Friday Wine Roundup: Best QPR (Quality to Price) Wines This Week- June 20, 2008

QPR is a measure of a wines Quality to Price Ratio. QPR is used to determine whether or not a wine is worth its price. Each Friday I put up a list of wines that I have recently tasted, that I feel offer great “bang for their buck.” With gas at $4.00 a gallon or more, it’s good to know that you can continue to enjoy great wines even when the budget tightens up. The wines listed here are wines that I feel offer you, the consumer, a great wine that is both well priced, and succeeds at providing a great wine experience. I try to introduce new grape varieties or wine regions to keep things interesting and recommend keeping an eye out for these good QPR’s next time you’re out wine shopping. Most, if not all are available throughout Baltimore. Read more

20 Great Value Wines: How to drink good wine when gas is $5.00 a gallon or more

The current economy has most of us cutting back on non-essentials, driving less, and trying to find ways to save a few bucks. Below is a list of wines that you can afford by cutting back on two gallons of gas or less (most are under $10!). For specific recommendations on wines, wine regions, wine pairings, or anything related to value wines, leave a comment. Have a favorite wine under $10 that I missed? Let us know about it! (Image: WINE AND MONEY© Kvkirillov | Dreamstime.com)

Here are my top picks for value wines, producers, and wine regions. Keep in mind that an 85 is a “Very Good” wine and shouldn’t be overlooked. Too often reviewers and magazines want you to think that only 90 point wines are worth drinking…this isn’t the case and can become quite expensive! An 85 point wine is a wine that I consider to be very good, and would buy again.

Keep an eye out for my report next week on the best wineries and wine regions when it comes to quality and value!

Twenty Great Value Wines: (Click here to download this as a shopping list in PDF Form)

Sparkling

N.V. Riondo Prosecco Veneto IGT -$12 (Italy, Veneto, Veneto IGT): Sealed with a traditional cork requiring a cork-screw. A little sweet, hint of yeast, a little fruity, not a lot of fizz but quite refreshing. Overall good appertif, nice flavors. My rating: 87 pts, GV (Good Value)

N.V. Roederer Estate Brut -$21 (USA, California, North Coast, Anderson Valley): This is the most expensive wine I put on the list, with all the others being $12 or less. But for the price, you get good value here. Apples and citrus on the palate, a very crisp wine with subtle nuttiness and caramel. Nice finish- a great bottle of a special dinner on a budget. My rating: 89 pts, GV Read more

WineBloggingWednesday #46: White Rhone Wines with Dr. Debs of Good Wine Under $20

Each month wine bloggers around the world unite for a virtual wine tasting labeled “Wine Blogging Wednesday.” A particular blog is chosen as the host for the event who then picks a theme and a Wednesday on which the wine blogging community gets together to post their wine and a few tasting notes.

This month our host is Dr. Deb’s of Good Wine Under $20. Her theme which I greatly appreciate is white wines from the Rhone. We’ve been tasting and drinking a good amount of Rhone wines lately, but only 10 or so white wines in the last few months from the Rhone. This was a good reason to open a bottle of Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc I’ve been waiting anxiously to try. (For more on Chateauneuf, click here!)

The wine I chose is the 2003 Tardieu-Laurent Châteauneuf-du-Pape Vieilles Vignes (vines pictured below). This wine comes from an established producer who makes good to great wines throughout the Rhone Valley. Recently, Michel Tardieu put out a 2005 Chateauneuf-du-Pape (CdP) red wine that has received outstanding ratings and praise, including a score of 96 pts from the Wine Spectator’s James Molesworth (of whom I have great respect as a wine critic). This was my first Tardieu-Laurent white wine, though I’ve had many of his reds across a variety of vintages. I enjoy his style of wine very much finding them consistently hold true to the characteristics of both the fruit and terroir. I do recommend them highly if you enjoy Rhone wines or are looking to expand your palate to Southern France. Read more

Rhone Tasting Report: Including some very good wines from Domaine de la Charbonniere

