A Paring Revelation!

I came home one night last week after work in a terrible mood, and when the (very non-wino) bf called on his way home I asked him to pick up a bottle of the Chiarlo Barbera that I love from wine shop near his gym (review here).  They didn't have the Chiarlo, but the fantastic lady at the store recommended the Crivelli Colina La Mora 2007 Barbera D'Asti. 

Trying to cheer me up further, he asked her for a chocolate recommendation as well, since the shop (Unwined, in Alexandria) keeps quite a bit on hand.  She told him to purchase La Tavoletta Amedi (Tuscany) Ciocollatio Fondenta Extra 63% (which translates to "The Tablet Extra Dark Chocolate 63%" according to Google) as the pairing.

I won't lie, when he came home with a Barbera and Chocolate I thought that he had been suckered into spending more money at the store.  Oh, how quickly I was humbled and proven wrong!

Let's go through the wine first -- the color was beautiful!  Much darker than many of the Barberas that I've seen it was a blackberry juice purple with just a hint of brick on the rim.  The nose at first had a little too much alcohol, but once that cleared out and the wine opened up a little there was a little bit of a smokey, tobacco-ey smell (which I found a little odd because there's none of that on the palate).  I also got a slight oiley, "petrol" smell as well, with fruit (raspberry, mostly) as the background.  Not the greatest nose on a wine I've ever had, but certainly not unpleasant -- who knows, maybe I should have decanted it!

The mouthfeel was exactly what a Barbera should be.  Tannic enough that it makes you want more, but not so tannic that it's unpleasant.  It has a nice, crisp finish -- it lasts long enough in your mouth to be satisfying, but doesn't linger longer than you'd want it to.

On to the actual taste of the wine:  It was a bit heavier than other Barbera D'Asti's I have tried, and a little bit sweeter as well (although still a dry wine).  I definitely got the taste of stone fruits on the palate -- cherry and plum, mostly with a touch of sweetness that reminded me of a perfectly ripe raspberry.   The wine actually reminded me a little bit of a Shiraz.  Very delicious, however -- it was light enough to drink by itself, but heavy enough to stand up to some pretty hearty food. 

This is a wine that would pair well with Italian dishes with heavy meat components -- such as the "Meatatarian" Baked Ziti  my boyfriend ordered for dinner!

But the part you're all waiting for, the chocolate pairing!  The chocolate is thick and rich, you can barely break a piece off of the bar.  It's great by itself, but the two really enhanced each other!  I was totally surprised because Barbera D'Asti's are really not wines I would ever consider pairing with chocolate -- but clearly I'm wrong!  Chalk another victory up to a great wine store!

Overall Recommendation:  I think the Chiarlo will still be my go-to Barbera, but this is one worth trying for the novelty of the paring alone!

Decanting with a Pint Glass

As a continuation on my "Century Club" wine venture, I decided to give Fabbioli Cellars Chambourcin a try.  I had yet to find a Fabbioli wine that I can complain about, and the Chambourcin keeps that streak going.

The Chambourcin grape is a bit of mystery -- it is a French-American Hybrid that's parentage may involve as many as eight American Vitis species. Chambourcin was very popular in the 1970s, especially in the French regions of Bordeaux and the Loire Valley.  Today there are guidelines throughout Europe that often prohibit the blending of hybrid wines with that of traditional varieties, and therefore Chambourcin has been kept from being much more than a table wine in France.

Now, before I get going on the wine itself, I need to talk about decanting for a moment.  Some people swear that it makes all wines better, I know friends who have bought every contraption under the sun to "aerate" their wines, but honestly if you're not aging wines it really doesn't make that big of a difference very often.  To the point that, despite the wino I am, I do not own a decanter.  So when I speak of "decanting" this wine, I (literally) poured it back and forth between my wine glass and a pint glass several times.  Hey, all decanting is supposed to do is aerate the wine -- and pouring it back and forth in a pint glass has the same effect as a fancy decanter.  Krystyn 1, Fancy Decanters 0. 

The color of this wine is quite noteworthy -- it is a deep, inky purple, similar to that of a Shiraz and Malbec. 

