Hello Everyone! You may have been wondering when we would get around to talking about Pinot Noir. Pinot Noir has steadily risen in popularity since 2004. Most people in the wine industry have attributed Pinot’s rise and Merlot’s fall to the movie Sideways. Pinot Noir is not our first choice in reds partially because the recent rise in popularity has driven up prices. This has also caused a rush to production and a subsequent decrease in quality at the lower price ranges. The end result is that you are going to have to pay up for a good one, or stick with a reliable producer. This is our first Pinot Noir review and La Crema Pinot is considered one of the most popular Pinot Noirs.
Pinot Noir is the noble red grape that hails from the Burgundy region of France, which can really make an elegant and memorable, if not haunting, wine. The good Burgundies can run you big bucks though, especially in the Grand Cru and Premier Cru classifications. However, some people consider Pinot Noir the best way to step into the world of red wine because it is not as woody, earthy, or tannic as Cabernet and some Merlots. It tends to have good fruit without being too jammy, with some oak for structure, and very little tannins. Outside of Burgundy, you can find Pinot Noir in California, with the cooler climates of Oregon, Washington, and most recently New Zealand (with climates that more closely mimic Burgundy) making a good push into the production of quality Pinot.
However, for a red wine grape it is really quite finicky when compared to its rivals such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Nebbiolo (source of the great Barolos and Barbarescos), and Sangiovese (Brunello and Chianti). Pinot Noir is a very thin-skinned grape and therefore needs cooler weather especially in the evening to flourish. Burgundy is approximately at 47° north latitude which is one of the northernmost wine regions. The Bordeaux region is at 44° north, and by comparison, Napa and Sonoma are located at about 38° north, a much warmer climate. This helps explain why cooler regions such as Oregon have come on strong over the last decade. For Pinot Noir to flourish in California, it needs the cooling fog to roll in off the coast in the evening. Areas along the Sonoma Coast and Russian River Valley in Sonoma are ideal, as is the Carneros region, which receives cooling fogs off the San Pablo Bay.
La Crema gets its Pinot Noir from the Sonoma Coast, which gives it a great start. It only receives about 7½ months in French oak barrels, of which only about a quarter are new. New oak imparts much more of that “oaky” taste than old oak barrels, so a Pinot usually won’t be overwhelmingly woody. It has aromas of ripe berries, spice, and pepper. There is a very good balance of cherries, plum, vanilla, and butter. This is a very juicy and fruity wine with a smooth, almost creamy, round, toasty oak finish.
This is an occasional buy again for us, for occasions when the meal or the company call for Pinot. But the usual price range of this wine is $25 – 35 and so this puts it a little higher than our preferred price range of wines that we like to buy. However, it is a well-established, quality Pinot. In future posts, we hope to explore more Pinot Noir, to really understand what makes this grape a passion for so many.
Drink what you like, like what you drink!
Rachel and Bryan Gavini
The Office
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Monday, March 29, 2010
Chateau du Cardboard – What’s in the Black Box?
Hello Everyone! If you’re like us, you’ve probably noticed that there appears to be a new section of wine growing in the shop where you usually purchase your wine: the boxed wine section. Traditionally, that section has been fairly small on the bottom shelf next to the jug wines and was mostly occupied by the brand Franzia (which Rachel’s uncle immediately labeled as “Chateau du Cardboard – great for hot days at the lake). But times are changing and there are more labels and more choices consisting of varietals from Paso Robles, New Zealand, Italy, and Australia.
We became intrigued by box wine about 6 years ago when Delicato Shiraz from California – in a box! – started gaining all sorts of accolades. Before this, you didn’t see many varietal wines in a box (Franzia “Mountain Chablis” is not really Chablis, but a form of Chenin Blanc blended with others grapes). Our first box wine gamble 6 years ago was Three Thieves Bandit Pinot Grigio, and the box looked more like a soy milk carton than anything else. Additionally, it was different from the others since it was the equivalent of a one-liter bottle, slightly larger than the standard box size (generally the equivalent to four 750-ml bottles). Out of curiosity, we picked it up and found it to be pleasant. The wine had much of the acidic character of Pinot Grigio due to the stainless fermentation and lack of secondary malolactic fermentation. However, a California Pinot Grigio such as the Three Thieves tends to have more fruit than its Italian counterparts, particularly due to the warmer climate. There are more tropical fruit and apple flavors than the crisp, mineral flavors found in the wines from cooler areas of Italy such as Alto Adige and the Veneto. This was a good wine to have a glass before dinner, but for the most part, due to its size, price, and re-closeable top which preserved its freshness, we used it as the white wine for all of our cooking needs and bought it fairly regularly. It’s always fun to share your glass of wine with what’s cooking on the stove.
A quick note on cooking with wine: do not use the stuff in the grocery store that is called “cooking wine.” This is not really wine at all, but a wine-based product that is loaded with salt and other preservatives. Only cook with wine that you would drink normally. This doesn’t have to be an expensive wine. These days with the advent of screw caps, we regularly use an inexpensive Chilean Sauvignon Blanc as our cooking wine. You don’t want to ruin a sauce, braise, or other meal because you used bad wine.