The Rhone Valley is one of my favorite wine regions in the world. The Northern Rhone is known for producing the best Syrah’s in the world which are spicy, terroir driven and complex. Red wines of the Southern Rhone, including the prized Chateauneuf-du-Pape wines, are comprised of Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre, Cinsault. Wines labeled Cotes du Rhone cover both the Northern and Southern Rhone Valley, and are generally wines that didn’t meet criteria for being labeled as a specific designation (which means they cost less and can be much better values!). Wines from the Rhone vary quite a bit from North to South, and appellation to appelation. One thing that remains constant, is the trueness to the terroir that these wines possess. The whites tend to have great minerality and good expressions of the fruits, whereas the red wines generally have good earth/soil characteristic to them, as well as spice and both red and dark fruit notes. (Image of Castle/Vineyard in Chateauneuf was uploaded from Flickr Photo uploaded on Flickr April 28th, 2007 by Fretless88 Creative Commons license).

Below are my tasting notes from a recent Rhone Wine Tasting at the Wine Source. This is part II in the Overview of the Rhone Valley feature I wrote yesterday. Overall, there were some very good wines poured and although not too many great “values” (under $20), there are a lot of good wines for the price if you can afford to pay a bit more. I’ve arranged the wines into categories to show which wines I feel are best for their price.

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“Cellar Notes” on WYPR: Great programming, but not always great advice!

As a PhD student, I spend a lot of time sitting in front of a computer that is attached to electrophysiology equipment, a big microscope equipped with a CCD camera, and a giant laser used to stimulate neurons in rat brain tissue. I spend hours and hours recording electrical activity of neurons with the hope that I’ll positive data so I can graduate some time before the 2005 Bordeaux’s are at their peak (in the next 20-40 years). The advantage to my day is that I can listen to music, podcasts, and watch videos while my experiments are running. Most of the day, though, I am just simply listening to National Public Radio (NPR) trying to keep up on the news, politics and other things going on in Baltimore and the rest of the world.

I think it’s fair to say that I’m slightly addicted to NPR. I listen at all hours of the day and night and home. I am really impressed with our local NPR station (WYPR in Baltimore). One program I really enjoy is a short (5 minutes or so) segment called Cellar Notes. Each day around 5:30 PM Al Spoler and Hugh Sisson discuss wine topics ranging from wine pairing advice and wine events, to recently to the new up and coming varietal.I really enjoy and appreciate the programming, and try to catch it at least a few times a week. I think it’s a great way to get people excited about wines and is very informative and well produced.

In the last few weeks though, two comments were made that I completely disagree with. One, involving American Pinot Noir versus those of Burgundy. The second, being a comment on foods that go better with beer (rather than wine).

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The Wine World Gone Crazy: I guess wine ratings do mean everything

If you frequently visit the forums of the major wine publications, you’ve been noticing a fervor of activity as of late regarding the 2005 vintage of Bordeaux wines. As most of you are probably aware, Bordeaux is one of the premier wine regions in the world. Each year more than 700 million bottles of Bordeaux wine (both white and red) are produced while people (enthusiasts and speculators) across the world wait anxiously for their release. Bordeaux wines are so popular that you can buy them up to two years before their release (called buying “futures”). These “futures” are intended to allow wine enthusiasts to secure bottles of their favorite, highly sought after wines year in and year out at a set “release price”. The reward of buying futures is that in a good vintage, such as 2005, the wines tend to go up in cost by the time the reach the market. This is especially true when a vintage is over-hyped (again as 2005), as is even more so when the US Dollar is very weak against the Euro. Read more

Wines for Spring Part II: A Shopping List - 20 wines to kick off any springtime BBQ!

Part II of my Spring Wine Guide (Read Part I here): The chill of winter is ready to be packed away with your snow pants and wool sweaters in exchange for bathing suits and tank tops. If you’re like me, this time of year you’ll also transition from drinking big red wines every night to more Champagne, crisp whites, and Rose. Sure you’ll still have a big Cabernet or Barolo with a nice dinner indoors, but on a warm spring or summer night its best to kick things off with one (or two, or three!) bottles of a light, slightly chilled wine.