Now, to the good stuff -- this wine is honestly the first wine I have ever had that I *really* thought benefited from decanting!  The wine was borderline unpleasant when I first poured a glass, a deep leathery smell predominated when I first poured, with a light backdrop of fruit.  After decanting, the unpleasant smell disappeared and a very pleasant dark cherry smell took priority.

The mouthfeel was dry, slightly tannic, but it was just below the point where you need food with it.  The wine itself tasted of black cherry and had a hint of smokiness and spice to it.  The fruit was much more prominent after decanting, and the wine was much more drinkable.  Once decanted, the wine actually reminded me of a cross between a Shiraz and a Merlot -- but in a good way. 

This is a wine that I thought would be great with hamburgers or lightly seasoned BBQ on the grill. 

Honestly, the wine was nothing that knocked my socks off but it was definitely a pleasantly drinkable local Red.  Fabbioli yet again makes a wine that I can't find fault with!

Overall Recommendation:  A technically excellent wine worth trying, although a little to heavy to be a staple in my personal rotation. 

Sauvignon Blanc, All Grown Up

I tried a Sancerre for the first time a few months ago (pre-blogging adventure), and immediately fell in love. The Sancerre region of France produces some of the best Sauvignon Blancs in the world, in a style that in my opinion is best referred to as haunting. A good Sancerre is a wine you simply can't get out of your head.


I may not be able to get the wine out of my head, but unfortunately it is usually a little out of my bottle-for-dinner price range (generally starting at $20 per bottle). However, when my younger sister offered to buy me a bottle for one of my birthday presents recently, I jumped at the offer and recieved a bottle of Domaine Jean-Paul Ballard 2008 Sancerre.


Sancerre is a French Appellation for wine grown in the Sancerre Region of the Eastern part of the Loire Valley. The region is famous for its white wines (such as this one) made with the Sauvignon Blanc grape, although some Pinot Noir is grown there. Any bottle you find with the words "Appellation Sancerre Contrôlée" by French law MUST be made with either Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Noir grapes. Wine made from other grapes, even if grown in the area, is legally not allowed to be called a Sancerre.


As Eric Asimov explains in an April 2009 New York Times article, "In contrast to sauvignon blancs from elsewhere, and particularly from New Zealand, good Sancerres are characteristically restrained rather than exuberant, perfumed with citrus and chalk rather than bold fruit. . . .They also have a texture and depth to them that belies the widespread notion that sauvignon blanc can produce only simple wines."


Although it wasn't the best Sancerre I have tasted, this wine was still quite good. It definitely had that crisp, strong Sauvignon Blanc base, but with many subtle layers on top of that. It is one of those white wines that you get a little something different in every sip -- this is absolutely not a one-note wine! It had excellent floral notes, with a hit of some fruitiness that was pleasant but not overpowering. It had an excellent acidity and crispness, which made it stand up to appetizers quite well.


To give you an idea of how well this wine goes over, I hosted a Thanksgiving dinner for friends last night with this as the "starter" wine of the evening -- and thank goodness I poured myself a glass before the full crowd came, because even in a crowd of people who usually drink heavy reds the bottle was finished almost instantaneously!


Overall Recommendation: A sophisticated, elegant white that is sure to impress even the pickiest palate. If you've never tried a Sancerre, pick up a bottle and you won't be disappointed!

South African Surprise

It's been a while, I know -- but hopefully the unusualness (yes, I know that's not a real word) of the wine for this entry will make it worthwhile. 

My friend took me to the DC wine bar Vinoteca earlier this week to celebrate my birthday.  Since I'm on this new kick to try and reach 100 varietals tasted thanks to The Wine Century Club, I went for a wine and grape I had never heard of -- Cederberg Winery's 2008 Bukettraube, from Cederberg South Africa.

Although the grape may have German or Alsatian origins, today it is grown mostly (although still infrequently) in South Africa.  Little did I know at the time, but apparently it's a treat to find a Bukettraube outside of South Africa since they don't generally have a shelf life of more than a year and thus aren't shipped widely.  (It is, apparently a staple at Vinoteca for those of you in the DC area.)

