My last post was about an alternative to champagne, so today will be for those of you who believe “there is no substitute”.  Here are the champagnes that impressed me this year, ranging from $30 on up:

~$30

• For those who want something a bit rich, my favorite at this price range is consistently Henriot Brut Souverain – really pleasing for the price.

~$50

• For those who like their champagne a bit crisper and tarter, Ruinart blanc de blancs has zippy green apple hints, citrusy acidity and floral aromas, and possesses a nice overall liveliness.

~$70

• 2002 Gaston Chiquet Special Club is my choice in this range – a bit oxidative on the nose; on the palate, just plain delicious – perfect balance for me when it comes to champagne. Some honey/brioche, but also still fresh. Love this.

…and a champagne that is flat-out amazing

One champagne that rocked my world this year can be yours for $100-120, from the excellent grower champagne house Vilmart.  If you’re serving this for New Year’s, I’ll be right over!

• 2001 Vilmart & Cie Champagne Coeur de Cuvée- France, Champagne (12/10/2011) Right off the bat, an absolutely captivating nose. A touch of honey, with a smoky mineral note – there’s something indescribably delicious about this nose. Very interesting palate – some honeyed flavors hit you on the palate up front, then an expansive acidity hits you – tongue-coating, vibrant and full. A winey, sappy quality here makes me think of my favorite red burgundies even, which is accentuated by a floral quality that becomes more apparent on the nose with some time. Not perfect – the feeling of separate stages from honeyed richness to tingly acidity is very distinct and may be jarring to drinkers looking for something seamless. But for me, this is captivating, complex – one of the most interesting champagnes I’ve ever had, and one of the best. 96-97 (96 points)
  

Cheers, Happy New Year’s Eve and all the best for 2012!  -Alan

As New Year’s eve approaches, many of us will be looking for some sparkling to ring in 2012 with some extra pop.  Over the next few days, I’ll be posting about some good rosé sparklers, basic champagnes, and one splurgy champagne that rocked my world.  But for today, I want to focus on cava, which is not only a great value choice because of the reasonable prices they go for, but is an excellent choice on its merits, regardless of price.

Cava – these sparkling wines from Spain are made from the same method as champagne, but to my palate they bring a somewhat lighter body and more of a saline minerality than champagne.  For many of them, I feel like they have a bit less carbonation as well, for those who want less of the gassy feel.

Good examples of cava can be found for less than $10 with reserve versions for $25 or less, so there’s lots of pleasure to be had for a reasonable sum.  At $10ish, the basic Jaume Serra Cristalino, one of the most popular brands, is quite decent, with some savory mineral. Lady of Spain cava is also less than $10, comes in a kitschy decorative bottle and pleases me a bit more by comparison, with smoother texture and deeper fruit flavors.

Stepping up the $ ladder just a bit, 2008 Raventos i blanc cava L’Hereu Reserva is pretty smooth and very tasty, dry and clean at just $15.  If you can move up to $20ish, I found Naveran’s Dama cava to be an interesting, complex wine, combining an olive note on the nose, sunny sweet fruit on the palate, a touch of floral aroma, and a salinity to lend further interest.

The wines mentioned in this post were tasted at free retailer or trade tastings, with the exception of Lady of Spain cava, which was tasted from a review sample bottle received free of charge from the distributor.

Has someone you know become obsessed with wine? (Admit it, it’s not “a friend” -it’s probably you if you are reading wine blogs like this one).  Anyway, here are some signs you can look for to diagnose a severe case of wine geekery in your, um, friend.

-Hand them a glass with a stem, but filled with water. See if they swirl the liquid in the glass anyway.

-Have they started rating fruit and giving tasting notes?  “This Macintosh could use some more acidity and the tannins in the skin are just a shade too bitter.  They’re not as good as the ones from ’05.  Remember those?  Now those were outstanding apples.”

-Do they say wine-related things in contexts that have nothing to do with wine?  “This park bench is corked.  The wood definitely smells of TCA.”

If you recognize all of these signs, don’t worry, as long as drinking in moderation is not an issue.  Just enjoy the ride, you’ll probably get to partake in lots of good wine!

In the meanwhile, here are notes on some bottles recently enjoyed by someone who may or may not have exhibited some of the signs described above.