Here are my recommended wines for this Spring organized by Country and Price, with truncated tasting notes (Pink text = Rose wine, Green text = white or sparkling wine, Red text = red wine):

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Wine Blogging Wednesday #44: Gary Vay-ner-chuk and Ca-ber-net Franc!

Hello everybody and welcome to foodandwineblog.com - I am your host - Michael Mo-hamm-a-di and this is….OK OK, I can’t pull it off using text. Maybe I’ll switch it up to a video blog sometime in the future. Until then, you’ll have to relay on Gary V at WineLibrary TV (tv.winelibrary.com) for over the top, enthusiastic introductions!

This month’s Wine Blogging Wednesday host is Gary Vaynerchuk of WineLibrary TV. Gary’s challenge was to try an old world Cabernet Franc. He had recently returned from France and was pleasantly surprised with how well the grape is doing in Southern France, especially the Loire Valley. I think it’s a great theme as I bet most of you haven’t had a single varietal, old world Cab Franc. Often used as a blending grape, most notably in Bordeaux, Cab Franc contributes vibrant color, flavors of green vegetables (especially bell peppers) and ripe red fruits. This was a fun theme for me especially since I’m a big fan of Cabernet Franc. I decided to combine this tasting with my own challenge of pairing a Cabernet Franc with a few food items that red wine isn’t supposed to go with.
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I love it when friends come to visit - Cheeses, scallops, shrimp, ribeyes, Cabernet, Syrah and more!

I love it when a good friend comes to visit. It’s a great excuse to open a few nice bottles of wine and make a big dinner. Last night my friend Brandon drove down from Michigan for dinner and a 4 day mini-vacation. About 10 minutes after pulling into the driveway, we went to a local wine store for a wine tasting and to stock up for the weekend. From there we hit Whole Foods where we found some cheese, sweet potato’s, scallops, collosal shrimp, beef ribeye steak and a bison New York strip steak.
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Wine Club March ‘08 Meetup: The Recap!

This past weekend the F&WB Wine Club met up for an Easter-eve wine tasting. We had a good turnout this month with 13 attendees including 5 (two of which I am pictured with below near our bar) new people who haven’t been to any previous tastings. There were more than 10 cheeses, multiple salmon-based finger foods, grilled chicken and a bunch of other treats on hand. The theme was to bring a bottle of wine under $20 that was something you have had before and enjoyed. The hope was to find a handful of great value wines that would be outstanding for every-day consumption. About half of the wines fell into this category while the other half were randomly picked. The wines were all brown bagged and tasted blind and rated. We voted on our favorites at the end of the night before removing the bags. Below is a list of the wines on hand in descending order of how they were rated (I present the sparkling wines first which were tasted non-blind). The unanimous winner was the 2006 Fat Catz Cat Amongst Pigeons Syrah/Cabernet blend which I scored blind 91 pts and is an outstanding value.
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TN: Three Champagne’s: One good, one not-bad, one ugly.

Here are tasting notes on three Champane’s we had recently:

The good (the Huskies approve as well!):

1998 Duval-Leroy Champagne Blanc de Chardonnay Brut - $42: Light pale in color with a lot of tiny bubbles that seem endless. Initial dough/yeastiness (brioche), some citrus, a lot of banana peel, some caramel, just a lot of great stuff going on with the nose. Immediate and large dose of grapefruit and yeast on the palate, followed by pear and lime that carries through the finish when a touch of almond appears for a short while. Good focus, solid acidity and balance. Solid effort - drinking well now. My rating: 92 pts, GV (Good value)

The not-bad:

N.V. R. L. Legras Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut -$38: Light pale in color with grapefruit, melon, lime, apple, apricot flavors. Light style through the finish but crisp and refreshing enough. My rating: 86 pts, OKV (OK Value)

The ugly:

