Our blind tasting of 1999 Cabernets, three years later

In late 2005, our wine tasting group (four couples meeting on average four times a year) met for a blind tasting of 1999 Cabernets. We tasted five Cabernets from California and one from Bordeaux. Overall, we found that the wines were very good and hard to rank. Now, the good part was that we had brought two bottles of each wine so that we could taste them again in a few years. That's what we did last December.

Here is the original 2005 post and updates from our recent tasting.

The 1999 vintage

In California, the 1999 vintage is considered to be one of the best vintages of the 1990s. It is characterized by a small crop and a cool, steady growing season that climaxed with a warm fall.

In Bordeaux, 1999 was one of the most difficult vintage in recent years. The weather pattern was unusual, with heavy outbreaks of rain from April onwards and above average temperature. Intermittent storms hit the region in the early half of August, although the weather was hot and dry in the latter half of the month. The end of September was marked by severe hailstorms and 100mm of rain fell on a wet September 20th.

The tasting

We tasted the following wines:

1999 S. Anderson Cabernet Sauvignon Richard Chambers Vineyard Stags Leap District: S. Anderson, recently renamed Cliff Lede Vineyards, started bottling its limited production Richard Chambers Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon in 1989. The Richard Chambers Vineyard is a highly-acclaimed 18 acres vineyard planted to red Bordeaux varieties in the Stags Leap District. It was finally bought by the winery in 2003. The wine exhibited a complex nose with spiced leather and berry aromas. On the palate, the tasters found it young, lively, and sweet. Overall, they appreciated the wine's elegance and balance and placed it in first place. UPDATE: aromas of tobacco, vanilla, pepper, rich and spicy, still very young. Moved to 2nd place.

1999 Viansa Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Sonoma County: Viansa is known as a premier producer of Italian varietals, as well as classic California grapes like Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay. The wine had an intense fruity nose with some peppery notes, and a sharp, raisiny taste on the palate. Overall, the group felt overwhelmed by the wine and placed it in fourth position. UPDATE: aromas of blackberry, raspberry, well balanced, good finish, better with food. Moved to 3rd place.

1999 Melka CJ Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley: Philippe and Cherie Melka are the co-owners of Melka Wine. Philippe Melka was born and trained in Bordeaux and is now a winemaking consultant to several premium wineries in Napa Valley, while Cherie Melka is a trained enologist. The winery has only two labels: the Métisse Proprietary Red, a Bordeaux blend, and the CJ Cabernet Sauvignon, a 100% Cabernet Sauvignon - named for Cherie and Philippe's children, Chloé and Jeremy, who are also the creators of the wine's label. The wine had a complex woody nose with notes of blackberry. On the palate, it was tannic, peppery, a bit green and young. Overall, the group liked the wine and placed it in second place. UPDATE: aromas of sweet red fruits, tart, somewhat flat on the palate, short finish. Moved to fifth place.

1999 Groth Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville: Groth Winery is renowned for its estate-grown Oakville Cabernets. The wine had the darkest color. The nose was intense with almond paste and woody aromas. On the palate, it was young, tannic and fruity. Overall, the group found the wine too tannic and oaky and placed it in sixth position. UPDATE:: subtle nose, nutty, aromas of licorice, full-bodied and smooth on the palate, long tasty finish. Moved to 1st position.

1999 Freemark Abbey Cabernet Sauvignon Bosché: The Freemark Abbey Winery has produced Cabernet Bosché from the 21.4 acres Bosché estate vineyard since 1970. The vineyard is located 1/4 mile north of the town of Rutherford and is well-known for producing wines of distinctive character and excellent quality. The wine had a fragrant fruity nose. On the palate, it was smooth, sweet and fruity, almost candy-like. Overall, it was pleasant with a good balance, and was placed in third place. UPDATE: aromas of anise, berry and cherry, earthy, mid palate a bit thin, short finish. Moved to 4th place.