The wine was interesting, for sure.  It had the grassy smell of a Sauvignon Blanc at first blush, although that dissipated slightly as the wine warmed up a little.  The color was a light straw yellow -- kind of like a light Chardonnay.  The wine had a very smooth, silky feel in my mouth.  However, I was surprised by the taste, as it was much more akin to a Riesling or Muscat than a Sauvignon Blanc.  It was semi-sweet, tasting of honey, peaches and apricots, with a pleasingly long finish.

The sweetness definitely came out more as the wine warmed up, and my friend and I both agreed it wa a wine best served nice and chilled.  I didn't love it enough order another glass (come on, now, there are more varietals out there to conquer!), but was definitely glad I tried it.

Overall Recommendation:  Worth trying it just to say you've tried it, if you can find a bottle and you like Riesling!

The Little Black Dress of Red Wine

I've tried very hard in this blog to stay away from really ridiculous descriptors of the wines I'm writing about.  However, the 2006 Fox Meadow Winery Cabernet Franc has forced me to go into that territory.  I'll admit, I'm smitten with this wine.  Ok, ok, maybe a little obsessed.

The best comparison I can come up with is that it is the perfect little black dress of red wine (bare with me here, and no, I have no idea what the male equivalent is).  It's a twist on a timeless classic -- sophisticated without being too complicated, a little bit spicy, and a whole lot sexy.

Ok, now that I've gotten that out of my system, I can give you real tasting notes. The color of this wine is spectacular -- a beautiful clear, garnet red.  When you smell it you get notes of spice, pepper and cherries, with a hint of graphite (yes, school pencil lead -- a very common smell descriptor for Cab Franc). 

It has an incredibly silky texture with wonderfully smooth and light tannins, and just enough heat and spice to balance it out.  The taste is surprisingly light for a Cab Franc -- which is what makes it such a unique wine.  I tasted hints of tart cherries, raspberries, with a background hint of pepper. 


The wine is light enough to drink by itself, but also heavy enough to stand up to a simple steak (too much seasoning/spice would actually overpower it).  I can't really imagine it clashing with many dishes, but I think it would probably be ideal with a nice pork dish.  

The only negative thing I can think to say about this wine is that to my knowledge it's not in retail stores.  You have to order it directly from Fox Meadow -- or go to the winery and visit them.  I highly recommend a visit if you're in the Washington DC/Northern Virginia area!  The tasting room is beautiful, and they have a really fun tasting with small pieces of cheese and other goodies to taste with the wine (including a rice krispy treat!)

Overall Recommendation:  A classic red wine to have in your house!  Call the winery right now and order a case...as long as you don't call until after I do!

An Amazing Cellar Starter!

The reason that most of the red wines you see in the store are at least a year old is that almost all wines take at least a year to get from vineyard to bottle -- the one notorious exception to that is Beaujolais Noveau, which I'm sure will get it's own special post soon.  Towards the end of a calendar year, you may get a few whites from that year (whites generally age for a shorter time than reds), but I've personally never seen a same year red in the stores before. 

I sent a poll around to the winos on Twitter (thanks for all the responses, guys!) and although apparently reds from the Southern Hemisphere are released in the same year, the general consensus is that it's pretty unusual.  This is why I was thoroughly perplexed when my friend pulled out a bottle of 2009 San Telmo Esencia Malbec from Chile that was recommended by her local wine shop as a "different" Malbec.  It was more like a Cabernet Sauvignon than a typical Malbec, and was really interesting.

The color was the standard deep, inky Malbec reddish purple.  When we first opened it pretty much the only thing that you could smell was vanilla -- the smell was almost candy-like.  At first you really couldn't even smell fruit, which is unusual for a Malbec.  Once the wine opened up a little, you could smell some fruit and a hint of sone/minerality.  The presence of oak was pretty strong on both the nose and the palate, which would usually drive me insane, but because the wine was SO young it actually kept the wine well balanced in some weird way.  In addition to vanilla and oak, the wine had deep, dark fruit taste too it (think black cherries and really ripe plums) and a hint of smoke.  Most Malbecs have a long finish, but the San Telmo finish was incredibly long -- lasting for minutes.

We drank the wine alone, but it would have been even better with food.  As with so many Malbecs, it would pair incredibly well with a big grilled steak or stack of ribs.