N.V. Jean Vesselle Champagne Brut Réserve - $36: Light/medium amber color - it began with a good nose of citrus, some vanilla, a lot of pear and apple, and a very little touch of brioche. On the palate the wine was very light and lacked any sort of body or finish. Granny smith apples and a lot of green pears stood out…which was pleasant. After 30 minutes though, the wine completely fell apart. Perhaps flawed? There was no finish and the fruits became quite sour. It started out fine (86 pts?) but really fell apart quickly. My rating: 82 pts, PV (poor value)

Tasting Notes: 7 Chateauneuf’s from 1989 - 2001

Tasting notes from a recent gathering of friends (read more about it here) which featured perfect food pairings for the event!

1989 Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe Châteauneuf-du-Pape La Crau (750 mL) Bottle 1: Decanted 1 hour. Medium-ruby color, a bit dusty. Dark fruits, barnyard, eucalyptus notes on the nose. Less fruit on the palate but some currant and cherry left, good spice notes rolled into the soft tannins. Opened side by site with another 1989 which showed a bit better. My rating: 88 pts

1989 Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe Châteauneuf-du-Pape La Crau (750 mL) Bottle 2: Decanted 1 hour. Second bottle of two. More vibrant ruby color than the other bottle, which translated to a bit more fruit on the nose. Currant, cherry, pepper, and mineral notes. More complex mid-palate and again, spice notes into medium tannins on the finish. A sip of this wine at the end of the night (roughly 5 hour decant) showed it was still evolving and drinking well. My rating: 90 pts

1995 Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe Châteauneuf-du-Pape La Crau (1500 mL): Beautiful deep ruby color with aroma’s of barnyard, cherry, raspberry, leather, earth. Opened up into an incredible wine that might still be considered in it’s youth (from a magnum with great provenance anyways). Lots of dark cherry, herbs, mineral notes and spice all packaged with formidable tannins and a complex finish. The 1995 is the new 2001, this wine thinks it’s in its youth…if you’ve got any left, keep it another 4-5 years or enjoy now with a long decant. My rating: 94 pts

2000 Domaine du Pégaü Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Réservée (750 mL): Decanted 1+ hour. Deep purple color - aromas of dark cherry, dark berries, herbs. This wine is just waking up, it’s completely alive with lots of red fruits and pepper on the palate - very balanced with velvety tannins. The finish is rich, long and expressive. This has a some years until it peaks. My rating: 93 pts

1998 Domaine St. Benoit Châteauneuf-du-Pape La Truffière (1500 mL): Medium ruby color, clear edges. Dark raspberry and cherry really stand out on the nose with some evergreen. Candied cherry, licorice and spice with a medium finish. My rating: 90 pts

1998 Domaine de la Charbonnière Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Spéciale Les Hautes Brusquières (750 mL): Aromas of white pepper, cherry, and a whiff of herbs and perhaps a floral component. Fruits really showing well with thyme standing out somewhere in the mix of it all. Big tannins with good acidity and a long finish. My rating: 92 pts

2001 E. Guigal Châteauneuf-du-Pape (750 mL): Red fruits, complex flavors with herbs, plum, toffee and spice notes. Lighter in style with a medium body and medium length finish. My rating: 90 pts

2001 Bois de Boursan Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée des Felix (2 x 750 mL): Dark cherry, cellar/barnyard nose that gave way to berries, spice and minerals. Rich mouth feel, good structure and balance with solid tannins and a long finish. Really well put-together wine, lovely that will show well for years to come. My rating: 94 pts

10.5 Liters of Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Duck, Rabbit, Lamb, Homemade Cheesecake, Great Group of Wine Lovers - Did I get Your Attention?

Saturday, January 26, 2008, the “MD - Cru” met up for one of its “offlines”. The “Cru” is made up of friends, new and old, that have two things in common - they love great food and wine, and they make great company! Kim and I were first lucky enough to meet up with them a first time this past October (see what happened the first time around) but they’ve been doing this for years! After missing at Italian event in November (we were in Italy!) and a Champagne event in December (home for holidays), we were focused on joining in on a tasting of one of our favorite wines - Chateauneuf-du-Pape.