1999 Château Branaire Ducru: Château Branaire Ducru is a classified Fourth Growth from the commune of Saint Julien. The Château owns 50 hectares of vines planted with 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot and an average vine age of 35 years. The wine had a subdued nose of blackberry and pepper with hints of venaison aromas. On the palate, it was less sweet than the other wines, with a strong tannic structure and a solid finish. Some tasters liked it a lot while some others found that it did not have enough fruit. It was placed in fourth position. UPDATE: unfortunately, the bottle was corked and I didn't know about the plastic wrap trick at the time.

Now, we had the fun idea to bring two bottles of these wines so that we can redo the same tasting in a couple of years or so. Imagine how interesting it will be to compare our tasting notes from the two meetings and find out how each wine has evolved! UPDATE: in three years, these 10 year old wines had evolved very differently but some of them didn't seem to have reached their peak yet.

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Dunking iron knives, silver spoons, copper pennies, golden rings in wine, and what about the Wine Wand?

It all began when Harold McGee received a Wine Wand from a colleague, an intriguing device said “to accelerate the aerating process of wine by replicating the natural frequencies of air and oxygen, and infusing them into the wine.”

The wand is just one of several wine-enhancement devices that claim to age and soften wine in seconds. The Cle du Vin is another curious one. “Clef du Vin, when dipped into a glass of wine, the patented metal alloy on the tip replicates the aging process. It will age the wine one year for each second the alloy is in contact with the wine. Two seconds equals two years from now, three seconds equals three years from now, etc.” says the marketing literature.

To get a definitive opinion on these accessories, McGee invited two good friends, Andrew Waterhouse, professor of wine chemistry at the University of California, Davis, and Darrell Corti, an influential wine retailer from Sacramento, for a tasting experiment.

Mr. Corti concluded that the Cle was just a very expensive version of the copper penny trick.

For Mr. Waterhouse, the elimination of sulfur aromas was all that these accessories had to offer. Copper, silver and gold are all known to react directly with the sulfur compounds found in wine.

“A number of sulfur compounds are present in wine in traces and have an impact on flavor because they're very potent,” he said. “Some are unpleasant and some contribute to a wine's complexity. You can certainly dispose of these in five minutes with a little oxygen and a small area of metal catalyst to speed the reactions up, and change your impression of the wine.”

Now what about corked wines?

Well, Mr. Waterhouse offered a useful tip: simply pour the wine into a bowl with a sheet of plastic wrap.

“It’s kind of messy, but very effective in just a few minutes,” he said. “The culprit molecule in infected corks, 2,4,6-trichloroanisole, is chemically similar to polyethylene and sticks to the plastic.” I can't wait to try it.

Here is the full article: For a Tastier Wine, the Next Trick Involves ....

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The inaugural lunch, a salute to Lincoln and to California wines

The menu of today's inaugural lunch was intended to reflect the tastes of Abraham Lincoln: root vegetables, wild game, stewed and scalloped oysters, fresh apples and apple cake. Now, I don't know what kind of wines Lincoln liked but those served during the lunch were not from Illinois but from California.

“Senator Feinstein, being a Californian, was eager to have California wines made the featured wines, and so they are,” said Carole Florman, the inaugural committee's spokeswoman. Senator Dianne Feinstein was the first woman and the first Californian to head the inaugural committee.

So if you wish to dine like Obama, start with a seafood stew paired with a 2007 Duckhorn Sauvignon Blanc Napa Valley. Pheasant and duck should followed, with sour cherry chutney and molasses sweet potatoes, and served with a 2005 Goldeneye Pinot Noir Anderson Valley. The dessert, an apple cinnamon sponge cake with sweet cream should come with a Korbel Natural Champagne Special Inauguration Cuvee. Enjoy!

The full story is here.

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The wines of Slovenia

Last Monday, I had the unique opportunity to taste some Slovanian wines with Frank Dietrich of the Blue Danube Wine Company. Founded in 2002, The Blue Danube Wine Company imports and distributes Central European wines to the U.S. market including wines from Austria, Croatia, Hungary, Montenegro, and Slovenia.