• 2009 Anthill Farms Pinot Noir Demuth Vineyard – USA, California, North Coast, Anderson Valley (11/20/2011)
  Really enjoyable – has the elements I want in a CA pinot – light, silky texture, appealing fruit, fresh acidity. The fruit is quite sweet and has a bit of sap to it. My only quibble is that on the finish, the sweetness to the fruit reminds me slightly of saccharine. With extended air, floral notes and a touch of anise come out on the nose. Some might find this a bit thin, but I find it properly delicate for a pinot. 92, seriously pushing 93 at times – an irresistable wine, and surprisingly approachable now. (92 points)
• 2005 Château Lascombes – France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux (11/15/2011)
  Not as modern as I expected given the reputation of recent vintages of Lascombes. Tight for the first three nights, on day four this opened up to show luscious fruit, a touch of peppery and herby spice, and hints of mineral. At least for this vintage, I believe that criticisms that this property has lost all Margaux typicity will be unfounded in the long run. Nice wine. (93 points)
• 2009 Carlisle Two Acres – USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley (11/15/2011)
  Tasted briefly but this had aromatic red and dark fruits, together with some herby spice, on the nose. Palate was tasty and expressive, and was a group favorite among a strong weekend lineup. Did not take enough notes to rate this, but this is a strong performer at this stage.
• 2004 Poderi Aldo Conterno Barolo Romirasco – Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo (11/13/2011)
  Winning bottle in our wine group’s big annual double blind contest. At first I thought this might be a burg or even a classy CA pinot from the nose, but the palate didnt match. Then on second sniff I got that it was either barolo or barbaresco. On the palate this feels young now but smooth, with bright red fruits. Lovely stuff, 94 with a + for the future. (94 points)
• 2006 Hospices de Beaune Beaune 1er Cru Cuvée Brunet Maison Champy – France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Beaune 1er Cru (11/11/2011)
  Very solid Beaune 1er cru, has lots of flavor and material. Not a light styled Burg, but showed very smooth on the palate – Volnay and Chambolle fans might be pleasantly surprised. A good deal at $40ish. Some transparency here, revealing earthy notes underpinning the fruit, which is midway between tart and sweet. (91 points)
• 2008 Louis Jadot Beaune 1er Cru Clos des Ursules – France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Beaune 1er Cru (11/6/2011)
  A very solid Beaune 1er – this delivers a lot of typicity and good quality for the reasonable price. It’s still early for this, as you feel the structure upfront, but if you give it a little time to mellow this delivers a solid burg experience that’s very reflective of ’08. I wished for a touch more sweetness to the fruit, but given the level of this bottling and the vintage this gives everything that can be expected. I do see more than the usual upside potential here – one senses a bit of sappy flavor waiting to get out from under the tannin in a few years, and this could turn out to be beautiful. For now, an enjoyable burg with smoothness and transparency, an enjoyable 89 points, with a ++ for lots of potential improvement. (89 points)

Posted from CellarTracker

So, I have to admit, whenever I come across publications or blogs centered around a particular emerging region’s wines, I’m suspicious that the ratings and reviews will be subject to a little “home cooking” – overenthusiastic, or worse yet, paid reviews that overstate the quality of the wines, coming from a local cheerleader.

In addition, my early experiences with wines from New York state were, well, unpleasant to put it kindly.  Tasting wines in the Hudson Valley two years ago didn’t really change my mind.

The tide started to turn for me last summer, when I did some tasting at a few well-regarded wineries in the North Fork area of Long Island.  There I found competent whites and some reds that really did show well – pushing the 90 point range for me in the best cases.  Still, the reds that I might say could compete with wines from other emerging regions like South America were unfortunately two to three times the cost of wines from those international competitors.  To me, despite the progress, there wasn’t yet a reason for nonlocals to seek out the wines especially.

That changes now.  With a few tastings of Finger Lakes wines (mostly rieslings, and a bit of pinot noir), I’ve come to the view that New York state wines have arrived.  I’ll cover the lovely, delicate Ravines pinot noir in a future post, but today I’ll cover the Finger Lakes wine region’s strong suit:  riesling.

With pioneers like Dr. Konstantin Frank and Hermann J. Wiemer and newer producers like Ravines Wine Cellars leading the way, Finger Lakes rieslings have reached an impressive level of quality.  In addition to some outstanding wines from the above-mentioned producers, I have tasted very solid offerings from other Finger Lakes producers including Red Newt Cellars (who sadly lost one of their co-owners in a car accident recently), Glenora Wine Cellars, Fox Run Vineyards, and Billsboro Winery.

Across the board, the wines tended to show a bit of petrol or minerality on the nose (both of which I love as an avid fan of German rieslings), tart greenish orchard fruits, and lively acidity.  The entry level wines tend to come with synthetic cork closures, indicating to me that the producers expect them to be consumed within a few years, but in my estimation, the best examples have a lot of aging potential.  Overall the wines tend to be a bit on the restrained side on the palate, closer in style to Alsace or Austria than the full-flavored styles found in German rieslings.  I don’t think the Finger Lakes wines have quite reached the level of German riesling yet, but they are the best rieslings from the U.S. in my mind – their freshness together with appealing fruit may have even pushed them past Alsace and Austria in my heart, at least for riesling.