Black Box New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc
We hadn’t been buying the Bandit for the last few years, primarily because we switched our wine shopping venue, and because the afore-mentioned screw caps made it easier to keep the wine fresh for longer periods. But then, we came across the Black Box Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand. It was quite a bargain and a bit different from the Bandit above. It held three liters of wine, the equivalent of 4 bottles, and had a bag and spigot inside from which to draw the wine, which is great at maintaining freshness. With a price around $23, it was definitely worth a try since our favorite New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs run around $12 a bottle, and this was coming in just under $6 a bottle. Like the Bandit, this wine was nice to drink, although a little rounder/softer than our favorites. Overall, it had more tropical fruits rather than the citrus lemon and grapefruit that we are used to finding in New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. It also had a little less acidity. We rated this a buy again and have a box in the fridge now. Sometimes, you just want a glass of wine and don’t want to have to open a bottle. We still have the refrigerator white chilling for the weekends when we sit out and enjoy the garden.
Black Box Riesling – Snake River, Columbia Valley
To many people, the wine that they have the highest expectation of and the most disappointment with is Burgundy. For us, it has been Riesling. In the mid-90s while Bryan was studying chemistry, one of the professors was German and got us turned on to wines from the Mosel Region in Germany. These are incredible wines that combine the sweetness of tangerines, figs and honey with a nice crisp acidity of green apples and minerals. When it works, it’s heaven in a glass. But when it fails, it’s very disappointing. We’ll talk more about German Riesling in another post, but we have had some Rieslings out of Washington State before and find them promising and very good, especially some of the higher end wines like Eroica or the dry Rieslings from Bonny Doon. On first taste, we thought that this was going to be a great bargain. However, we found that the wine lacked the needed acidity to balance the sweeter flavors that Riesling offers. As the wine warmed up a little bit, it lost almost all of its acidity and became quite flabby and overly sweet. This was not a buy again for us.
Black Box Cabernet Sauvignon
This was the last box wine that we tried recently. Again, the whole purpose is to find a wine that offers great value, and the ability to get a glass or two of wine without opening the bottle and having it be oxidized within a day or two. If there was a theme around all of these wines, then it is that they tend to be softer than what we normally would choose in that particular varietal. For the Cabernet Sauvignon, this means smoother tannins than what you would find in more expensive wines. The Black Box Cabernet Sauvignon is sourced from the Central Coast of California including Monterey, Paso Robles, and Lodi. One of the characteristics of these regions is that they are very warm, and thus the grapes reach a high level of ripeness. This brings out the blackberry and cherry flavors and the wines tend to have fewer tannins. The Black Box Cab is balanced with some oak aging to give it a bit of vanilla and toast, which helps restrain the fruit. We would buy this again for the ability for the single glass of red wine.
The boxed wines provide a great opportunity to have the single glass when you want it, and will keep for some time. The price/volume ratio is great. The easy dispensing spigot is nice and you can keep the whites easily in the fridge and the reds on the countertop. The box prevents light from spoiling the wine. The selection of higher quality boxed wines is growing and Black Box is providing a good value for you.
Drink what you like, like what you drink!
Rachel and Bryan Gavini
We became intrigued by box wine about 6 years ago when Delicato Shiraz from California – in a box! – started gaining all sorts of accolades. Before this, you didn’t see many varietal wines in a box (Franzia “Mountain Chablis” is not really Chablis, but a form of Chenin Blanc blended with others grapes). Our first box wine gamble 6 years ago was Three Thieves Bandit Pinot Grigio, and the box looked more like a soy milk carton than anything else. Additionally, it was different from the others since it was the equivalent of a one-liter bottle, slightly larger than the standard box size (generally the equivalent to four 750-ml bottles). Out of curiosity, we picked it up and found it to be pleasant. The wine had much of the acidic character of Pinot Grigio due to the stainless fermentation and lack of secondary malolactic fermentation. However, a California Pinot Grigio such as the Three Thieves tends to have more fruit than its Italian counterparts, particularly due to the warmer climate. There are more tropical fruit and apple flavors than the crisp, mineral flavors found in the wines from cooler areas of Italy such as Alto Adige and the Veneto. This was a good wine to have a glass before dinner, but for the most part, due to its size, price, and re-closeable top which preserved its freshness, we used it as the white wine for all of our cooking needs and bought it fairly regularly. It’s always fun to share your glass of wine with what’s cooking on the stove.
A quick note on cooking with wine: do not use the stuff in the grocery store that is called “cooking wine.” This is not really wine at all, but a wine-based product that is loaded with salt and other preservatives. Only cook with wine that you would drink normally. This doesn’t have to be an expensive wine. These days with the advent of screw caps, we regularly use an inexpensive Chilean Sauvignon Blanc as our cooking wine. You don’t want to ruin a sauce, braise, or other meal because you used bad wine.
