clean and still-fruity flavor and it's wrapped in aromas of dried raisins, prunes, caramel, orange peel and even a hint of grassiness on the nose. It smells like a freshly baked panforte or toasted brioche. Recommended. Around US$45. 

Full disclosure: this was a press sample.

Rutherford Ranch Reserve Cabernet 2005

This is just a quick post about the newly released Rutherford Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 2005 that came across my tasting table recently. While Rutherford Ranch puts out quite a bit of wine in the non-reserve category, they have recently released a reserve Cabernet of only 2000 6-bottle cases. Winemaker Steven Rued put aside about 40 barrels of his best juice from 2005 for this bottling and it is really very delicious. It is to enjoy now or in the next few years, in my opinion, and has a lot going for it. If you're looking for something with  textbook Cabernet aromas of  mint, eucalyptus, spice, and black fruits but with soft, approachable tannins this is a good choice. Give it an hour or so now to unravel for best enjoyment.

Open That Bottle Night (OTBN) #10: La Cuvée de la Commanderie du Bontemps 1978

Open That Bottle Night was started ten years ago by Dorthy  J. Gaiter and John Brecher, wine columnists for the Wall Street Journal to encourage those of us who are hoarding bottles to open them up! I participated last year for the first time and got a reminder from Dottie and John to do it again this year. There was a live twitter tasting that I couldn't participate in, but I hope that went well.

What I found, digging through my cellar was a wine that certainly was never going to get any better and frankly, I had no idea why I was holding on to it except for the fact it came from my Dad's cellar, now shared with my brother and me.

I had a hard time researching this one, as there is very little about it on the internet, but my rooting through wine books began to unravel both the origins of the wine and why my father came to buy it in the first place.

In France, there are lots of commanderie or "confréries" (brotherhoods) for food and wine. The Commanderie du Bontemps du Médoc et des Graves was founded in 1949 by Henri Martin, a winemaker and entrepreneur who was also known as the mayor of Saint-Julien-Beychevelle in Médoc for over forty years. The Commanderie is lot like a chamber of commerce in the U.S., promoting the culture and wines of the Médoc and Graves.  Henri Martin was a staunch critic of the 1855 classification because he felt many of the wines in his area, including his own, should have been classified much higher in today's world.

I assume the connection to my father is with M. Martin's chief property, Chateau Gloria, which was always one of my Dad's favorites. Other prominent figures like Jean-Michel Cazes from Lynch Bages, are also associated with the Commanderie de Bontemps.  It's only conjecture, but I assume this is a coopertive blend from some of these houses in the Médoc. Please comment if you know any more about these wines. 

La Cuvée de la Commanderie du Bontemps 1978
I fully expected this to be brown and dead, but the cap was incredibly heavy and tight and the cork was very much intact --just browning on the edges, a very good sign. The shoulder was also very high in the bottle, however, since I thought this was probably a somewhat ordinary wine, I had low expectations. There is still some good fruit to this wine, though it is clearly past its prime. What it has is that Old World charm of an ancient bottle - earthy and surprising. The most striking thing is the spicyness of this wine, along with the aromas of cassis, green pepper, and bramble. Don't expect a perfect balance between acid and fruit on a wine like this after 31 years, but the fact that any fruit flavors and aromas still exist after all this time is a wonderful surprise. I you have any of this, do as Dottie and John suggest --drink up!