Here are tasting notes on some of my favorite Finger Lakes rieslings.  Check them out, and prepare to be surprised; I never expected to sound like a cheerleader for wines local to this New Yorker, but I’m happy that I can, at least for now.  Cheers!  -Alan

• 2010 Ravines Wine Cellars Dry Riesling- USA, New York, Finger Lakes (10/2/2011) A terrific entry-level riesling, with smoky flinty mineral to distinguish the nose as well as typical Finger Lakes green apple notes. The palate maintains a nice tension between the mineral, acidity and a dollop of richness to the fruit. Put together with the performance of the Argetsinger riesling and the wonderful pinot noir, this is probably my favorite Finger Lakes winery. 89-90+ (90 points)
• 2010 Dr. Konstantin Frank Riesling Dry- USA, New York, Finger Lakes (10/2/2011) More floral and aromatic on the nose than the Fox Run dry riesling, this wine also shows richer fruit on the palate while staying solidly dry. An accomplished and pleasing wine with more fullness than many of the other Finger Lakes rieslings tasted this week. Very nice. 89-90 (89 points)
• 2010 Billsboro Riesling- USA, New York, Finger Lakes, Seneca Lake (10/2/2011)An off-dry riesling with some pleasing body and a slight herbal bitterness on the finish. A bit monolithic perhaps, but pleasing nonetheless. 86-88 (87 points)
• 2010 Fox Run Vineyards Riesling Dry- USA, New York, Finger Lakes (10/2/2011) On the nose, a hint of petrol, flinty mineral and light green apple aromas please the nose. On the palate, this is crisp, again evoking tart green apple, with an herbal finish. A very solid, restrained dry riesling. 87-88 (87 points)
• 2010 Glenora Wine Cellars Riesling Dry- USA, New York, Finger Lakes (9/24/2011) Slightly stinky mineral nose gives way to crisp green apple flavors on the palate. The mouthwatering acid lends a long finish to this tart, properly dry riesling. Very solid. 87-88 (88 points)
• 2010 Hosmer Riesling- USA, New York, Finger Lakes, Cayuga Lake (9/24/2011) An off-dry riesling with a satisfying bit of fatness to the tropical stone fruit flavors that show on the palate before giving way to slightly herbal underpinnings. A hint of petrol on the nose contributes to a feel akin to something between a German and an Austrian riesling – has more in common with Old World rieslings than other New World ones from Washington or Australia. Very enjoyable. 88+ (88 points)
• 2008 Ravines Wine Cellars Riesling Dry Argetsinger Vineyard- USA, New York, Finger Lakes, Keuka Lake (6/15/2011) An impressive wine that redefines for me what can be achieved with dry riesling in the Finger Lakes. Some petrol on the nose, with a great chalky minerality. The palate shows great complexity, balancing developed orchard fruits and tingling acidity. Excellent. 91-92+ (92 points)
• 2009 Hermann J. Wiemer Riesling Late Harvest- USA, New York, Finger Lakes (6/15/2011)A gorgeous riesling that I could drink endlessly. The sweetish fruits give a pleasing unctuousness, but this not over the top; it has nice acidity to balance it out and give this a bit of dimension. As a lover of German spatlesen, this like nectar to me. 91-92+ (92 points)
• 2009 Hermann J. Wiemer Riesling Dry- USA, New York, Finger Lakes (6/15/2011) Green orchard fruits and a surprising stony minerality form the profile of this wine. Restrained in its fruit on the palate, but with a liveliness. Delicious. 89-90 (89 points)

Posted from CellarTracker

Some of the wines mentioned in this report were tasted from review sample bottles received free of charge from the Finger Lakes Wine Alliance, including the 2010 rieslings from Dr. Konstantin Frank, Glenora, Ravines, Fox Run, billsboro and Hosmer.  Other wines were tasted at free retailer tastings or from bottles purchased by me.

In the last several weeks I have had my first real look at 2009 burgundies in bottle.  Overall, I’m a bit disappointed given the hype that this vintage was going to be great.  Comparisons to the terrific, structured 2005 vintage that you may have heard are unwarranted in my opinion.  So far, the 2009s I have tasted remind me more of 2003, one of the hottest years in recent memory, which resulted in atypically ripe red burgundies.

I dipped my toe into the 2009 pool with a few bourgognes from Joseph Voillot and Dominique Gallois.  I found the wines to have a slight roastedness to the fruit flavors – not to the extent of full-on jamminess, but enough to give the red fruits a distinct cherry cough syrup flavor, which reminded me more of gamay than pinot noir, to be frank.  I would consider these two producers to be unexceptional if solid, so I didn’t worry about it too much.