The tasting was held at the beautiful home of one of the “regulars” of the MD - Cru out near Bethesda. The event featured the following food menu of which recipes for some if not all will follow (these people made some OUTSTANDING dishes and I begged and begged for the recipes…hopefully we’re all lucky enough to get them!).

The wines (all Chateauneufs):
2 x 750 ml: 1989 Domaine du Vieux Telegraphe La Crau
1 x 1.5 L: 1995 Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe La Crau
1 x 1.5 L: 1998 St. Benoit Chateauneuf du Pape Grand Garde
2 x 750 ml: 1998 Bois de Boursan Cuvee de Felix Chateauneuf du Pape
2 x 750 ml: 2000 Domaine du Pegau Cuvee Reserve
2 x 750 ml: 2001 Domaine de la Charbonniere - Le Hautes Brusquieres
2 x 750 ml: 2001 E. Guigal Chateauneuf du Pape

Others:
Piper Heidsieck NV Champange
Chusclan Les Ribieres Cotes Du Rhone 2001 - OUTSTANDING VALUE, Great wine
Mystery Bottle (seen in Aluminum Foil) Bob Johnson’s Homemade Pear Wine - Great Stag Winery

MENU
H’ordeurves:
Duck served with cucumber, crackers and chives - Brilliant appetizer, simple yet elegant and quite delicious
Melon Wrapped in Prosciutto - Always a crowd pleaser, the Prosciutto was very rich perfectly cured
Marinated Flank Steak - Paging CS (the owner of this recipe) - outstanding texture and flavors
Rabbit - Delicate, well seasoned, with the right amount of gaminess, perfect way to start the night of French wines!

Starters:
Green bean casserole - One of the best green bean casseroles I’ve had, so rich, good textures, lovely
Carrot souffle - Delicate. So delicate, perfectly prepared. Everyone guessed nutmeg, but cinnamon was the star.
Brussel sprouts pancetta - How do you take a vegetable some people dislike and make it to die for? Add pork! I love Brussel sprouts anyways, but this take on them is a real winner.
Potatoes - Cheesy and delicious.

Main Course:
Lamb - Perfectly tender, seasoning was spot on, cooked to perfection - juicy and delicious.
Cassoulet - It’s hard to mess up something that’s ingredients include rabbit, sausage, lamb…beans, I mean, come on…this was incredible.

Dessert:
Cheese cake (homemade with white/dark chocolate) - The crust was so delicate, the body very rich. Outstanding cheesecake.
Cannoli’s and Carinaolies - Vaccaro’s never fails!

Here’s what a plate of this deliciousness looked like:

As far as food and wine pairings go, almost everything was spot on. Anytime you have lamb, duck, or rabbit on the table, a Chateauneuf is a good match. It would be very difficult to pick a wine of the night - they were all very good. The 1995 Vieux Telegraphe was drinking INCREDIBLE, the St. Benoit as well, the Pegau had a lot going on with complex flavors and amazingly silky tannins, and the 2001 Bois de Boursan Cuvee de Felix was outstanding. This wine with a bit more age will be very special and is highly recommended if you can find it. Specific tasting notes will be posted and linked in the next day!

Again thanks to everyone in the group, especially to Mr. & Mrs. J. for hosting this incredible event in their beautiful home- Kim and I really enjoy these off-lines and look forward to many, many more!

TN: 2001 Domaine Raymond Usseglio & Fils Chateauneuf du Pape

2001 Domaine Raymond Usseglio & Fils Chateauneuf du Pape  ($50):  Bright ruby color with a clear ring on the edge. Lots of wet forest floor, with some alcohol, plum and a raspberry on the nose, as well as some bacon. Medium tannins, lots of acidity early on that subsided a little bit over 2 hours but was still somewhat overbearing.  Medium length finish with a touch of spice.  May be better in another two years.  My rating: 89 pts, OKV (OK value) 

Wine Spectator’s Top 100 Wines of the Year - What I thought!

