Tasting Report: 7 Wines of the Loire Valley paired with Sushi

What wines go well with $360 worth of sushi? Well, for the 9 of us in attendance on Sunday at the Wine Club gathering (at Yamato Sushi- review to come), I think we’d agree that something from the Loire Valley (France)would work quite nicely.

Overall we had a great time working through the 7 wines (tough work but someone has to do it!). The only sparkling wine in the group came from Louis de Grenelle, a large estate in Saumur (home of some great red wines). We worked through 4 Vouvray’s and two other Loire whites, ending with my favorite wine from the Loire Valley, a red wine from Chinon (100% Cabernet Franc). There wasn’t a bad wine in the bunch, with two being great (89 pts!) and all being wines I’d gladly drink again. Read more

A trip to Virginia’s Wineries: A weekend of wine drinking in Virginia tastes best with good friends!

The majority of wine production in the United States takes place in 5 of the 50 states: California, Oregon, Washington, and to a lesser extent Michigan and New York. The last two may not be making wines the caliber of their west coast counterparts, but there are many good Rieslings and Ice Wines coming from Michigan and New York that are gaining national and international attention.

But what about the other 45 states?

For starters, wine (of some sort!) is being made in almost every state in the US. Idaho, Montana, Texas, Virginia and even Maryland have been producing wine for many years now. But you have to wonder: who’s drinking these wines and are they any good? I’ve been in Maryland for 4 years now and I know very little about the wines of Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania- all of which have wineries less than 2 hours from my home. I have had a few bottles here and there that had me impressed (an Elk Run Gewurztraminer comes to mind), as well as one outstanding bottle of 1980 Byrd Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon that Kim and I had at Della Notte a few years back. Yes, a 1980 Maryland Cabernet, drank in 2005, that was very good. Sad to say I can’t find out any information on Byrd Vineyards and they are not around today (if you know anything e-mail me: michael@foodandwineblog.com). Read more

Tasting Report: Good wines and great QPRs from Chilean producer Vina Ventisquero (Chile)

Chilean wines are quickly becoming some of the best QPR (quality-to-price) wines in the market today. From Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet, to the more rare Carmemere, the Chilean wine industry is setting the bar high when it comes to wines that bring big bang for their buck. (click here for more on Chilean wines)

I was recently invited to lunch with Felipe Tosso, head winemaker at up and coming producer Vina Ventisquero. In our two hour lunch I developed an understanding of his style and a respect for his experience and passion, as well as for his commitment to maintain eco-friendly wines. (image from www.intlwine.com/southamerica.htm) 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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Tasting Notes: Chameleon Cellars and Bravante

Notes from a recent tasting. Overall, there wasn’t a “bad” wine in the bunch. Some were good, some were great. A few outstanding! The Chameleon Cellars wines are styled to let the fruit express itself and would be best consumed any night of the week with a good, simple food pairing. In contrast, the Bravante wines are complex, elegant examples of the potential of the fruits with good blends and the right amount of oak. These wines are built to stand up to big steaks, rich dishes, and for the most part are structured to last a few years in the cellar. Both producers are highly recommended - at least a few wines from each! In fact, I recommend that you go out and find a wine from either (or both) producer(s), drink it, write what you think, and e-mail them to me or post a comment! (These wines can be found online or at shops throughout Baltimore)

Without further ado, in the order we drank them:

2006 Chameleon Cellars Sauvignon Blanc North Coast: Tropical fruits and some mineral on the nose - honeydew, peach, apple, and jasmine on the palate - good acidity, nice crisp finish. My rating: 89 pts, GV (Good value)

2005 Chameleon Cellars Grenache - Mendocino: Nose filled with cherry and raspberry, a touch of smoke and a mild wet dirt component. Lot’s of black cherry on the palate, light then becoming fuller with medium tannins. Would be great with rabbit. My rating: 87 pts, OKV

2003 Chameleon Cellars Charbono: Nose of spruce, herbs, eucalyptus, with cherry and white pepper on the palate. Overall good balance but could benefit from a touch more acidity. The finish is medium length and brings back a hint of herbs. My rating: 87 pts, GV

2005 Chameleon Cellars Carignane: The most widely planted grape in southeastern France, this Salono County Carignane was made from hillside vines and fruit from a warm growing season. The result is an earthy nose with a touch of chocolate. Good acidity with cherry notes, light in style with a smooth finish - very interesting wine that would pair nicely with a variety of wild game. My rating: 87 pts, GV

2005 Chameleon Cellars Syrah: Brilliant color and weight to this wine. Just approaching the glass with your nose you are bombarded with red pepper and spice. A lot of fruits stand out in the wine and the medium tannins are well integrated. More Old-World in style which is a good thing! My rating: 90 pts, VGV (Very Good Value)