Black Box New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc
We hadn’t been buying the Bandit for the last few years, primarily because we switched our wine shopping venue, and because the afore-mentioned screw caps made it easier to keep the wine fresh for longer periods. But then, we came across the Black Box Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand. It was quite a bargain and a bit different from the Bandit above. It held three liters of wine, the equivalent of 4 bottles, and had a bag and spigot inside from which to draw the wine, which is great at maintaining freshness. With a price around $23, it was definitely worth a try since our favorite New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs run around $12 a bottle, and this was coming in just under $6 a bottle. Like the Bandit, this wine was nice to drink, although a little rounder/softer than our favorites. Overall, it had more tropical fruits rather than the citrus lemon and grapefruit that we are used to finding in New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. It also had a little less acidity. We rated this a buy again and have a box in the fridge now. Sometimes, you just want a glass of wine and don’t want to have to open a bottle. We still have the refrigerator white chilling for the weekends when we sit out and enjoy the garden.
Black Box Riesling – Snake River, Columbia Valley
To many people, the wine that they have the highest expectation of and the most disappointment with is Burgundy. For us, it has been Riesling. In the mid-90s while Bryan was studying chemistry, one of the professors was German and got us turned on to wines from the Mosel Region in Germany. These are incredible wines that combine the sweetness of tangerines, figs and honey with a nice crisp acidity of green apples and minerals. When it works, it’s heaven in a glass. But when it fails, it’s very disappointing. We’ll talk more about German Riesling in another post, but we have had some Rieslings out of Washington State before and find them promising and very good, especially some of the higher end wines like Eroica or the dry Rieslings from Bonny Doon. On first taste, we thought that this was going to be a great bargain. However, we found that the wine lacked the needed acidity to balance the sweeter flavors that Riesling offers. As the wine warmed up a little bit, it lost almost all of its acidity and became quite flabby and overly sweet. This was not a buy again for us.
Black Box Cabernet Sauvignon
This was the last box wine that we tried recently. Again, the whole purpose is to find a wine that offers great value, and the ability to get a glass or two of wine without opening the bottle and having it be oxidized within a day or two. If there was a theme around all of these wines, then it is that they tend to be softer than what we normally would choose in that particular varietal. For the Cabernet Sauvignon, this means smoother tannins than what you would find in more expensive wines. The Black Box Cabernet Sauvignon is sourced from the Central Coast of California including Monterey, Paso Robles, and Lodi. One of the characteristics of these regions is that they are very warm, and thus the grapes reach a high level of ripeness. This brings out the blackberry and cherry flavors and the wines tend to have fewer tannins. The Black Box Cab is balanced with some oak aging to give it a bit of vanilla and toast, which helps restrain the fruit. We would buy this again for the ability for the single glass of red wine.
The boxed wines provide a great opportunity to have the single glass when you want it, and will keep for some time. The price/volume ratio is great. The easy dispensing spigot is nice and you can keep the whites easily in the fridge and the reds on the countertop. The box prevents light from spoiling the wine. The selection of higher quality boxed wines is growing and Black Box is providing a good value for you.
Drink what you like, like what you drink!
Rachel and Bryan Gavini
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Red, White, and Loire - Two Wines from an Often Overlooked Region
Hello Everyone! This is the second installment of our wine experience in Bermuda and as we mentioned before, this one is about some wines from the Loire Valley in France. Our connection between Bermuda and the Loire came back in 2007, when we attended a wine open house at wholesaler/retailer/importer called New World Wines. Owner John Sharpe was featuring wines from the Loire along with several other areas, and two in particular most intrigued us: a Chenin Blanc from the appellation of Jasnieres and a Cabernet Franc from Bourgueil.
Some Brief Notes on the Loire
We first came across wines from the Loire Valley in our very early days of drinking wine because we enjoy dry, earthy reds, particularly Cabernet Franc. Back then, it was very difficult to get a varietal bottling of the Cabernet Franc grape except from the Loire. In the Bordeaux region, you can find it blended in good quantities in wines from Pomerol, but it rarely stood on its own outside the Loire. It was also quite difficult to find, in retail stores or restaurants, perhaps because the dry and earthly style doesn’t appeal to a lot of people. We remember one particularly eventful dinner years ago at Piccolo Venezia in the North End of Boston, where we ordered a red wine from the Chinon appellation of the Loire. The waiter wanted to be sure that we understood what we were getting, and that we also had plenty of water to go with our meal since the wine was so dry. But we loved the wine and over a short period of time, we ordered as many wines from Chinon as we could find on VirtualVineyards.com, which has since become Wine.com. Today, it’s still not that easy to find Loire Valley red wines in the United States, but many California producers are beginning to offer Cab Franc as a single varietal or blended with smaller amounts of Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot.
