It recently occurred to me that I hardly ever drink mourvèdre.  Or more accurately, I probably do without knowing it, as it’s often used as a blending grape that comprises a tiny percentage in a lot of wines, mixed in with other Rhone varieties like grenache, syrah and cinsault.  I realized that, after all my years of tasting and learning about wines, that I couldn’t tell you what mourvèdre on its own tastes like.

Another factor complicating matters is that mourvèdre is like a secret agent among wine grapes – not just often appearing undercover, but also under many names.  In parts of Spain like Jumilla, mourvèdre is known as monastrell.  Some producers in Australia call it mataro.  So, when it came time to choose a theme for the next tasting for one of my wine groups, naturally I chose mourvèdre.

I’ve had some good luck with monastrell from the Jumilla region of Spain in the past.  In my early years of wine drinking, the Altos de Luzon bottling from Bodegas Luzon has ranged from good to fantastic depending on the vintage – though that wine is only 50% monastrell, blended with tempranillo and cab.

Last night, I got a look at the 2011 Tarantas Monastrell, also from Jumilla.  A wine of deep and rich reddish-purple color, the Tarantas gives forth aromas of dusty plums.  On the palate, the fruit tastes more like slightly medicinal red and dark cherries, with plummy acidity and a slightly herby brambly edge on the finish to lend some interest.  At $12 retail, this is a nice bargain-priced wine from 100% organically grown monastrell grapes and a good first glimpse into the character of this variety.

Next up, we had a French entrant, a 2010 Bandol called Le Galantin.  95% mourvèdre with a splash of grenache thrown in, this wine tastes true to its place of origin, with lavender and other Provençal herbs adding a floral edge to this rustic country wine.

Two New World takes on the variety took us to a slightly higher price range, with the 2007 D’Arenberg  The Twentyeight Road mourvèdre at $31 and the 2010 Carlisle Two Acres, a California blend of mostly mourvèdre with small amounts of petite syrah, syrah, peloursin, alicante bouschet and carignane.  The D’Arenberg immediately justifies its higher price tag, with a perfumey nose that’s instantly appealing.  To be fair, this is a bit older than the other wines, and has had time to become wine, as opposed to tasting like very primary grape joice.  Ripe fruit and judicious oak have played their roles perfectly here, resulting in a slightly redder-fruited wine than the others, and it’s delicious.

The Carlisle shows a slightly meaty edge that the other wines didn’t.  If we had had this double blind, I might have guessed from the nose that this was from the Rhone Valley, but the palate is classic Carlisle – dark, brooding but recognizably New World with its powerful, fruity style.  The D’Arenberg wins wine of the night honors for me, but perhaps with the same amount of age on it, this Carlisle might be equally deserving.

So, after tasting these wines, what is mourvèdre like?  My take is that the grape produces richly colored wines, and has a wild, brambly edge that feels part bushy, part peppery.  There’s a thread of racy acidity that seems to come naturally to each of the wines tasted tonight, producing starkly flavorful and aromatic wines without forbidding tannins, even in youth.  Fans of syrah, petite sirah and zinfandel/ primitivo might do well to check out mourvèdre/monastrell/mataro, in all of its guises. -Alan

The Tarantas Monastrell was tasted from a review sample bottle received free of charge from its distributor.

I’ve written in the past about participating in various blind tastings, but this week I had the opportunity for a new challenge: throwing a blind tasting.  I’m part of a group here in New York unofficially known as “Leo’s Blind Tasting Club”, which follows an idea put forth by founding member Leo F: rather than the common wine group structure of “everyone bring a bottle”, we take turns hosting the monthly tastings, and the host for each tasting supplies all of the wines for that particular evening.  This allows for the
host to plan a very coordinated double blind tasting, with themes for each flight or even an overall theme for the whole tasting. This month was my first turn hosting.

Most of the members of the club have a deeper cellar than I have, so I wasn’t going to be able to match other club tastings where, say, hosts poured entire flights of gems from the 70s or 80s.  In planning my tasting, I decided to build around what I could offer to the group: the benefit of my experiences as a wine blogger.  I’ve had the opportunity to taste a lot of wines off the beaten path, as at trade tastings featuring wines from non-mainstream regions like the Jura, Greece, Portugal, Toro, Navarra, right down to groupings as specific as cool-climate chardonnays from Canada.  In those wine travels I’ve come across a number of overachievers, and have often said to myself “this wine could totally pass for a wine from [fill in a heralded region].” A tasting like this one was a perfect opportunity to test some of those hypotheses.