A few weeks later I had the opportunity to taste a range of wines from Bouchard Pere et Fils, a large producer whose wines in the post-2000 period have been among the mainstays in my Burgundy collection.  While I found the wines to be lush, with a lot of fruit-forward deliciousness, I also found them to be a tad overripe, again with a roasted fruit character in almost all of the wines.  This was not severe enough to mar the higher-level bottlings, but this aspect was enough to make me decide that I would prefer to backfill 2005 red burgundies if I could find them at comparable prices to the 2009s.  That’s not to say there weren’t some terrific wines – in particular, the Vosne-Romanee Les Suchots 1er cru and the Beaune Vigne l’Enfant Jesus were gorgeous, complete wines, and some of the lower-priced bottlings like the Savigny-les-Beaune Les Lavieres and the Beaune Clos de la Mousse will provide lots of early-drinking pleasure for fans of opulent and lush pinot noirs.

As for the 2009 Bouchard whites, I was surprised to find them quite fresh, strikingly unlike the reds.  The white wines were restrained for the most part, leaning a shade toward greenness even, with good freshness and balance overall.  However, the wines don’t have the electricity of the 07 burgundy whites, or the tensile acidity of other vintages like 2008 that may appeal to die-hard burgophiles.

My impressions here are based on a very limited sample of course, but based on these first tastes I believe that in the long run, 2009 will be viewed as a good vintage for both reds and whites, but not a great vintage to rival 2005 as much of the early buzz for this vintage claimed.  For the reds, look to them for pleasurably lush early drinking, but not freshness or long age; for the whites, ageability is more promising, but the greater and perhaps unsolved problem of premature oxidation in burgundy whites may render the point moot for many buyers.

Here are my full tasting notes below.  Cheers to all!  -Alan

• 2009 Dominique Gallois Bourgogne- France, Burgundy, Bourgogne (8/21/2011)Dark – more purple than ruby. A bit spicy and rustic. Ok, but wouldn’t buy again. (85 points)
• 2009 Domaine Joseph Voillot Bourgogne Vieilles Vignes- France, Burgundy, Bourgogne (8/15/2011)A decent bourgogne, but the slightly roasted character to the fruit worries me a bit about this vintage overall. The extreme ripeness results in cherry cough syrup flavors, that make me think more of gamay than classic Burgundian pinot noir. This is lush and approachable, but unlikely to age well in my estimation. Not a big flaw for a bourgogne, but makes me wonder about the village, 1er cru and grand cru levels in 09. (87 points)
• 2009 Bouchard Père et Fils Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru Les Lavières- France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru (9/14/2011)Nose a bit estery at first, but comes around with air. Perfumed and pretty, yet rustic with a slight roasty sense. Palate is medium dense, fairly velvety, and fuller feeling than you might expect from a Savigny. Really quite perfumed for the appellation. 88-89+ (89 points)
• 2009 Bouchard Père et Fils Beaune 1er Cru Clos de la Mousse- France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Beaune 1er Cru (9/14/2011)Has a funky, flinty earthy aspect to the nose, with slightly roasted red fruit and sweet oak apparent as well. As it opens up, the nose gets quite pretty, if on the ripe side. On the palate, shows the roasted character. Concentrated, but a shade overripe. However, there’s a lot of deliciousness here. 90, pushing 91. (90 points)

• 2009 Bouchard Père et Fils Chambolle-Musigny- France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny (9/14/2011)A slightly stinky mineral funk on the nose dominates over sweet fruit underneath. Very smooth on the palate, with some unctuousness but also apparent acidity. Feels a little light. Decent. Arguably better on the palate than the Savigny Lavieres, but nothing more than decent for a Chambolle village wine. (87 points)
• 2009 Bouchard Père et Fils Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Les Cailles- France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru (9/14/2011)Much like other wines in the range, this is opulently tasty. Fairly dense, smooth (relatively for an NSG) if less fine than some of the other wines. Pretty but not complex at this point, but very good NSG 1er cru nonetheless; enjoyable and about worth the asking price.
• 2009 Bouchard Père et Fils Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Suchots- France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru (9/14/2011)More power immediately apparent on the nose than the Savigny Lavieres and the Chambolle village. Exotic spice leads the way on the powerful but balanced nose. A touch of cola in the ripeness here too. Sweet oak and fruit show in a dense and textured palate. Easily the most complete wine of the tasting so far. Pretty, structured but balanced. With air, a hint of an orange blossom not develops on the nose to add interest to the increasingly perfumed nose. 92-93+ (93 points)
• 2009 Bouchard Père et Fils Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Les Cazetiers- France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru (9/14/2011)A dark, deeper nose than the Suchots; brooding rather than perfumed; portends power. Oak shows on the slightly airy alcoholic nose as well. Palate is surprisingly smooth, has prettiness – more harmonized than the early wines in the tasting. Closer to the Suchots in that it has a harmony and sense of completeness, but in a way lacks impact for me – doesn’t have a distinctiveness or defining characteristic. A solid 1er cru Gevrey though. With air, the high degree of ripeness shows a faint citrus blossom note like the Suchots or even a Rhys – an indication of the almost New World style of this vintage. 92+ (92 points)
• 2009 Bouchard Père et Fils Beaune 1er Cru Grèves Vigne de L’Enfant Jesus- France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Beaune 1er Cru (9/14/2011)Affectionately called the “Baby J” by the company rep pouring this, definitely has the same very ripe and alcoholic profile to the nose, as well as powerful dark fruit and some mineral funk in the expressive and perfumed nose. Very smooth, with opulent sweet fruit on the palate. A very together wine, a pretty Enfant Jesus, but the same slightly overripe, very California feel here nags at me. Delicious but not my favorite style; has structure to age somewhat. I prefer the style of the more balanced 2005 as far as rich vintages go. 93 (93 points)
• 2009 Bouchard Père et Fils Corton-Le Corton- France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton Grand Cru (9/14/2011)Nose is perfumed and has power; most structured of all of these wines perhaps. Feels less California than some of the wines in the range. A very pretty wine, very smooth and balanced, but I worry that these wines will be a bit simple. Pleasurable for sure, for those who enjoy hedonistic wines. I prefer the Vigne l’Enfant Jesus as a bit more perfumed and pretty, which is not the way I go in all vintages. 92-93 (92 points)
• 2009 Bouchard Père et Fils Volnay 1er Cru Caillerets Ancienne Cuvée Carnot- France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Volnay 1er Cru (9/14/2011)Shows a lot of ripeness, perhaps overripe. A perfumed wine with a touch of smoky burnt quality to it. Very Volnay, lighter on the palate than many of the other wines in the range, with a little sweetness to the fruit. I feel a bit of alcoholic burn on the palate upfront, but the sweet fruit manages to linger on the finish. Quite decent for the price, but a bit overripe for me. 91-92+ if you like the style, but fans of taut, acid-laden wines may want to look elsewhere. (91 points)