2005 Chameleon Cellars Petit Sirah: Coming from 112 year old vines, this Petit Sirah is very good (tasted from 3 bottles). Dark purple color, aromas of dark cherry, spice and cigar box. Big, dark fruits and black pepper on the palate - great structure, big, chewy tannins and a 30 second finish. Drink one now and lay a few down for the next 5 years when it should peak. My rating: 91 pts, OV (Outstanding Value)

2005 Chameleon Cellars Barbera Mendocino: Beautiful bright color, vibrant red fruits, tightly wound but explosive - the wine is balanced and finishes crisp - a great pizza wine. My rating: 86 pts, GV

2004 Chameleon Cellars Zinfandel, Gordon Valley (Napa): Concentrated flavors, blackberry, blueberry, earth, spice, medium tannins. My rating: 87 pts, GV

2004 Chameleon Cellars Merlot: Plum, cherry, raspberry notes. As with many of the other Chameleon wines, the fruits really stand out, but this one lacks balance of the other wines. My rating: 86 pts, OKV (OK Value)

2005 Chameleon Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon: In this first effort at a Cabernet, Chameleon did a fine job. Don’t expect the creamy, oakiness of many other Cabs as this was designed to let the fruit shine. Earth notes, blackberry, black cherry, bell pepper, medium tannins with a bite. No formal rating was recorded during my tasting but from memory it was good. At the price, it’s worth trying to see if it’s your style. NR (No rating)

2004 Bravante Merlot - $38: Plum, cherry, touch of thyme. Good mid-palate filled with fruits and some acidity that becomes balanced into soft tannins. A touch of sweet fruit returns on the finish and is highlighted with black pepper. My rating: 88 pts, GV

2004 Bravante Trio, $40: This blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cab Franc is quite good. Lot’s of black fruits and buttered toast, dried herbs on the nose. The wine is complex with chocolate, blackberry, and some sweet cedar, has great structure and balance and finishes with layers of flavors and big tannins - I’d lay a few bottles down (if you can find them!) for 3 or more years. My rating: 93 pts, VGV

2004 Bravante Cabernet Sauvignon - $50: Consistent with my previous notes: dark fruits, deep color, herb, vanilla. Not decanted this time around, but it drank nicely. My rating: 92 pts, GV

2003 Bravante Simpatico - $75: This was my wine of the night - layers and layers of dark fruits, earth, cherry, cigar box, anise, spice. Huge body, big tannins, a Cadillac among Fiats. Big, long finish, did I mention this wine is big? Pricey but worth it if you like big California Cabs (wine is roughly 80% Cab Sauvignon and 20% Cab Franc) can find a few bottles of this very limited release. For best enjoyment, lay it down for at least 5 years maybe 10 or more! My rating: 94 pts, CV (this wine has “cellar” or “collectible” value - meaning if you can afford it, definitely go for it!).

Tasting Notes: 5 California wines you’ve definitely heard of - Part I

As my tasting notes are piling up, I decided to post this first installment of “California Wines You’ve Definitely Heard Of”. All of the wines I’ll put in this series are quite popular and can be found on the shelves of almost any wine shop or on the wine list at many restaurants. These were all tasted in the last two months (10/07 - 12/07) with many more to come!

2004 Cakebread Suavignon Blanc ($35): Nose and palate of grapefruit, honey, melon and a bit of vanilla. Good acidity but the alcohol was too much. My rating: 84 pts - PV

2004 Cakebread Chardonnay ($40): Great golden color with a lot of citrus flavors, apples, and a touch of jasmine. Well balanced with good acidity and a great finish. My rating: 92 pts - GV

2004 Bernardus Chardonnay ($20): Buttered popcorn, lemon, and a lot of oak. Good acidity, overall was pretty good, but maybe a little too oaky. My rating: 86 pts - GV

2004 Whitehall Lane Merlot ($30): This Merlot has all the right things going on. The nose is filled with blackberry, plum and dark cherry and a touch of spice. On the palate are flavors of fig, cherry, spice and smoke with good balance and a pleasant finish. Even if you don’t like Merlot, it’s worth giving this one a try. My rating: 92 pts - VGV

2004 Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon ($70): Filled with dark fruits, berry, currant, chocolate, touch of oak. Firm tannins, long finish. Another great wine from a great producer. Approachable now, better in a year or two. My rating: 93 pts. - GV

Great Sauvignon Blancs from the “Land Down Under”

I am becoming a big fan of Australian wines. The quality of wine making throughout Australia has been exceptional in the past 5 years and wines have benefited from overall very good weather. Furthermore, these wines are typically outstanding values do to their relatively new place in the market and large yields.