In terms of white wines, the Loire produces wines made primarily from Sauvignon Blanc and Chenin Blanc. You can also find delicious wines from Muscadet, which is made from the Melon de Bourgogne grape. We have always been fans of Sauvignon Blanc from almost any part of the world, and have enjoyed the wines from Sancerre, Menetou-Salon, Reuilly, and Pouilly Fume (not to be confused with Pouilly Fuisse in Burgundy). Sancerre is across the Loire River from Pouilly Fume, and Menetou Salon is directly west of Sancerre, “the other side of the hill.” All three appellations have similar characteristics in the Sauvignon Blanc.
Open House 2007
The first wine that we tasted at New World Wines’ open house was a Chenin Blanc from Domaine Les Maisons Rouges in Jasnieres 2005. We found this to be a full-bodied white with good acidity, a hint of sweetness and some good melon flavors. This Chenin Blanc was much more of a “winter white” and we felt that it was a great substitute for meals that would pair well with a Chardonnay.
The red that really hit the spot for us was Yannick Amirault Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil les Malgagnes 2003. It was rich, earthy, spicy, with a good bit of dryness to balance the fruit and herbal notes. It has a finish that seems to last forever. We thought that this was from Chinon, but learned that it was from Bourgueil (pronounced Boar-goy; think of the Jewish phrase oy vey), or more specifically, St. Nicolas-de-Bourgueil, which is on the north bank of the Loire, directly across the river from Chinon.
Needless to say, both of these wines rated the “buy a case” and we bought a few cases over the period of our time in Bermuda and managed to keep some to bring back home.
Return to New World Wine in 2010
While planning our recent trip to Bermuda, Rachel contacted John Sharpe, the owner of New World Wines and inquired about visiting the warehouse to pick up more of these wines. With the liquids travel regulations, you can’t take wine in your carry-on, but if you have a good solid roll-aboard and bring some packing supplies, you should be able to bring some home in your checked luggage (over the years and several cases in our roll-aboards, we’ve only lost one bottle to breakage). Additionally, if you’re traveling internationally, declare all of your wine when you go through customs. You get some duty free and we found that even the case of wine that we had only carried a duty of around $6, so they did not bother with charging the duty. (Alcohol duty varies with percentage and with wine being in the 12 – 13% range, the duty is almost always very small.)
So upon our arrival in Bermuda, we rented our scooter and met John at the warehouse on Saturday morning, intending to get a case of wine split between the Jasnieres and the Bourgueil. (On the ride over, we realized there was no way we were getting a box of wine on our rental scooter, but luckily for us, John graciously agreed to deliver it to our hotel.) John recommended a sampling of Jasnieres and Bourgueil which was perfect; especially since all of the wines were from the widely hailed 2005 vintage. We also purchased an extra bottle of one of the Jasnieres that was in our sample to have while on the island, since we had not tasted it before. The bottle was a 2005 Eric Nicolas Domaine de Belliviere Vielles Vignes Eparses Coteaux du Loir Blanc. That’s a really long name so we’ll break it down for you. The producer is Eric Nicolas and the winery is Domaine de Belliviere. It is a white wine from the appellation Coteaux du Loir, which is near the city of Anjou, southwest of Bourgueil. And “Vielles Vignes Eparses” means sparse old vines, which makes this a serious white wine.
The Eparses comes form 50-year-old vines and had a very deep straw color. It felt very full in the mouth. There was a hint of sweetness, plenty of melon flavors, but also an interesting almondy flavor that came from barrel aging. The wine finished with a nice dryness. The 14% alcohol content surprised us, but then 2005 was a warm year, which allowed for additional ripening. We also found that the colder we were able to get the wine, it maintained more acids and was more pleasant to drink in the warmer weather (even in March it can be difficult to keep your white wine cold in Bermuda; if you’re in a warm area we recommend a bucket with ice and water, and if you’re in direct sun, cover it a little bit with a light towel to prevent the bottle from absorbing the sunlight). Overall, it was a nice experience and we are glad that it’s in our sampler. This is a serious wine with some heft, so we would recommend it more as a “winter white” to be served with food rather than as a sipping wine on a warm sunny day. We will look for more of these wines since they do provide a nice alternative to Chardonnay.
Both wines retailed around $20 in Bermuda, and the pricing in the US is likely to be closer to $30 since these are not your standard wines.
The Loire Valley is a great area to pick up some varietals that are produced in very limited quantities, if at all, in the US. Very little good Chenin Blanc is produced in the US and the Loire provides another version of Sauvignon Blanc so you can have fun with a tasting of Sauvignon Blanc from around the globe. Chinon and Bourgueil are home to the elusive single varietal Cabernet Franc, which we love for its earthiness and it’s a nice hearty red to warm you during the cooler months.
Drink what you like, Like what you drink!