As a starter wine to welcome the group to Trattoria L’Incontro in Astoria, where this dinner was held, I poured my favorite champagne of all time – the 2001 Vilmart & Cie Champagne Coeur de Cuvée, which I’ve blogged about in the past in this post.  Paired with cheese and vegetable-filled cream puff hors-d’oeuvres, this got us off to a great start- lively and exciting, showing complexity uncommon in the 2001 vintage and mouth-watering acid, this drew raves.  Although I warned the group that I would be pitching curve balls on this night, everyone pretty much called this as champagne, with pretty accurate guesses on age, mostly ranging from 1996 to 2002.

Onto the first white flight, built around comparing some French chardonnays from less vaunted regions to a very typical white Burgundy. The first wine in the flight shows golden color and a slightly smoky, flinty nose.   Out of nine blind tasters, this garners a few votes as favorite of the flight, and some guess Burgundy; other guesses include pinot gris and gruner veltliner.  This one is the 2009 Domaine Tissot (André & Mireille now Stéphane) Arbois Les Bruyères. Although savagnin, poulsard and trousseau seem to get more of the buzz around Jura wines, I feel the chardonnays from the Jura are underrated and stand up well to white Burgs, as I think this one does.

The next wine, buttery-opulent but saved by counterbalancing acidity, is our benchmark wine of the flight, 2007 Domaine / Maison Vincent Girardin Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Combettes.  This wine gets a majority of votes for wine of the flight – but not because everyone is a Cote d’Or Burgundy snob.  In fact, more people guess Cali (more…)

Today’s post is the next installment of my Wine and a Movie feature, and today I have an appreciation of the works of two acclaimed but probably under-discussed master craftsmen.  On the film side, we have Gus Van Sant, who you may know by his films “Good Will Hunting” and “Milk”, among others, although I want to focus on 2008′s “Paranoid Park”, based on a novel of the same name by Blake Nelson, and my favorite of Van Sant’s films.

On the wine side of things, I present 2010 Cameron pinot noir, from the Dundee Hills AVA, made by John Paul, one of the pinot pioneers of Oregon.  While “Burgundian” is a word mentioned in conjunction with a lot of pinot noirs from Oregon, Cameron is among the very few producers in the US whose wines truly deserve the label. Also, Cameron has possibly the coolest official winery bottle shot I have seen, here it is (with “Jackson Pawlick”):

Paranoid Park opens with a preview of what the viewer is in store for: risky and unusual music choices that don’t always work but keep the audience on its toes, eschewing the easy comfort of cliches for pieces that subtly portend what is to come in the story.  Nino Rota’s “Porticina Segreta” alternates between whimsical and foreboding, and Billy Swan’s 70′s hit “I Can Help” serves as unpredictable anthem to introduce us the film’s protagonist, Alex Trumaine, a sixteen year old skater kid in modern-day Portland, while simultaneously hinting through its lyrics at the drama set to unfold.

The 2010 Cameron pinot noir is also full of surprises.  The nose offers funky earth more often offered in wines from the Cote d’Or than Oregon.  The fruit has a racy, tart edge but is full with intensity that you expect from single-vineyard wines but not from an entry-level appellation blend.  There’s plenty of Oregon pinot noir typicity here, but the savory loaminess that I find too dominant in many Oregon pinots functions here as a lovely earthy accent.  I purchased my bottle for $35 and was quite happy, but certain retailers in Oregon often sell this bottling for under $20.  At that price, this wine is a sick, sick deal considering the Cameron wines are hand-crafted and sustainably farmed.  If you can find it under $20 this is probably the best American pinot noir in its price range.

While “Paranoid Park” employs dreamy visuals (courtesy of star cinematographer Christopher Doyle, also making an onscreen cameo) to tell its elliptical story, the real genius of this film lies in its sound: from score and source music to the inventive sound design that seals the viewer’s immersion into Alex’s world as the mystery surrounding the death of a railroad security guard near a skate park known as ‘Paranoid Park’ is peeled back layer by layer.