For the life of me, I can't understand why the vineyard released this wine so quickly.  It's drinkable now, but was tight and the tannins were a bit more prominent than they should have been (even for a Malbec).  It is one of the few wines I've ever had that screamed "age me!!" -- which is why I entitled this post "An Amazing Cellar Starter."   Although the wine is certainly drinkable (and enjoyable) now, my bet is that it will be AMAZING (and probably a LOT more expensive) in a year or two.  For those of you out there who kind of want to start a collection of wine but don't have the patience, money, or space to start a 25 year aging process, this is a great compromise!

Overall Recommendation:  Buy a few bottles.  Try one now to get the feel for it, and then stick a bottle or two in the bottom of your closet to drink in a year!

Corked Wine :-(

It happens sooner or later to every wine lover.  In retrospect, I guess I should have been lucky that I've gone so many years without it happening to me...until tonight, that is.  I'm talking about cork taint.

You've all heard the term that a bottle of wine is "corked" -- but the term itself isn't very descriptive.  Technically, a "corked" wine is a wine contaminated with the chemical 2,4,6- trichloroanisole, also known as TCA.  The chemical occurs when there is a natural reaction that kind of goes haywire.  Basically, a naturally occuring compound in the cork bark (remember, real cork is the bark of the cork tree) gets mixed with chlorine compounds (that could happen for a whole slew of reasons) and then that combination reacts with naturally occuring mold or fungi in the cork to produce TCA.


According to Food & Wine Magazine, "Depending on the amount of TCA present, [a contaminated] wine will range from smelling like nothing at all—low levels of TCA will kill a wine’s aroma and flavor, even if the scent of the TCA itself isn’t discernible—to smelling like an old, damp cardboard shoe box removed from under a pile of moldy newspapers. TCA is incredibly potent. One ounce of pure TCA would be enough to noticeably contaminate about 10 billion bottles of wine, or more than five times California’s annual wine production. Luckily, TCA tends to occur in amounts measured in parts per trillion, rather than ounces. But even at those microscopic levels, its presence can be damaging. Almost anyone can pick up the musty, damp scent of TCA at about 10 parts per trillion."

Because TCA can have such a wide range of effects on wine, people often don't realize they're drinking a corked wine -- they think they just don't like the wine they are drinking.  However, according to industry estimates 5-10% of all wines are contaminated with TCA.  (This is one reason that so many producers are looking at cork alternatives like screwcaps and plastic corks -- a producer that makes 1000 cases (12000 bottles) annually could be looking at up to 600 corked bottles per year at the 5% rate!)

Often, the biggest giveaway that you're drinking a corked wine is the cork itself.  While the bottom of all corks should be damp from the wine in the bottle, a cork that is damp all the way or most of the way to its top and crumbles when you try to remove it could very likely be contaminated.  Now, not all gross looking or crumbly corks mean the wine is bad -- especially with an aged bottle -- it's just a clue that you should be on alert for defects when you taste the wine. 

The best thing you can do when it comes to a corked wine (especially one that's only slightly corked) is trust your instincts.  Close your eyes, smell and taste the wine, and really ask yourself if something is off, or if it's a style you just don't like.  If you're at a restaurant, don't be afraid to ask the waiter or Sommelier to help you out -- that's their job!!

Since cork taint varies so much, I'll just describe my personal experience with this corked wine.  It was a highly recommended Sancerre Rouge (pinot noir) that I was super-exited to try, as it was one of my most expensive wine purchases to date (which I'll admit, doesn't say much since I have Bordeaux taste with a Franzia budget), and I had a lucsious steak meal to go with it.  I unwrapped the foil from the top of the bottle, and I gasped -- the top of the cork was moldy!!  Panic set in immediately, I forgot everything I learned in my Wines course about corks, and then I did the only logical thing -- I googled. 

I found plenty of sites that told me mold at the top of the cork didn't mean the wine was bad, and that the proper thing to do was open the wine carefully and taste it to see.  I tried to open it carefully, but the cork started crumbling.  And when it started crumbling, I got a blast of vinegar smell, meaning that wine and air had seeped all the way through the cork, creating vinegar.  NOT a good sign.  I finally got all of the cork out, and hesitantly poured the wine into the glass.  I could still smell some pinot noir in there, but it was flat, and kind of musty. 