This month The Wine Spectator released it’s top 100 wines of the year. Without getting into what I thought of their selections, and with 2008 a few days away, I thought I’d recap my tasting notes on the wines that made Wine Spectator’s top 100 that I was lucky enough to try. Unfortunately, the high prices of those wines in the top 50 were too much for me to taste more than a few! Maybe next year we’ll see more value wines making the top 50! NOTE - I’ve listed Wine Spectator’s ratings (WS Rating) and rank. For information on my Value Rating System, check out my ratings page.

Without further ado:

8. Mollydooker Shiraz McLaren Vale Carnival of Love 2006 ($80): Opened and tasted immediately: Mushroom, plum, cherry, big fruits, big yet soft tannins. Decanted. 2 hour decant: Great color. Still tight on the nose. The initial mushroom note is gone with the appearance of a musty-forest floor with a touch of pepper and bacon. On the palette it’s toasted cedar, vanilla, plum, pretty solid through the middle with a long, complex finish that goes on and on. At this point I’m definitely seeing 96 pts or more. 3 hour decant: Again showing better, more buttery now with a bit more spice. The fruits in this wine just don’t stop. Quite pleasing and still 96+ points. 4 hour decant: Just as elegant as before. I’m quite impressed with the structure of this wine and overall quality. Very good. A very solid 96 points. My rating: 96 pts, GV. WS Rating: 95 pts

12. Valdicava Brunello di Montalcino Madonna del Piano Riserva 2001 ($175): I have yet to try this wine, but it’s in the cellar and will be opened in 10 years or so!

16. Schild Shiraz Barossa 2005 ($25): Decanted - big dark fruits, spice, tobacco on the nose. On the palate the wine is explosive with big, dark fruit, leather, plum, tar. Smooth tannins, long finish - pretty straight forward big Aussie Shiraz if that’s your style, you’ll like this wine (the 2004 was a better wine overall). We had this twice and it was consistently good. My rating: 90 pts, GV. WS Rating: 93 pts

37. Navarro Zinfandel Mendocino 2004 ($19): Blueberry, blackberry, cherry and some spice notes on the nose, as well as a small petrol component. Very good balance given the amount of alcohol, smooth tannins and a medium-long finish. A good Zin and great value. Tasted 3 times with consistent notes and evaluation. My rating: : 93 pts, VGV. WS Rating: 92 pts

62. Louis Jadot Moulin-à-Vent Château des Jacques 2005 ($22): Decanted 1 hour. Earthy tones, cherry, raspberry and other bright fruits. On the palate the wine was very well balanced, with dusty tannins and a earthy, medium-length finish. Should get better with a couple years, drinking nice now with a long decant. My rating: 93 pts, VGV. WS Rating: 91 pts

71. Columbia Crest Merlot Columbia Valley Grand Estates ($11): Deep reddish plum in color with notes of plum, raspberry, vanilla and blueberry on the nose. The body is surprisingly creamy with soft tannins layered with good fruit and tar flavors. Long finish accented by a subtle chocolate note - well made bargain Merlot. Buy a case and enjoy one of the best values out there. My rating: 89 pts, OV. WS Rating: 90 pts

72. Yellow Tail Shiraz South Eastern Australia The Reserve 2005 ($11): With all the hype about the Yellowtail reserve Shiraz, I felt it would be fun to grab a bottle and see for myself whether it was warranted. I did not taste this blind, but I wish I had, it was very good. The wine was filled with dark fruits and spice with surprising balance and really smooth tannins. The finish fell apart a bit, but overall the wine is a great value and highly recommended as a daily drinker. My rating: 88 pts, OV. WS Rating: 90pts

77. Heidsieck Monopole Brut Champagne Blu Top NV ($35). Tasted from 375 mL bottle. Pale yellow color with plenty of tiny bubbles. Apple, pear, buttered toast with good balance. Light, crisp, and very refreshing. My rating: 90 pts, VGV. WS Rating: 91 pts.