Rachel and Bryan Gavini
Some Brief Notes on the Loire
We first came across wines from the Loire Valley in our very early days of drinking wine because we enjoy dry, earthy reds, particularly Cabernet Franc. Back then, it was very difficult to get a varietal bottling of the Cabernet Franc grape except from the Loire. In the Bordeaux region, you can find it blended in good quantities in wines from Pomerol, but it rarely stood on its own outside the Loire. It was also quite difficult to find, in retail stores or restaurants, perhaps because the dry and earthly style doesn’t appeal to a lot of people. We remember one particularly eventful dinner years ago at Piccolo Venezia in the North End of Boston, where we ordered a red wine from the Chinon appellation of the Loire. The waiter wanted to be sure that we understood what we were getting, and that we also had plenty of water to go with our meal since the wine was so dry. But we loved the wine and over a short period of time, we ordered as many wines from Chinon as we could find on VirtualVineyards.com, which has since become Wine.com. Today, it’s still not that easy to find Loire Valley red wines in the United States, but many California producers are beginning to offer Cab Franc as a single varietal or blended with smaller amounts of Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot.
In terms of white wines, the Loire produces wines made primarily from Sauvignon Blanc and Chenin Blanc. You can also find delicious wines from Muscadet, which is made from the Melon de Bourgogne grape. We have always been fans of Sauvignon Blanc from almost any part of the world, and have enjoyed the wines from Sancerre, Menetou-Salon, Reuilly, and Pouilly Fume (not to be confused with Pouilly Fuisse in Burgundy). Sancerre is across the Loire River from Pouilly Fume, and Menetou Salon is directly west of Sancerre, “the other side of the hill.” All three appellations have similar characteristics in the Sauvignon Blanc.
Open House 2007
The first wine that we tasted at New World Wines’ open house was a Chenin Blanc from Domaine Les Maisons Rouges in Jasnieres 2005. We found this to be a full-bodied white with good acidity, a hint of sweetness and some good melon flavors. This Chenin Blanc was much more of a “winter white” and we felt that it was a great substitute for meals that would pair well with a Chardonnay.
The red that really hit the spot for us was Yannick Amirault Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil les Malgagnes 2003. It was rich, earthy, spicy, with a good bit of dryness to balance the fruit and herbal notes. It has a finish that seems to last forever. We thought that this was from Chinon, but learned that it was from Bourgueil (pronounced Boar-goy; think of the Jewish phrase oy vey), or more specifically, St. Nicolas-de-Bourgueil, which is on the north bank of the Loire, directly across the river from Chinon.
Needless to say, both of these wines rated the “buy a case” and we bought a few cases over the period of our time in Bermuda and managed to keep some to bring back home.
Return to New World Wine in 2010
While planning our recent trip to Bermuda, Rachel contacted John Sharpe, the owner of New World Wines and inquired about visiting the warehouse to pick up more of these wines. With the liquids travel regulations, you can’t take wine in your carry-on, but if you have a good solid roll-aboard and bring some packing supplies, you should be able to bring some home in your checked luggage (over the years and several cases in our roll-aboards, we’ve only lost one bottle to breakage). Additionally, if you’re traveling internationally, declare all of your wine when you go through customs. You get some duty free and we found that even the case of wine that we had only carried a duty of around $6, so they did not bother with charging the duty. (Alcohol duty varies with percentage and with wine being in the 12 – 13% range, the duty is almost always very small.)
So upon our arrival in Bermuda, we rented our scooter and met John at the warehouse on Saturday morning, intending to get a case of wine split between the Jasnieres and the Bourgueil. (On the ride over, we realized there was no way we were getting a box of wine on our rental scooter, but luckily for us, John graciously agreed to deliver it to our hotel.) John recommended a sampling of Jasnieres and Bourgueil which was perfect; especially since all of the wines were from the widely hailed 2005 vintage. We also purchased an extra bottle of one of the Jasnieres that was in our sample to have while on the island, since we had not tasted it before. The bottle was a 2005 Eric Nicolas Domaine de Belliviere Vielles Vignes Eparses Coteaux du Loir Blanc. That’s a really long name so we’ll break it down for you. The producer is Eric Nicolas and the winery is Domaine de Belliviere. It is a white wine from the appellation Coteaux du Loir, which is near the city of Anjou, southwest of Bourgueil. And “Vielles Vignes Eparses” means sparse old vines, which makes this a serious white wine.
The Eparses comes form 50-year-old vines and had a very deep straw color. It felt very full in the mouth. There was a hint of sweetness, plenty of melon flavors, but also an interesting almondy flavor that came from barrel aging. The wine finished with a nice dryness. The 14% alcohol content surprised us, but then 2005 was a warm year, which allowed for additional ripening. We also found that the colder we were able to get the wine, it maintained more acids and was more pleasant to drink in the warmer weather (even in March it can be difficult to keep your white wine cold in Bermuda; if you’re in a warm area we recommend a bucket with ice and water, and if you’re in direct sun, cover it a little bit with a light towel to prevent the bottle from absorbing the sunlight). Overall, it was a nice experience and we are glad that it’s in our sampler. This is a serious wine with some heft, so we would recommend it more as a “winter white” to be served with food rather than as a sipping wine on a warm sunny day. We will look for more of these wines since they do provide a nice alternative to Chardonnay.