I cringed, knowing what it most likely meant, but decided to taste the wine anyway...and then immediately spit it out.  It wasn't vinegary, but it was musty and gross, and it tasted like what I imagine it would taste like if you left a pair of shoes in their cardboard box, wet them, left it for a few days, and then turned it into wine.

NOT FUN, but at least it's something to share with those of you who actually read this thing.  So glad I still had my bottle of Fox Meadows Winery Cabernet Franc around, otherwise I'd be in a really bad mood right now, but the review of that wine will be for another day.

A Glass of Tropical Mess

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My process for this blog so far has been to drink a wine, look up a few tidbits about it if I don't know any, formulate my review and then search the internet to see how my palate lines up with that of the masses.  The good and bad thing about the internet is that you can generally find someone somewhere who agrees with what you have to say.  So far, I've tended to be relatively on track with a lot of the wine reviews when I adjust for my own preferences -- for example, when people rave about a sweeter wine, I know I generally dislike those, so seeing different reviews doesn't bother me.  I guess there is a first time for everything, though, so here it is -- the wine review that bucks the trends.

I'll get right to the punch -- the Veramonte Sauvignon Blanc from Chile I just opened is one of the worst Sauvignon Blancs I've ever had.  Period.  The point of a Sauvignon Blanc is that it's supposed be dry, crisp, and clean.  Two of the most common descriptors of a good Sauvignon Blanc are "grassy" and "green pepper" because (shock) the Sauvignon Blanc grape contains one of the same naturally occuring compounds as -- you guessed it, green peppers!  So what does NOT belong in my Sauvignon Blanc are smells of tropical fruit.  I can't even tell you which ones, exactly -- maybe banana and mango? -- but it smelled like a tropical fruit salad that had been out in the sun just a titch too long.  Not quite rotten (I don't think the wine was defective), but certainly overripe and in my opinion unpleasant.

If the wine was well made and just had the the weird tropical fruit twist, I probably would be writing my review saying that I personally didn't like it, but I could see how other people might.  But on top of bad fruit salad, it was also a poorly made wine!  The mouthfeel was very odd -- really oily and rough at the same time, the finish was incredibly short, the acid was off balance, and I could taste way too much of the alcohol.  In addition, the wine felt thin and flabby, and once it was in my glass for a few minutes it went completely flat.

I couldn't even get through one glass, it was that bad.  And I NEVER do that (despite the fact I've now done it twice in the span of a week -- really, this is incredibly abnormal for me!!!)

This wine has gotten consistent feedback on being a great value, budget friendly wine, but as far as I'm concerned if I can't drink it, I don't care how much of a steal it is!  Maybe I'm being a purist, maybe I'm being too hard on a budget wine that other clearly like -- what do you think?  Anyone tried it and agree or disagree with me?

Halloween Wines (Part 2 of 2)

As I mentioned yesterday, the second wine I bought for Halloween was Toad Hollow "Eye of the Toad" Dry Pinot Noir Rosè. I hear the gasps now -- a ROSÈ, you actually brought a ROSÈ to a party??? Be prepared to be astonished, ladies and gentlemen because this Rosè was the hit of the party!

When most people think of Rosè wines, they think of something like Franzia, or another “White Zinfandel” that comes out of a box and tastes more like fruit punch than wine. The reality is that most Rosès are nothing like this! A good Rosè can be a fun, light alternative to an everyday white wine (including a good White Zin, believe it or not). They have the acidity and crispness of a white, but with some of the body and interesting fruit flavors of a red.

I probably should mention a technical point here since this is the first Rosè I’m reviewing: there are actually two kinds of “pink” wine – Rosès and Blushes. A Rosè wine, like this Toad Hollow wine is made from a red grape – in this case Pinot Noir. All grape juice is clear to begin with, and a red wine only becomes red because the winemaker leaves the skins in with the juice during fermentation, and the juice absorbs the color from the skins. When a winemaker chooses to make a Rosè wine, he or she only lets the skins have brief contact with the juice – hence they only absorb enough color to make the wine pink.