Vineyard in the Vipava Valley, Slovenia


Slovenia, which has a rich wine heritage and centuries of winemaking traditions is just emerging on the international wine scene, having modernised its vineyards and improved its winemaking practices. It is a small country (only about 300 kilometers across) with a diverse geography, a wide variety of climates, and three main wine producing regions. Primorje, derived from the Slovene by the sea, is Slovenia's most widely known wine region. It borders Italy's Friuli-Venezia-Giulia with a small part being actually on the Adriatic coast. The region enjoys a Mediterranean climate with warm summers. Posavje or the valley of the Sava River is closer to the Croatian border and has a continental climate. Podravje or the valley of the Drava river is Slovenia's largest wine-growing region. It is located on the northeastern corner of Slovenia, bordering Austria, Hungary, and Croatia, With a mixed Alpine-continental climate, the region's wine production is mostly white.


Slovenia's wine growing regions


The tasting was at the CAV Wine Bar & Kitchen in San Francisco, a warm and homey place next to Zuni Cafe on Market Street. CAV Wine Director and Owner Pamela Busch features flights of Slovenian wines from Blue Danube this all week and will be hosting a special tasting event with Blue Danube and Emil Gaspari of Slovenia Premium Wines this Saturday, January 17.

We started with CAV's Slovenia flight, 2 whites and 2 reds and then tasted two additional reds that Franck had brought specially for me to try: a 1999 Merlot and a small production Gamay.

The wines we tasted:

• 2007 Crnko Renski Rizling: located a few miles from the city of Maribor in the Podravje region, the Crnko winery is a small estate of only five and a half hectares spread over two vineyards. The wine is 100% Riesling. My notes: floral nose with a touch of petrol; on the palate, dry to medium dry, fresh, light, and lively, low in alcohol (10%). The wine should go well with a light Crab Salad

• 2004 Batic Pinela: Batic is a family-run farm and winery located in the Vipava valley, only 15 miles from the Italian border. The winery takes an organic approach to wine production. Pinela is a rare white variety native to the Primorje region. My notes: aged in barrique, fragrant nose of exotic fruit, pineapple; on the palate, medium to full-bodied, slightly oily mouthfeel, distinctive, more alcohol than the Riesling (14%).

• 2006 Santomas Big Red: The Santomas winery sits on a hillside overlooking the Adriatic Sea, just southeast of Trieste. Taking full advantage of the warm Mediterranean climate, the winery specializes in red wines. The wine is made from the Refosk grape, also known as Refosco, a varietal native to the northern Italian areas of Friuli, Gavi, and Trentino. My notes: lots of fruit on the nose with notes of vanilla, round on the palate, well-structured, good acidity, slightly rustic. Should work well with a tomato and mushroom dish like this Pasta with Sausage, Tomatoes, and Mushrooms dish.

• 2006 Batic Cabernet Franc: another organically grown wine from the Batic winery of Vipava Valley. The wine was fermented using native yeast and was aged 12 months in Slovenian oak barrels and another six months in the bottle. My notes: black fruits on the nose, full-bodied on the palate with firm tannins, still young but tasty. Try it with Grilled Marinated Steaks.


• 1999 Kocijancic-Zanut Merlot Brjac: Kmetija Kocijancic-Zanut is a winery located in the Brda appellation, which means hills in Slovene. This is a region of rounded hills in the western part of the country bordering Italy. The wine was aged 4 months in stainless steel tanks, then transferred to French oak barrels for 4 years, and then aged in the bottle for an additional six months. My notes: nose of black fruit with gamey flavors, rather smooth on the palate, long finish. It's a wine that calls for venison dishes, like this Slovenian Venison Stew.

• 2001 Graben Gamay: Vino Graben is a winery located in the Bizeljsko-Sremic district of the Posavje wine region. It lies on the northern bank of the Sava River, close to the Croatian border. Gamay is a grape that have been introduced to Slovenia from France and is not widely used in the country. Vino Graben makes some Gamay with microproduction quantities. My notes: flavors reminiscent of rose water flavored marshmallow, light bodied and rather dry on the palate, very unusual.