One of the few terms as overused as “Burgundian” is “Hitchcockian”, as applied to countless copycat films that mimic the Master of Suspense rather than taking his inspiration in new directions.  “Paranoid Park” plays to me like a film that Alfred Hitchcock would make in the modern day (with a splash of Kieslowski thrown in), which coming from as big a Hitchcock fan as I am, is a true compliment, especially considering that I’ve never been able to watch the shot-for-shot remake of “Psycho” that Van Sant did early in his career.    The dialogue among teenagers here is largely improvised, coming across as how kids of that age really talk as opposed to the overwritten teens seen so often in modern TV and film.  Flashes of humor buffet the story’s progression, and Alex’s relationship with his vapid cheerleader girlfriend, and the choice of music underneath one of their arguments, is a real hoot.

If you think that poetry can’t be found in a movie about skate punks, or a humble appellation blend domestic pinot, sit back, hit the play button and let the shifting aromas and textures of the Cameron Dundee Hills pinot noir accompany the lyrical soundscapes and visuals of Gus Van Sant’s underrated Pacific Northwest drama.  The strains of Elliott Smith’s “Angeles” and Cast King’s “Outlaw”, together with the advice of the more substantive female in Alex’s world, his friend Macy, serve as an appropriate coda to the film, and perhaps, the last sips of the bottle.  Cheers,

Alan

Just a quick post today with some tasting notes that may be useful for anyone looking to buy wines from the Anthill Farms 2012 Fall release slated to go live today.  I don’t have time to do a full background on Anthill Farms this time, but in a nutshell, they are an up-and-coming producer making mostly pinot noirs and syrahs sourced from the Sonoma Coast and Anderson Valley/Mendocino county regions.  In general, I find AF wines to be balanced but approachable, with generous fruit but delicacy as well.  The pinot noirs offer quality comparable to favorites of mine like Copain, Rhys and Rivers-Marie and the single vineyard bottlings are priced attractively, sometimes at around the same price as appellation blend bottlings from their competitors.  I had the chance to taste some Anthill Farms pinots at the In Pursuit of Balance tasting in New York a few months ago, and a few of those wines are in today’s release.  I’ve also included some other historical tasting notes from my own past purchases of AF wines. To join the mailing list, visit www.anthillfarms.com

• 2010 Anthill Farms Pinot Noir Tina Marie Vineyard – USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley (4/18/2012)
  A bit of a citrus blossom topnote on the nose, from the stems – reminds me a bit of some Rhys wines on the nose, and Anthony F. says he could see a similarity to Rhys’ old Alesia Falstaff bottling. Structured and full on the palate. Balanced with a really nice juiciness. Smooth, pretty, good acidity. 91-92 (92 points)
  
• 2009 Anthill Farms Pinot Noir Comptche Ridge Vineyard – USA, California, North Coast, Mendocino County (4/18/2012)
  From Mendocino, a little north of Anderson Valley. More perfumed on the nose than the 2010 Demuth, with some dirt/mud in there as well. Served a bit cold, this has spice and pepper on the palate. Quite good – will look into picking up this bottling in the future. 91-92 (91 points)
  
• 2010 Anthill Farms Pinot Noir Demuth Vineyard – USA, California, North Coast, Anderson Valley (4/18/2012)
  A little spicy, otherwise very Anderson Valley in its restraint, floral as well. Very pretty, slightly high-toned. Anthony Filiberti suggests that this may be a shade more elegant than the ’09 in style. Fruit forward, a hint of stewed character to the red cherry fruits on the palate. Consistent overall with last year’s Demuth which I really dug. (91 points)
  

• 2009 Anthill Farms Pinot Noir Abbey-Harris Vineyard – USA, California, North Coast, Anderson Valley (2/19/2012)
  Too early to drink this, but I wanted another check in ahead of the new Anthill release. Pretty aromatics, very Anderson Valley. Not as approachable as the Demuth that showed so well recently, but this may be the more serious wine, with tannic material that needs time to resolve. 90ish today, up to 92+ in the future. (92 points)
  
• 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)
  
• 2008 Anthill Farms Pinot Noir Anderson Valley – USA, California, North Coast, Anderson Valley (11/22/2010)
  Had a small pour; tried hard but couldn’t detect smoke on the nose of this small sample anyway. The palate was what I expected, a bit tart with cranberry and rhubarb flavors and cool climate in style. Decent, and not marred by smoke on the palate, at least for the one gulp I had. Fine but lacks excitement. 87-88+. Overall, the profile tends toward what I like so I look forward to trying single-vineyard bottlings and other vintages of this. (88 points)
  

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om CellarTracker

For many people, Memorial Day is not just a day to honor fallen heroes, it’s also the kick-off of the summer barbecue season.  Today I just wanted to share a few BBQ-friendly pairings that have worked for me in recent weekend cookouts.