Both wines retailed around $20 in Bermuda, and the pricing in the US is likely to be closer to $30 since these are not your standard wines.
The Loire Valley is a great area to pick up some varietals that are produced in very limited quantities, if at all, in the US. Very little good Chenin Blanc is produced in the US and the Loire provides another version of Sauvignon Blanc so you can have fun with a tasting of Sauvignon Blanc from around the globe. Chinon and Bourgueil are home to the elusive single varietal Cabernet Franc, which we love for its earthiness and it’s a nice hearty red to warm you during the cooler months.
Drink what you like, Like what you drink!
Rachel and Bryan Gavini
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
2005 Clos du Val Merlot – A Bordeaux-styled Merlot from Stags Leap that Drinks Like a Cabernet.
Hello Everyone! We are fresh back from Bermuda after a nice long weekend and are excited to share this wine with you. When we travel to Bermuda, we like to hit one of our favorite restaurants out in Southampton – The Ocean Club. However, it’s only open seasonally so our alternate “go to” restaurant has been Blu at Belmont. It has a great view of the island and harbor and a fabulous location to watch the sun set. Okay, so this is a wine blog and not a travel blog, so we’ll get on with the wine.
When we first started to really enjoy wine, Merlot was our grape of choice followed closely by Cabernet Sauvignon. Merlot has many of the characteristics of Cabernet but it has a little less tannin that makes it more approachable at the outset. However, we do enjoy a Merlot than has the weight of a Cabernet and there are a few out there. As Merlot grew in popularity through the 90’s, the prices also climbed and the quality slowly declined. Then in 2004, the pivotal event happened: the character Miles from Sideways seemingly ended the era of Merlot with his famous phrase, “I am not drinking any f@*$ing Merlot!” From that statement, the Pinot Noir craze was born. While not so good for the reputation of Merlot, this was great for us because Merlot prices came back down, the quality rose, and only the serious producers hung in there.
Clos du Val is located in the Stags Leap district of Napa Valley, and was co-founded in 1972 by Bordeaux native Bernard Portet. Bernard was Clos du Val’s winemaker for a number of years and still remains deeply involved with the winery today. The 1972 Cabernet Sauvignon, their very first vintage, was one of only 6 Napa Cabernets selected to compete in the famed “Judgment of Paris” tasting arranged by Steven Spurrier in 1976. We have found that Clos du Val maintains consistent quality year after year. So when Rachel spotted the Clos Du Val Merlot at a reasonable price after perusing the wine list at Blu, we decided to go for it. (We have often found that the Merlot section is a good place to look on a restaurant wine list for some good bargains.)
We have been to the winery in Napa a few times, and were able to enjoy their Zinfandel while living in Bermuda. It turns out that the winery makes the Zinfandel for export only, but will be releasing a Primitivo, Zinfandel’s Italian cousin, soon. When the waiter brought the wine out and poured a sample, we could tell it was going to be good from the smell alone. Then when we first tasted it, we knew Rachel had picked a winner for the evening. It had all of the black fruit flavors of Merlot, but it also had a good bit of earth and tannins. It was full-bodied and intense but not overly astringent. After reading the back label, we found out that the wine was 83% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Franc, and 6% Cabernet Sauvignon. This is a classic blend of Bordeaux found on the right bank in areas such as St. Emilion or Pomerol. In the United States, a wine only needs to be 75% of one grape to be called a varietal. In fact the 2006 vintage is 77% Merlot; just 2% over the minimum. The Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon were providing the extra spice, earthy aromas, tannins and structure to the wine in great balance with the softness and dark fruits of the Merlot.
This is definitely a buy a few more bottles at a time, although we don’t see it that often. Like many wines, there is quite a range for the retail price, from $13.50 - $23. It’s often difficult to find a complex wine like this at the lower end of the price range. Typically, you’ll find non-estate Cabernet Sauvignon in the $18 - $25 range, which tend to have a bit less structure than this wine. Look for Beaulieu, Sebastiani, or Benziger if you want to stick with Cabernet. For another power Merlot, we find we never go wrong with Sebastiani’s Merlot.
Like what you drink, Drink what you Like!
Rachel and Bryan Gavini
When we first started to really enjoy wine, Merlot was our grape of choice followed closely by Cabernet Sauvignon. Merlot has many of the characteristics of Cabernet but it has a little less tannin that makes it more approachable at the outset. However, we do enjoy a Merlot than has the weight of a Cabernet and there are a few out there. As Merlot grew in popularity through the 90’s, the prices also climbed and the quality slowly declined. Then in 2004, the pivotal event happened: the character Miles from Sideways seemingly ended the era of Merlot with his famous phrase, “I am not drinking any f@*$ing Merlot!” From that statement, the Pinot Noir craze was born. While not so good for the reputation of Merlot, this was great for us because Merlot prices came back down, the quality rose, and only the serious producers hung in there.