The number of plantings of Suavignon Blanc is on the rise and over the next 5 years I feel the quality will be comparable to what we expect from their neighbors in New Zealand who have been making great Sauvignon Blanc for 10 years. The wines have great flavor profiles with ripe fruits and great overall freshness. The best in Australia are currently coming from the areas with a cooler climate which tend to allow the grapes to achieve perfect concentration and acidity. Expect great Suavignon Blanc to come from areas such as the Yarra Valley, the Adelaide Hills, and Tumbarumba. (Image: SMILING QUOKKA - © Leroi Keiller | Dreamstime.com)

The 2005 Vintage was very good overall for Australian wines. At harvest, fruits showed a delicate balance of acidity and ripeness with great concentration and depth across the board. The favorable conditions led to Sauvignon Blanc that produced wines with good fruit, citrus quality and a refreshing acidity. I recently had a blind tasting with the following wines and was very happy with the overall quality and value of each wine listed below. I recommend keeping an eye on the vintage reports for the next few years of Australian Sauvignon Blanc. I feel safe in saying that the quality and potential of these wines is just beginning to show.

Salitage Sauvignon Blanc “Treehouse” Pemberton (2005): Medium bouquet with ripe apple and pear. Light body, very crisp with solid citrus notes. Refreshing finish. Good wine. My rating: 85 pts

Ferngrove Vineyards Estate Sauvignon Blanc-Semillon Frankland River Western (2005): Straw, peach, citrus nose with minerals and more peach on the palette. Citrus into the crisp finish. Well done and great price. My rating: 88 pts

Cape Mentelle Semillon/Sauvignon Blanc Floral nose with orange and vanilla. Lacks a solid structure, but the texture is creamy a ptsnd has a good amount of grapefruit that carries into a crisp finish. Overall a great value. My rating: 87 pts

Shaw & Smith Sauvignon Blanc (2005): Wow.A floral bouquet with white peach and citrus. Very well structured and perfectly tuned wine with an oustanding balance of acidity and fruits. Mineral notes are refreshing and lead to a pleasant finish with great length. Very good. My rating: 92 pts

Chateau Tariquet Sauvignon - 2006 - $10

This Vin de Pays des Cotes de Gascogne comes to us from the southwest corner of France. The wine is 100% Sauvignon and was very crisp and refreshing. I noted a floral bouquet with apricot, apple, citrus and minerals on the palette.  Would be great to start off a meal or paired with grilled seafood. My Rating: 87 pts

Hubert Veneau Pouilly-Fumé (2005) - $22

In keeping with my post from yesterday about Pouilly-Fumé, I decided to open up a bottle of this 2005 Hubert Veneau last night that I had in the cellar (image to the left has wrong vintage).

The Veneau family has been growing wine in the Loire for over 40 years; the current vines are around 20 years old. Harvest is done by hand which ensures the quality and maturity of the grapes. Very modern techniques are used (such as pneumatic pressing, which offers great control over the pressing parameters) and the wine sees no oak, but rather stainless steel vats which allow the essence of the grape and the terroir to shine.

This 2005 Hubert Veneau has a pale color. The nose is vibrant with grapefruit, apricot, straw and smoke, while the palette is crisp with pear and refreshing mineral tones. The wine was a lot of fun as it evolved in the glass over the course of an hour and a half. Overall it was very good and I give it a rating of a 92 and recommend it as a great buy.

Poo-yee Foo-MAY

The French language can be tricky, but also a lot of fun. Pronounced “Poo-yee Foo-MAY”, the Pouilly-Fumé appellation in the Loire Valley is the home to high quality and unique wines that are primarily made from the Sauvignon Blanc grape. The Loire produces 2.8 million hectoliters (740 million gallons) of wine each year (wikipedia.com) making it the third largest wine region in France, and the number one producer of wines classified as Vin de Pays (country wines; which are two classifications lower than the AOC wines which have the strictest restrictions on productions, including quantity, grape varieties, locations, etc).

Pouilly-Fumé wines are dry white wines with smoky undertones. The wines tend to be very lean and crisp with a sound expression of minerals. In general, Pouilly-Fume’s are great with chicken (especially roasted chicken with white wine/lemon/butter baste - recipe will be posted in the near future!) and seafood. They are one of the most ordered wines in French Restaurants because they pair so well with many different entrees. If you haven’t had any wines from Pouilly-Fumé, it’s time you tried them! They are relatively inexpensive and are great bang-for-the-buck. Try to find wines from either great 2002 (drink now) or stellar 2005 (drink or hold for a year) vintages.

All three are very good and are great deals at $20 or less!