• 2009 Bouchard Père et Fils Chassagne-Montrachet- France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Chassagne-Montrachet (9/14/2011)Clean, crisp, light nose – leaning toward greenness; almost feels like a sauvignon blanc more than a chardonnay. This feeling is not borne out on the palate, but this is light and somewhat crisp nonetheless – I would not have guessed this to be Chassagne if served this blind; like a Meursault, almost. 87-88 (87 points)
• 2009 Bouchard Père et Fils Meursault- France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault (9/14/2011)Surprisingly fresh considering how ripe the 09 reds are; controlled ripeness, good acidity. Slightly leans toward green but a good balance here. 88-89 (88 points)
• 2009 Bouchard Père et Fils Meursault 1er Cru Charmes- France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault 1er Cru (9/14/2011)More opulent than the village Meursault, with some butteriness on the nose and palate. Has some herbal/green-leaning characteristics, not just a ripe butter bomb. I like this a lot. 91-92 (91 points)
• 2009 Bouchard Père et Fils Meursault 1er Cru Les Genevrières- France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault 1er Cru (9/14/2011)Not as rich as the Charmes, more restrained. Don’t quite like it as much as the Charmes.
• 2009 Bouchard Père et Fils Corton-Charlemagne- France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru (9/14/2011)Like the other whites in the Bouchard range, this Corton Charlemagne is pretty, crisp, and not only not showing nearly as (over)ripe as the 09 reds, but actually a shade on the side of unripeness. Fresh, but not as good as the 07s. 92-93 (92 points)

Posted from CellarTracker

So, like most denizens of NYC, we retreated into our apartment and hunkered down on Saturday night to wait out Hurricane Irene.  As I perused our wines to see what might be ready to drink, one bottle leapt out at me – this 1996 Domaine de l’Arlot Clos du Chapeau.  This wine has the appellation Cote de Nuits-Villages, which encompasses a handful of villages and the northern and southern ends of the Cotes de Nuits in Burgundy, which tend to be less heralded than wines from well-known villages like Volnay, Chambolle-Musigny or Gevrey-Chambertin.  Like the red burgundies from those places, this wine is made from 100% pinot noir.  Because they come from less-famous terroirs, Cote de Nuits Villages wines (which I’ll call CDNV) tend to be on the affordable side of red burgundies.  I like to think of them this way: one step up from bourgognes (Burgundy’s entry level wines), but not quite as expensive as wines made entirely of grapes from a single village, which are commonly called village wines.  Prices for CDNV bottlings tend to range from the high $20s to higher $30s range.

This particular wine comes from a producer called Domaine de l’Arlot, whose winery is actually situated in Nuits-St.-Georges (which I’ll call NSG), the closest of the more famous villages to the land where this bottling comes from, Clos du Chapeau.  Clos du Chapeau is in the village Comblanchien, a bit south and east of Nuits-St.-Georges.  From my experience, I consider Arlot to be a good producer, with some very good wines from NSG premier crus as well as some holdings in Vosne-Romanee.  I don’t have a lot of Burgundy from the ’90s, so when I bought this recently, I figured “good producer, has some age, decent price – why not?”