Clos du Val is located in the Stags Leap district of Napa Valley, and was co-founded in 1972 by Bordeaux native Bernard Portet. Bernard was Clos du Val’s winemaker for a number of years and still remains deeply involved with the winery today. The 1972 Cabernet Sauvignon, their very first vintage, was one of only 6 Napa Cabernets selected to compete in the famed “Judgment of Paris” tasting arranged by Steven Spurrier in 1976. We have found that Clos du Val maintains consistent quality year after year. So when Rachel spotted the Clos Du Val Merlot at a reasonable price after perusing the wine list at Blu, we decided to go for it. (We have often found that the Merlot section is a good place to look on a restaurant wine list for some good bargains.)
We have been to the winery in Napa a few times, and were able to enjoy their Zinfandel while living in Bermuda. It turns out that the winery makes the Zinfandel for export only, but will be releasing a Primitivo, Zinfandel’s Italian cousin, soon. When the waiter brought the wine out and poured a sample, we could tell it was going to be good from the smell alone. Then when we first tasted it, we knew Rachel had picked a winner for the evening. It had all of the black fruit flavors of Merlot, but it also had a good bit of earth and tannins. It was full-bodied and intense but not overly astringent. After reading the back label, we found out that the wine was 83% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Franc, and 6% Cabernet Sauvignon. This is a classic blend of Bordeaux found on the right bank in areas such as St. Emilion or Pomerol. In the United States, a wine only needs to be 75% of one grape to be called a varietal. In fact the 2006 vintage is 77% Merlot; just 2% over the minimum. The Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon were providing the extra spice, earthy aromas, tannins and structure to the wine in great balance with the softness and dark fruits of the Merlot.
This is definitely a buy a few more bottles at a time, although we don’t see it that often. Like many wines, there is quite a range for the retail price, from $13.50 - $23. It’s often difficult to find a complex wine like this at the lower end of the price range. Typically, you’ll find non-estate Cabernet Sauvignon in the $18 - $25 range, which tend to have a bit less structure than this wine. Look for Beaulieu, Sebastiani, or Benziger if you want to stick with Cabernet. For another power Merlot, we find we never go wrong with Sebastiani’s Merlot.
Like what you drink, Drink what you Like!
Rachel and Bryan Gavini
Thursday, March 18, 2010
The Refrigerator White – A glass of white wine for any time.
Hello everyone! Well, the weather is warming up and although it may not be summer yet, the official start of spring is just around the corner. Daylight savings has given us an extra hour of sunlight and the days will continue to get longer. This time of year we begin to look into purchases of our “Refrigerator White.” The refrigerator white is a wine that you buy by the case or back the truck up, and always have a bottle handy in the refrigerator. That way you can just have a nice refreshing cold glass of wine anytime you want. In our house, we have a mantra for this time of year and into the summer: “There must always be a bottle of cold white wine in the fridge at all times.”
Our requirements for the refrigerator white are the following:
(1) You absolutely love the wine and can have at any time of year.
(2) The wine is readily available and you can get it by the case.
(3) The wine is relatively inexpensive – generally $10 a bottle or less.
(4) We prefer wines with a screw cap since they hold better for a day or two in the fridge.
Over the years, we have been using two wines as our primary refrigerator whites: Geyser Peak Sauvignon Blanc and Chateau Bonnet White Bordeaux, a Sauvignon Blanc blend. We love the crisp acidity found in Sauvignon Blanc along with the citrus flavors of grapefruit, lemon and lime, a bit of grass, and enough fruit to be well balanced with a minerally finish. Both Geyser Peak and Chateau Bonnet have all of those characteristics and both come in a screw cap. One of the other aspects of Sauvignon Blanc that we like is that it is generally the least manipulated, or most honest, wine. Each of the regions that makes a Sauvignon Blancs – California, South America, South Africa, New Zealand, Australia, and France – will generally put its own stamp on the wine, a stamp that shows the best characteristics of the region. With Sauvignon Blancs from New Zealand, you tend to get a crisp, racy, grapefruity acidity, a fruit-forward wine with a real zing. In South Africa, you taste the fruit, but you can also taste more of the steel and mineral flavors that are characteristic of South African Sauvignon Blanc. French wines are usually a little more restrained, frequently balanced out with a bit of Semillon (another white wine grape) added.
Geyser Peak Sauvignon Blanc
In a previous post, we wrote about Geyser Peak’s Ascentia Cabernet Sauvignon, a high-end wine. We enjoy all of the offerings from Geyser Peak and belong to their wine club. For the past nineteen years, Geyser Peak has been making this wine in its pure style with no oak aging, no malolactic fermentation, and no winemaker tricks. To do this, they source grapes from cooler growing areas, pick some grapes early to preserve the acidity and grassiness, make each lot separately in stainless steel tanks under cool conditions. The result is probably one of the best showings of Sauvignon Blanc from California; flavors of green apples and lots of grapefruit and citrus, some grass and a hint of tropical fruit flavors to round it out with a good crisp finish.