92. Mulderbosch Chenin Blanc Stellenbosch 2006($14): Pale yellow color. On the nose is wet stone, pear, honey and a touch of lemon rind with citrus, pear and some more honey on the palate. This wine has some wild acidity but it’s not overwhelming and makes it a great spring/summer wine served with spicy cuisine. The finish is crisp and very refreshing. A great value wine from an outstanding producer. My rating: 91 pts, OV. WS Rating: 90pts

100. Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2004 ($70): Tasted twice. August 2007 - Filled with dark fruits, berry, currant, chocolate, touch of oak. Firm tannins, long finish. Another great wine from a great producer with good aging potential. My rating: 93 pts, CV. WS Rating: 92 pts

Caymus tasted again 12/26/07: Decanted 30 minutes at a wine bar. Real tight nose, blackberry, black currant, leather. On the palate the wine was a bit off from the other time I’ve had this and rated it 93 pts…the tannins were rough with a medium-long finish. Not corked, but maybe an off bottle. My rating: 87 pts (PV, poor value as it showed this time around).

TN: Boizel NV Brut Reserve Champagne

Having recently tried the 1995 Boizel Brut Champagne Joyau de France and really enjoying it, I was really looking forward to this NV Brut Reserve. At $20 / 375 mL (which is the bottle I tasted from) it’s quite a fair price for a good Champagne ($20-$25 online for 375 mL, around $50-60 for 750 mL).

The first difference was the presence of an actual “pop” when I opened the bottle.  As I noted with two bottles of the 1995 Boizel, there was only a very little pressure in the bottle which worried me, but did not impact the wine.   This NV Brut Reserve had similar fruits in the nose with grapefruit really standing out as well as a touch of hazelnut and minerals.  The wine was complex and had great presence and very good balance.  The finish was crisp and refreshing, but did not have the same lasting impression as the 1995, which I would expect.  This NV Brut Reserve is ready to drink now and was a steal for $20 / 375 mL.  A much different style than Veuve Clicquot Brut or Taittinger Brut; less acidic and crisp, but creamier and quite refreshing .  My rating: 88 pts.

Tasting Notes: Miscellaneous French Wines

Domaine Ehrhart Pinot Auxerrois 2004 - $16: Nice floral nose, notes of minerals and pear with good acidity. My rating: 85 pts

Domaine Marc-Morey Chassagne-Montrachet 2005 - $80: Flower notes on the nose with peach, citrus and mineral notes. Complex and elegant, good fruits and spice with a touch of jasmine and honey. Good structure with crisp acidity and refreshing mineral notes. Lingering finish, very good. My rating: 90 pts

Alberto Furque Malbec 2004 - $14: Dark cherry, plum, leather, solid early with rough tannins in the finish that fall off. My rating: 84 pts

Domaine Foret de Michielle, Confidentia Cotes du Rhone Villages - $20: Cane syrup, caramel, light tar, blackberry, plum, medium tannins not perfectly balanced but overall good. My rating: 85 pts

Mas des Bressades, Grenache/Syrah 2006 - $12: Great nose nice fruits, reminiscent of a Touriga Franca based wine. Rolling flavors of plum, red fruits and spice with good tannins and a subtle, but long finish. Great value wine. My rating: 88 pts

Domaine Chauvenet Chopin, Nuits St. Georges, 2004 - $54: Earthy tones, leather, medium tannins, interesting fruits, black cherry, lovely. Bought a few bottles and look forward to trying them in a couple years…should improve with age. My rating: 91 pts

Andre Brunel Chateauneuf du Pape, Les Cailloux, 2004 $45 - 90 pts: Great nose, black cherry, pepper, spice with overall well defined fruits. Balanced with medium tannins that should even out with aging. Lean but lasting finish. My rating: 90 pts

Parmigiano-Reggiano Crusted NY Strip with a 2005 Burgundy

This is a simple way to take a NY Strip to the next level. The pairing of this Parmigiano-Reggiano encrusted steak with a 2005 Domaine Francois Capitain-Gagnerot from the Ladoix in Burgundy was almost perfect.