The conventional wisdom on CDNV wines is that they are simple, fruity, meant to be drunk early – say, within 5-6 years from the vintage of the wine.  So, in buying this a few weeks ago, I had been taking a chance that this wine, already 15 years old, would still be good because of the quality of the producer.  I was not disappointed.

As the storm raged on, I was content in the refuge of our apartment with a glass of this in my hand.  In the glass I found aromas of lighter red fruits and a very Burgundian damp earth quality.  On the palate, the wine was very much alive, still in its prime even (though on the back end of it), with solid, bracingly tart red fruit, some exotic spice and a slightly savory overall feel.  The slight tinges of orange-brown in the color of the wine revealed its age, and the body was resolved and somewhat silky – more Volnay than NSG, really.  All in all, textbook red burgundy, and one of many examples of red burgundies that have aged well for much longer than they’re supposed to.  After 8+ hours of aeration, the limits of this wine show – the acidity that kept this juicy for an afternoon and evening starts to turn a bit shrill, and the fruit starts to run short.  But that’s just fine for a CDNV – this minor leaguer fielded every ball cleanly and contributed a base hit or two – everything you could ask of it, and more.

Come noon the next day, the storm had mostly passed, leaving our neighborhood a bit battered (as you can see from the photos) but not too much worse for the wear.  Inclement weather is never a great thing, but I’ll count us lucky this time:  sometimes Mother Nature forcing you to cancel everything, slow things down, and enjoy a quiet, contemplative evening is not a bad thing at all.

(I don’t normally link to a particular store when I review wines but it’s not easy to find older vintage burgundies that are not astronomically priced – so I will tell you that I found this one for $42 (with a discount if you buy 6 or more wines like I did) at Grapes The Wine Company in White Plains, New York.  The store has a well-chosen selection and good storage (even the store is cold like a wine cellar!), and very friendly service.  You can order online and if you join their mailing list, the daily emails from the colorful owner, Dan Posner, are a fun read with some really good deals sometimes as well).

Hope you all made it through the hurricane okay!  Cheers,

Alan

I’ve long gotten requests for a post like this one, and I’ve finally decided to do a feature about my favorite NYC wine shops.  New Yorkers are lucky to have an embarrassment of riches when it comes to wine shops, so I’ve decided to break my review of them into multiple blog posts.  Today, I’m going to focus on bigger shops that aim to offer a wide cross-section of different types of wines from various regions.  I’m going to save specialty shops (like ones that focus on one particular region) and smaller, neighborhoody shops for a future post.  For now, here is the first AmWino list of Favorite All-Purpose Wine Shops in New York city:

Chambers Street Wines – this shop is a mecca to the serious wine geek, and for many New Yorkers, the establishment of this store was a formative event, introducing many to a world beyond California cab, Bordeaux, Champagne and Burgundy:  underappreciated producers, grapes and regions and importers that have become staples of wine cognoscenti in the city.  Here you will find extensive offerings from the Loire, the Jura, Germany, Austria, Piedmont, Burgundy and Beaujolais; producers ranging from Pinon, Luneau-Papin and Puffeney to Hirtzbirger, Nikolaihof and Pichler, to Giacosa and Roagna, to Tremblay, Fourrier and Dujac; importers represented include Dressner, Jenny/Francois, Savio Soares…. you get the idea. Especially of note:  possibly the best collections of rare bottlings like back vintages and large-format bottles of the wines for those-in-the-know.

Union Square Wines – this store is not one of the ones that’s talked about widely on wine forums and such, but I think it’s been quietly becoming perhaps the best all-around wine shop in the city.   When I first moved to New York in the ’90s, I knew this shop as one with a great location but high prices.  After moving to a new larger location, this store has really hit its stride, introducing Enomatic tasting machines to allow customers to sample both low-cost and highbrow wines, and offering weekly Saturday tastings that usually include 20-30 wines, augmented by lots of special single-region or single-producer-focused tastings or book signings during the weekdays.  The sum total may be the best tasting program in the city; just by regularly attending their tastings, one can gain knowledge of hundreds of wines.  Regular prices are still a bit high, but their NET price sales are very competitive, as are prices for wines included in their weekly Saturday tastings.  The selection here is a terrific balance of the kind of wine geeky offerings you’d find at Chambers or Crush, in-demand producers from California that are usually mailing-list only like Rivers-Marie, Anthill Farms and Bedrock, at the same time that you’ll find the more standard offerings like that bottle of Juan Gil or Rombauer chardonnay that your aunt and uncle must have every time they come over.