Chateau Bonnet White Bordeaux
Chateau Bonnet is situated on chalky, clay slopes in the Graves region of Bordeaux, France, known as Entre-Deux-Mers, which translates to between two seas. In fact, it’s in an area that is between two rivers. It is a blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon and Muscadelle, another indigenous Bordeaux grape that should not be confused with Muscat or Moscatel. The result is a similar flavor profile as the Geyser Peak with good crisp acidity, nice citrus flavors with a good bit of peach and melon fruit and nice mouth feel. Many white Bordeaux winemakers stick to using just Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon, but Andre Lurton adds that extra touch of Muscadelle, approximately 10%, that seems to make all the difference. White Bordeaux without the Muscadelle, or that has a greater percentage of Semillon, can be a little too lean and grassy for our tastes. Chateau Bonnet has switched to a screw cap with the 2008 vintage.
Both wines can retail for as low as $8.99 which makes them a steal, but you’ll typically see them in the $10 range and perhaps a little more. If ordered by the case, you might get a 10% or 15% discount which helps bring the cost down. Geyser Peak should be available anywhere, and Chateau Bonnet has become more and more available to us over the past few years.
So go to your favorite wine, grocery, or package store and pick up a case of either one, or six and six, and enjoy for the next few months. Just remember, when you are getting to the end of the bottle, remember our mantra, and make sure you put another in the fridge.
Drink what you like, like what you drink!
Rachel and Bryan Gavini
Our requirements for the refrigerator white are the following:
(1) You absolutely love the wine and can have at any time of year.
(2) The wine is readily available and you can get it by the case.
(3) The wine is relatively inexpensive – generally $10 a bottle or less.
(4) We prefer wines with a screw cap since they hold better for a day or two in the fridge.
Over the years, we have been using two wines as our primary refrigerator whites: Geyser Peak Sauvignon Blanc and Chateau Bonnet White Bordeaux, a Sauvignon Blanc blend. We love the crisp acidity found in Sauvignon Blanc along with the citrus flavors of grapefruit, lemon and lime, a bit of grass, and enough fruit to be well balanced with a minerally finish. Both Geyser Peak and Chateau Bonnet have all of those characteristics and both come in a screw cap. One of the other aspects of Sauvignon Blanc that we like is that it is generally the least manipulated, or most honest, wine. Each of the regions that makes a Sauvignon Blancs – California, South America, South Africa, New Zealand, Australia, and France – will generally put its own stamp on the wine, a stamp that shows the best characteristics of the region. With Sauvignon Blancs from New Zealand, you tend to get a crisp, racy, grapefruity acidity, a fruit-forward wine with a real zing. In South Africa, you taste the fruit, but you can also taste more of the steel and mineral flavors that are characteristic of South African Sauvignon Blanc. French wines are usually a little more restrained, frequently balanced out with a bit of Semillon (another white wine grape) added.
Geyser Peak Sauvignon Blanc
In a previous post, we wrote about Geyser Peak’s Ascentia Cabernet Sauvignon, a high-end wine. We enjoy all of the offerings from Geyser Peak and belong to their wine club. For the past nineteen years, Geyser Peak has been making this wine in its pure style with no oak aging, no malolactic fermentation, and no winemaker tricks. To do this, they source grapes from cooler growing areas, pick some grapes early to preserve the acidity and grassiness, make each lot separately in stainless steel tanks under cool conditions. The result is probably one of the best showings of Sauvignon Blanc from California; flavors of green apples and lots of grapefruit and citrus, some grass and a hint of tropical fruit flavors to round it out with a good crisp finish.
Chateau Bonnet White Bordeaux
Chateau Bonnet is situated on chalky, clay slopes in the Graves region of Bordeaux, France, known as Entre-Deux-Mers, which translates to between two seas. In fact, it’s in an area that is between two rivers. It is a blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon and Muscadelle, another indigenous Bordeaux grape that should not be confused with Muscat or Moscatel. The result is a similar flavor profile as the Geyser Peak with good crisp acidity, nice citrus flavors with a good bit of peach and melon fruit and nice mouth feel. Many white Bordeaux winemakers stick to using just Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon, but Andre Lurton adds that extra touch of Muscadelle, approximately 10%, that seems to make all the difference. White Bordeaux without the Muscadelle, or that has a greater percentage of Semillon, can be a little too lean and grassy for our tastes. Chateau Bonnet has switched to a screw cap with the 2008 vintage.
Both wines can retail for as low as $8.99 which makes them a steal, but you’ll typically see them in the $10 range and perhaps a little more. If ordered by the case, you might get a 10% or 15% discount which helps bring the cost down. Geyser Peak should be available anywhere, and Chateau Bonnet has become more and more available to us over the past few years.
So go to your favorite wine, grocery, or package store and pick up a case of either one, or six and six, and enjoy for the next few months. Just remember, when you are getting to the end of the bottle, remember our mantra, and make sure you put another in the fridge.
Drink what you like, like what you drink!
Rachel and Bryan Gavini
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