• Domaine de Maltaverne Pouilly-Fumé(2005) -$20
• Pascal Jolivet Pouilly-Fumé(2005) - $18
• Seguin Pouilly-Fumé (2005) - $15

Chateau Larrivet-Haut-Brion, white - 2005- $30

White Bordeaux’s, as you may know, primarily contain semillion, muscadele, and sauvignon blanc. They are overshadowed by their red grape counterparts in Bordeaux and far less planted. That is not to say that white Bordeaux’s are not very high quality wines with quite unique structure and terroir. They are very elegant, vivacious wines that set the standard for great white wines.

This 2005 Chateau Larrivet-Haut-Brion (sauvignon blanc/semillion) is stunning. It’s a fair priced wine that is outstanding on the nose. Apple and citrus notes shine, with subtle hints of oak and lavender all combined with a mineral undertone. I would pair this with a white pasta sauce or a broiled halibut fillet. My Rating- 90 pts

Fresh seafood with good wine: Does it get any better?

Leaving Block Island, Rhode Island this weekend, Kim and I stopped off at the docks to see what fresh treasures were being brought in from the Atlantic. Live lobster, mussels, scallops, and salmon were on hand, to name a few. We decided to pick up a few things, pack them into a cooler for the 7 hour ride to Baltimore, and feast on fresh seafood and good wine when we got home.

We battled with traffic for a few hours, but all in all the drive was OK. We arrived home around 11:00 PM, unpacked the car, and began making dinner. Kim ran to the store to get a few things we needed (we live near a 24 hr Super Fresh) while I uncorked a bottle of wine and fired up the stove. Below are my pretty simple recipes for what we ate, which turned out very good. We had two wines on hand, but only got to the Pinot Grigio (more below).

Dish: Sauteed mussels in white wine and tarragon

Ingredients

• 1 - 11/2 lbs fresh mussels (washed thoroughly)
• 1 medium shallot
• 3 cloves fresh garlic, minced
• 1 cup dry white wine (should have moderate acidity, I suggest a Pinot Grigio)
• 1 lemon, cut in half, seeded
• 3 Tablespoons fresh tarragon
• 2 Tablespoons butter
• EVOO
• Salt/Pepper
• Bread for dipping

1. Heat large saute pan. Add olive oil, garlic, shallots, butter.
2. Remove excess H2O from mussels, pat dry, then place in pan. Immediately sprinkle with salt/pepper.
3. After approximately 2 minutes, add wine. Wait 2 minutes, then add fresh tarragon.
4. Once all mussels are open (about 5 mins) remove mussells, let sauce reduce for another 2 mins.
5. Place mussels in large bowl, cover with sauce. Serve with bread and a chilled glass of wine.

I served this with Marco Felluga Mongris Collio Friuli (Italy) Pinot Grigio 2006 which was inexpensive ($12 or so) and went great with the dish. It had nice acidity, good body, and notes of apple, melon, pear, and ongoing fresh flowers on the finish.

Dish: Thyme Steamed Lobster served with Garlic Tarragon Butter

• 1 (or two) 1 1/2 - 1 3/4 lb live lobster, rinsed
• 1 glove garlic
• 4 cups H2O
• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter
• Fresh Tarragon (a good handful)
• Fresh Thyme
• 2 Lemons
• 1/2 cup white wine
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Salt/Pepper

1. Place large steaming pot on high heat. Add H2O, 1 tablespoon butter, fresh thyme, salt, pepper, wine.
2. Depending on how you feel more comfortable, either place lobster directly into steamer, or use a knife to first kill the lobster (I use a method similar to this: how to kill a lobster)
3. Allow lobster 8-10 mins per pound to steam. While this is going, grab a small sauce pan.
4. Place 6 tablespoons of butter, a splash of olive oil, and smashed garlic into pan.
5. Allow garlic to infuse for 5 mins, then add tarragon, and salt and pepper to taste. You may not need to add any salt as the fresh lobster will provide a good amount. Set aside to use as dipping sauce for lobster meat.
6. Remove lobster from steamer, serve with fresh tarragon as garnish.

The finished product:

A very good Sauvignon Blanc for $10.

South Africa is really producing some nice wines these days, at very good prices. I recently tried a sauvignon blanc form producer Southern Right (2006 vintage). Near the Cape of Good Hope, Southern Right benefits from a maritime climate which brings cool nights and long seasons both of which are ideal for the sauvignon blanc grape. At the Southern Right winery, two varieties are the focus: sauvignon blanc, and pinotage, the latter being the signature grape of South Africa.

This 2006 Southern Right was very good. The wine had nice color and a lot of fruit on the nose. The wine itself began with a good amount of fruit and then settled down showing mineral notes, as well as citrus. The finish was long and memorable. I paired this wine with a pork tenderloin stir fry, which included snap peas, green apples, and a thyme and white wine (Southern Right Sauvignon Blanc) reduction. The wine would be great with something spicy, like Thai food.

The price was great, the wine was very good. I look forward to trying their Pinotage.