Wine Tasting Notes: Deep purple color. Nose was very concentrated and inviting with black berry, cherry, mushroom, liquorice. More dark berries on the palette with leather and tobacco notes and a touch of spice near the finish. The wine has good balance and medium tannins and will benefit from a few more years of aging. My rating: 89 pts. Tasted: 10/01/2007

Ingredients and preparation

• 12-16 oz NY Strip Steak
• 3 oz parmageano reggiano cheese, grated
• extra virgin olive oil
• salt/pepper

1. Cover steak with olive oil and pepper and allow to sit at room temperature for 20 mins.
2. Sprinkle steak with salt and transfer to a very hot grill on direct heat.
3. Sear each side of steak for 2-3 minutes then move to a portion of the grill without direct heat.
4. Cover steak with cheese, close grill and let cook for 7-8 mins, or until medium-rare (center temp of 125 degrees)
5. Remove from grill and allow at least 5 mins to rest before slicing.
   Serve with wine!

I served this with Portobello mushrooms that I marinated in olive oil, red wine, a few dashes of soy sauce, garlic, salt and pepper. I then grilled the Portobello’s, basting with the marinade. The juice from the Portobello makes a great dipping sauce for the steak or even just some bread!

1998 Château Léoville Poyferré

I’ve been eying this one in my cellar for over 2 years now and felt that last night was a good time to celebrate the wine (and Kim’s job offer)! It comes from an outstanding producer in St. Julien (left banks in the Medoc region of Bordeaux) where the soil consists of layers of gravel and stones. This soil type makes great vines with deep roots that seek nutrients past the stones and deep into the soil. These stones also absorb the suns heat keeping the vines warm (similar to Chateauneuf-du-Pape where limestone vineyards dominate) and protected from the cool winds of the Atlantic Ocean. The wines of Château Léoville Poyferré are generally well equipped for aging with clean acidity and big tannins. Their wines display great sturcutre and finesse that one would hope for in a wine from Medoc.

My notes: Bottle decanted 1 hour. Great color that was a dark ruby/almost purple with good edges. Good fruit on the nose including blackberry, blackcurrant and boysenberry accentuated by notes of cedar, mushrooms and spice. The wine began medium on the palette with solid fruits and allspice, quickly becoming quite large into a long finish filled with big, chewy tannins and a good amount of spice. The acidity in the wine really stood out but was well balanced. Very good wine that could become even better with a couple more years in the cellar. Was very good paired with a beef rib-eye steak.    My rating: 91 pts (Tasted 10/08/2007)

Four Good QPR Wines From France

QPR, or Quality to Price Ratio, is a measure of how good the wines are for the cost of the wine. It’s a good indicator of whether you are getting your money’s worth or not with a wine. All of these can be found for less than 10 dollars and were quite good for the price:

Chateau du Barail - Bordeaux Blanc (2006): A young, crisp Bordeaux Blanc (about 60% semilion blanc, 40% sauvignon blanc). Quite a floral nose with hints of lavender and wet stone. Fruits are pleasant but fall off quickly into a mineral and citrus finish. My Rating: 82 pts

Chateau Les Carissannes - Sauvignon Blanc (2006): Big floral bouquet. Opulent fruits and good acidity. Crisp, refreshing. Nice. My Rating: 86 pts

Saumur Les Pouches - Loire Valley (2006): This Chenin Blanc from Saumur (a major grower of Chenin Blanc) was very good. Grapefruit, apple, white peach and minerals that accent the limestone vineyards stood out and the wine had very well balanced acidity and a rich texture. Buy a few bottles and open them on a warm autumn afternoon. My Rating: 89 pts

Robert Davis Syrah - Cotes du Rhone (2006): This wine has a hint of grenache that I noticed right away. The fruit stood out but the wine sufferred from imbalance of acidity and tannins. Good finish brought it back to being a good QPR wine. My Rating: 84 pts.

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