Sherry-Lehmann – for me, this Upper East side store feels like old New York, stemming back to the old-wood look of the former Madison Avenue location.  And that’s fitting, because this is a store that oozes tradition.  You won’t find that funky new blend from Radikon here, but for the classics, there’s no place I trust more for excellent provenance and storage at competitive prices.  Order something that’s in stock at the store, and it will arrive in your hands still cool from its place in the storage cellar.  Sherry-Lehmann has another of the city’s really strong tasting programs, with tastings that range from top-flight Bordeaux, Burgundy and Cali cab producers, to less common themes, like amarone, traditional Rioja producers or  New Zealand wines; however, with the departure of former wine education director Robin Kelley O’Connor to Christie’s, it remains to be seen if the tasting program will continue to be as strong.

Crush – an oasis to Midtowners in much the same way that Chambers has been for downtowners, wine geeks will find riches here, especially if they are German riesling, Burgundy or Champagne fans.  The riesling selection is possibly the best in the United States – with rare bottlings, tasting reports from the ground in Germany and Austria, etc.  As a burgundy lover, I find tons to browse and marvel at here; I’ve also been turned on to great sparkling wines here, from $20 cremant de bourgogne to grower champagnes like Benoit Lahaye and Larmandier-Bernier to solid big-house champagnes.  Monthly tastings are excellent but crowded; I wish they would go back to weekly tastings like they had in years past, where I found many a great producer tasted in a non-hectic setting of 4-5 wines at a time.

PJ Wine – this (way) uptown store is kind of a hike for most people, but those who make the trip are rewarded with good prices, a huge supermarket-like selection and one of the city’s best collections of Spanish wines:  I found lots of choices for various bottlings of older vintages of one of my favorite producers, Lopez de Heredia, but all of the heavy-hitters from Spain ranging from traditional to modern-styled are represented here.

Astor Wines & Spirits – this East Village outpost offers a broad selection including specialized sections including a natural/biodynamic wine section and a cool room with back-vintage trophy wines for those flush with cash.  As with USQ Wines, I tend not to buy at regular prices here, but the extensive number of sale-priced selections are generally well priced and well chosen.

If you don’t see your favorite NYC shop here, chances are they will make it into my next post, where I will look at smaller and specialty shops that rock my world.  But feel free to drop a comment on your faves!  Cheers,

Alan

Special note:  I do not have any affiliation with any of the stores mentioned in this report other than being a satisfied customer.

If you’re enough of a wine geek to know about the Jura, a wine-growing region near the French-Swiss border, then chances are that you know some of the Jura’s trademark wines like vin jaune or macvin, or its signature grape, savagnin.  What fewer people know is that there are a surprising number of very good chardonnays from the Jura that could fool many tasters into thinking they were from Burgundy, the benchmark region for chardonnay.

The chardonnays from the Jura that I have tasted range from nervy and tension-filled to richer, more opulent styles, but across the range of styles many of the wines showed a flinty minerality on the nose that lend a lot of fragrant, burgundy-like interest to the wines.  Next time you’re looking to have a Chassagne-Montrachet or a Meursault, try a chardonnay from the Jura instead – you might be surprised by what you taste.  Here are a few wines I’d recommend:

• 2008 Domaine de Saint Pierre Arbois Les Brûlées – France, Jura, Arbois (7/3/2011)Has pretty, pleasing fruit on the nose and palate, which is given dimension by flinty rock aromas that carry some minerality through to the palate. As good as a lot of premier cru wines from heralded villages of Burgundy like Puligny-Montrachet or Meursault, this is another example of how good some of the chardonnays coming from the Jura really are. 91-92+ (92 points)
• 2008 Domaine Labet Côtes du Jura Fleur de Marne En Chalasse – France, Jura, Côtes du Jura (4/11/2011)Has a savory aspect, hard to articulate- maybe oxidative but in any case there’s something really appealing about this. On the palate; very tasty with an uncommon combination of unctuousness yet very crisp acidity. Smooth, pretty – I really dig this wine, and the whole range really. 90-92+ (92 points)
  
• 2009 Domaine Tissot (André & Mireille now Stéphane) Arbois Les Corvées Sous Curon – France, Jura, Arbois (4/11/2011)Has a pretty flinty nose; balanced with good tart acidity. Not as rich as the Labet wines, but very nice with a crispness to it. 90-92 (91 points)
• 2007 Domaine Labet Côtes du Jura Fleur de Marne en Billat – France, Jura, Côtes du Jura (4/11/2011)Has an interesting flinty smoke mineral nose. Quite a delicious chardonnay – very Burg-like. Has a crispness that makes one think of Chablis, but there is some oak and butteriness that makes it feel a bit more opulent. 90-92 (91 points)

Posted from CellarTracker

Back in November, I blogged about tasting a number of the best California cabernets out there, many of which were from the 2007 vintage, which has been praised by many critics as an excellent year for California cab.  Recently, I had a chance to taste some more (mostly pricey) 2007 cabernet sauvignons and cabernet blends from well-known producers, so here’s a little information to help you separate the wines that will exalt from those that will disappoint.