A blush wine, on the other hand, is a different story. When making a blush wine, the winemaker will independently make a red and white wine, and then blend them together. Sometimes wine makers will make the two wines with the intention of blending them from the getgo, other times something will happen – like too much of a white and not enough of a red that lets the winemaker experiment and a blush is the end product. A lot of people use the terms “blush” and “rosè” interchangeably, and I don’t want to get into a technical discussion about what’s right or wrong – the point is simply that there are two different methods for producing “pink” wines.

Now, on to this wine in particular. The first thing you can’t help but notice about “Eye of the Toad” is the color. It’s a striking purple-y pink – like crossing the color of ballet slippers with the color of blackberry juice. (Or, alternatively, an extremely light version of the beautiful Pinot Noir color we all love so much.) The aroma is just as enticing – it smells like rosès and strawberries!

The taste is fantastic – it’s light, zesty, and refreshing. It definitely has some strawberry and light fruit notes, but without any sweetness at all. It’s light enough to drink by itself, and definitely a great choice for a picnic or a warm summer day. However, since it’s Pinot Noir it has enough backbone and acidity to stand up to a wide variety of foods, and has a surprisingly long finish for a rosè.

The only even semi-critique of this wine I can come up with is that I preferred it at a really cold temperature – colder than it probably should have been served– which makes me think there might have been something slightly off balance. However, that didn’t stop us from finishing the bottle off before we could blink, so clearly it wasn’t that big of a problem.

Overall this is a great alternative to standard whites when you’re going to a party, or when you’re just looking for a fun, refreshing wine to drink on your own!

Halloween Wine (Part 1 of 2)

Halloween is one of the very few times of the year that I'll go and pick up a wine or two based 100% on the bottle.  Generally, this is a theory that works about as well as an giving an 8 year old a bunch of darts and asking them to throw them at a dart board -- they might get a bulls eye, but it's more likely they will hit the wall.  This year I tried two "label selection" wines, Moselland Zeller Katz "Black Cat" Riesling and Toad Hollow "Eye of the Toad" Rose Pinot Noir.  Today's review will be of Black Cat.

Clearly, you can understand why this bottle caught my attention.  It's a pretty impressive and creative wine bottle. Apparently the story is as follows:

"According to legend, three wine merchants came to the town of Zell (in Germany) to buy wine. In one of the cellars, they tasted several wines out of different barrels.

 

They had narrowed the choice to three barrels but they couldn’t agree on which one was the best. They were about to take another sample, when a black cat suddenly jumped on one of the barrels, arched its back, its fur standing on end, and swiped its paw at anyone who tried to get closer. The wine merchants quickly came to an agreement and chose the barrel which was so obstinately defended by the cat, thinking that it probably contained the best wine.

 

The merchants marketed the wine under the name Zeller Schwarze Katz The merchants marketed the wine under the name "Zeller Schwarze Katz" (black cat from Zell) and it became so popular that other wine growers and the city government eventually gave this name to its vineyard of origin, in the town of Zell."

 

Unfortunately for this wine, the cute story is the best part.  The wine itself was terrible -- definitely of the  "hit the wall, not the dartboard" variety.

 

The wine had a VERY heavy nose of honey -- to such a degree that it was unpleasant.  The first sip, while it was pretty cold, wasn't too sweet, but as it got to the proper temperature the wine just got worse and worse.  One of my friends compared it to a flat, sweet Prosecco, and "Flat" was definitely the biggest problem with this wine.  It literally did taste like a bubbly wine that had been left out and gone flat, which was really strange.  

 

The honey tastes that were okay when the wine was cold turned into a really bizarre taste that caused the sides of my tongue to pucker.  Overall it was incredibly off balance, and then ended with a bizarre limey-metallic finish.  There could be a good wine in here -- it's one of the few semi-dry Rieslings I've had that doesn't have the residual sugar messed up -- but it certainly wasn't in my bottle. 

This is one of the few wines in my life that I wasn't even able to finish a glass of.  I don't know exactly what causes this kind of defect -- I've never had a wine with this problem before and would definitely appreciate any thoughts on what exactly the defect is!

 

Overall recommendation:  Buy if you want to keep the incredibly cute bottle, but dump the wine out!