The first wine is a Sicilian white that pairs well with grilled shrimp – the 2010 Inzolia from D’Alessandro Azienda Agricola.  The grape variety is inzolia, and as you might expect from a hot island like Sicily, this $15 white wine is crisp and serves as a great counterpoint to seafood, with a touch of minerality and a dollop of body and richness to please the tongue.  Try it as a refreshing partner to some grilled shrimp with spicy barbecue or cocktail sauce.

Moving on to reds, I was recently reminded that the king of bbq-friendly red wines is probably zinfandel from California.  The peppery, brambly flavor of zin stands up well to the often fiery hot spice of barbecued meats, and one budgety zin that outplayed some high-class Bordeaux competition for me recently was the 2010 Frei Brothers Reserve Dry Creek Valley zinfandel.  Dry Creek is an appellation within Sonoma County that is well known for turning out great zinfandel, and this edition has a lot to like: it’s also a green wine, with Frei Brothers’ sustainable farming practices, acreage devoted to preservation of wildlife habitats, and eco-friendly packaging including lighter glass bottles for lighter carbon footprint to recyclable pulp shipping materials.  The wine itself was fruity and aromatic, with lots of peppery cherry flavors that amplified turkey burgers with wasabi mayo quite nicely.  At about $16, you can load up on this one for the whole summer.

Both wines included in this report were tasted from review sample bottles received from the wineries or their representatives.

I recently attended a brunchtime tasting that was chock full of up-and-comers: set in Astoria, home of a burgeoning food scene including quality markets, cafes, and eateries, we tasted a range of wines from Red Newt Cellars and Atwater Vineyards,  both from the emergent Finger Lakes region of New York, together with some tasty small plates served up by Winegasm, a wine bar and restaurant just steps away from Astoria’s famed butcher shop K&T Quality Meats.

What I found was more evidence to support my proposition from my post on Finger Lakes wines from a few months ago – that this is truly a wine region worth watching (and tasting).  The highlight of the day for me was Red Newt Cellars’ 2009 Lahoma Vineyard Riesling (about $20-22).  Despite coming from young vines (less than five years old, I was told by assistant winemaker Brandon Seager), the 2009 Lahoma Vineyard bottling had many of the things that get me excited about a riesling – a nose that offered not just fruity aromas but also a flinty minerality and a touch of petrol.  These qualities are hallmarks of Old World riesling but something I’ve never found in, say, rieslings I’ve tried from Washington.  Edge goes to the Finger Lakes on this count – there’s terroir here that I’m interested in, that is distinct from other top riesling regions around the world.

One thing that surprised me is how well the Red Newt riesling paired with foie torchon with mandarin chutney.  The residual sugar in the riesling combines nicely with the delectable richness of the foie gras, which I might have otherwise thought to pair with a red because of the dish’s meaty intensity.  If you make it out to Winegasm, ask for this even if you don’t see it on the menu.  You will be rewarded if they have some on hand.

Another riesling-based wine that I appreciated was the Atwater Celsius 2010 sweet table wine.  Nice, not over the top in its sweetness, with apricot notes and a floral quality.  The controlled dollop of sweetness had just the balance I was looking for to wrap up a nice afternoon of hors d’oeuvres.

I also had the opportunity to sample some reds from Red Newt and Atwater, including pinot noir, cab franc and a blend that included cab sauv, lemberger, and syrah.  While the reds (tasted alongside yummy bacon-wrapped prunes) showed some promising characteristics – delicacy, herbal aromatics, varietal correctness – I wasn’t as taken with them.  But there is potential, especially with the pinot noir for my palate, so I will be keeping an eye on how the Finger Lakes reds improve in future vintages.

One more wine worth mentioning for those looking to get their riesling fix in a slightly more budgety way was the 2010 Red Newt Cellars “Circle Label” riesling ($10-12).  An appellation blend priced to compete with the “Kung Fu Girl” rieslings of the world, this is a smooth, fruity riesling with just a touch of mineral. Green apple and other orchard fruits are evoked, and a citrusy acidity keeps this fresh, while a touch of residual sugar makes this appealing and approachable for the average consumer looking for an affordable entry level peek into the Finger Lakes.

I attended this event free of charge as a guest of the organizers at Winegasm.

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.

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 (more…)

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.