Again, I think there are important distinctions to be made on style.  For instance, those who like classic, Bordeaux-styled cabs with aromas and flavors of crushed rock, tobacco leaf and the like will find the 2007 Dominus (made by Christian Moueix, who could fairly be described as the king of Pomerol in Bordeaux) to be a wonderful, refined wine.  However, those that like their cabs to feature exuberant fruit as the main attraction might not like Dominus at all.  A better choice for these drinkers would be the 2007 Joseph Phelps Insignia, which was just as impressive as it was when I tasted it late last year.

One of the producers that is zooming up my list of favorite cabernet sauvignons is Philip Togni.  Both the 2003 Togni cab tasted in November and the 2007 Togni cab showed impeccable balance to me – with pleasing fruit with enough lushness and toasty to make the wines unmistakably California cab, but also a great balance with earthiness and slightly herbal varietal character for lovers of old-school cabs.  There’s a definite argument that these are among the best balanced cabs around, with excellent ageability.

And speaking of old-school cabs, I recently tasted a cab, 2007 Trivium “Les Ivrettes”, whose winemakers have gone so far as to produce a manifesto that announces: “We set out to make a cabernet in the spirit of the years when we first got into the wine business in the 1970′s”… “This is your father’s cabernet.”

So does the wine live up to the manifesto? Well, it wasn’t quite what I was expecting – with that introduction, I was girding myself up for something along the lines of Chateau Montelena or Dominus – varietally correct for sure, but perhaps a bit green (in a way that I like) and what some would call “austere”.  The Trivium was not that.  Which is not to say that the wine doesn’t have something very classic about it.  Instead of an earthy Bordeaux-like cab, what I found was a wine that reminded me a lot of another classic – the Mondavi Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon.  The Mondavi Reserves are among the best cabs I’ve ever had, and their hallmark for me is high-quality sweetish fruit, a touch of spice, and a food-friendly balance that doesn’t go over the top like some of the bigger cabs out there.  These elements were pretty much what I found in the Trivium, at a fraction of what the Mondavi Reserve would set you back (wine-searcher prices range from $55-67, vs. $85-125ish for the Mondavi Reserve).  The vineyard source for the Trivium is the Lewelling Estate in St. Helena, which may well be familiar to fans of Napa cab (and Doug Wight of Lewelling is one of the partners behind Trivium).  All in all, I’m not sure I would call the Trivium “old-school” on taste alone, but I followed the wine over several days and it’s undeniably delicious cab and the structure remained in Continue reading Another look at top California cabernets from 2007

For me, the summer grilling season means a lot of corn on the cob.  And if the corn is sweet enough, you don’t even need butter.  One way to get some of that same feeling in a  lower-cholesterol way is to pair the corn with a wine that has a buttery taste or feel – and that will make most wine drinkers I know think of California chardonnay.  A buttery chardonnay done well can be an opulent experience – unfortunately most examples of buttery California chardonnay I have come across don’t do it quite so deftly.  Often the oakiness and the creamy feeling created by malolactic fermentation and some innate characteristics of chardonnay result in chardonnays that feel too buttery, over-oaked, with vanilla and coconut flavors that can taste artificial.  This is often done, especially with less expensive chardonnays, in the hopes that the oak will mask some other flaws or shortcomings of the wine.

Anyway, when friends came over for dinner last night and brought corn, “butter+corn” was the idea in my mind when I decided on a 2009 Morro Bay Split Oak Estate chardonnay for our first wine of the night.  I have never had this wine before, and given the modest price point, I was prepared for it to be an oak-butter bomb.  (And I have to admit, I was a little wary given my only previous experience with Morro Bay, a cabernet sauvignon that I didn’t particularly care for – which goes to show it pays to set aside your preconceptions sometimes.)

I was pleasantly surprised to find the wine to be a nicely balanced, fresh chardonnay.  And it turned out to be a perfect foil for the corn, which was also a surprise of sorts.  Our guests had made no ordinary corn on the cob, but rather one spiced with a Cajun chili powder blend.  The Morro Bay Split Oak served not only as an uncomplicated summer sipper, but also as a nice way to cool the fire of the pepper.  We didn’t have to worry that we were losing any nuances from an expensive $50 reserve chardonnay – pairing with an inexpensive but well-made chard, we were able to just enjoy the food and wine together (isn’t that what it’s all about?), and enjoy we did.

Some added boons that makes this wine even more recommendable as a budget buy: Split Oak Vineyard, in Lodi, is sustainably farmed, and the winery incorporates sustainable practices as well, including on-site solar energy panels that provide 40% of the power used.  Earth-friendly, food-friendly and wallet-friendly, I was pleasantly surprised by this little wine and I hope you are too.

Coming soon: features on wines from the Jura, from Portugal, and a look at some top 2007 cabernet sauvignons from California!  -Alan

The 2009 Morro Bay Split Oak Estate chardonnay was tasted from a review sample bottle received free of charge.