What an enlightening tasting and a wonderful evening! And if you're in the area, don't miss A Slovenian Wine Extravaganza at CAV Wine Bar & Kitchen this Saturday, January 17.

Related post:
•  Wines of Germany and Eastern Europe class: Croatia, Slovenia and Romania

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Pinot Noir Tasting

More than any other red varietals, Pinot Noir tends to hide behind its terroir and reflect the flavors of the soil. Therefore, it is a fascinating exercice to compare several Pinots from different parts of the world side by side, and that's exactly what we did at our last Wine Club tasting party right before Thanksgiving

We started with a zippy Pinot Noir Rosé from California to waken our taste buds, then moved to Burgundy, New Zealand, and finally traveled along the US Pacific Coast, from Oregon to Santa Barbara County. This was a particularly interesting exercise because tasters expressed many split opinions about the wines. So in the end, which wine emerged as the winner? Hard to say except that as the tasting was wrapping up, there was not a single drop of Burgundy left.




The wines we tasted:

• 2007 Etude Pinot Noir Rosé: Etude Winery specializes in two classic red varietals: Pinot Noir that grows in the cool Los Carneros appellation, and Cabernet Sauvignon from the warmer Napa Valley. The winemaking team believes that winemaking begins in the vineyard and that inspired grape growing diminishes the need for winemaking intervention. My notes: bright salmon color, fresh berry nose, juicy, with notes of honey. A good wine to accompany spicy dishes.

• 2005 Savigny-Lès-Beaune Premier Cru Aux Gravains Domaine Camus Bruchon: Savigny-Lès-Beaune, situated to the north of the town of Beaune, is the third largest producing appellation in Burgundy's Côte de Beaune. It produces almost exclusively red wines (90%) under the village and premier cru appellations. Lucien Camus of Domaine Camus-Bruchon is considered one of the finest red winemakers in the Côte de Beaune, crafting well balanced, deep and complex wines. My notes: at first, not very expressive on the nose, more earthy than fruity with some good acidity. Some tasters found the wine rather light but it opened up towards the end of the evening, developing a attractive, fragrant Pinot nose and a more complex body.

• 2006 Pyramid Valley Vineyards Pinot Noir Calvert Vineyard: Amisfield is a New Zealand producer of Pinot Noir, aromatic whites and sparkling wines. It is located in Central Otago, the most southerly wine producing region in the world where Pinot noir is the leading grape variety (approximatively 70% of plantings). The estate consists of 60 hectares of Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc. My notes: medium color, aromas of ripe berries, soft and sweet on the palate, and in my opinion, slightly heavier than the rest of the line-up.

• 2005 The Eyrie Vineyards Estate Grown Pinot Noir: Oregon Pinot noir pioneer David Lett founded The Eyrie Vineyards in 1966. In 1979, Lett participated to a competition in Paris and his wines placed third among all Pinots. In a 1980 rematch the Eyrie wines moved to second place. The competition instantly put Oregon on the map as a world class Pinot noir producing region. The winery is located in the Red Hills of Dundee, about 30 miles south-west of Portland, Oregon. The Estate Pinot Noir comes mostly from younger vineyards planted in the 1980's. It is aged in mostly neutral oak casks, unfined and filtered only if necessary. My notes: medium red color, attractive aromatic nose, medium bodied, earthy with juicy, fruity flavors on the palate, very attractive. For me, one of the best Pinots of the evening (but not all tasters were fond of it).

• 2006 Harrington Pinot Noir Wiley Vineyard: located in San Francisco, Harrington wines makes Pinot Noir wines from five different California appellations: Chalone, Sonoma Coast, Los Carneros, Wild Horse Valley, and Anderson Valley. Situated ten miles from the Pacific Ocean, the Wiley Vineyard is one of the westernmost vineyards in the Anderson Valley appellation. It is a chilly area surrounded by coastal redwoods and it is often the last Pinot Noir vineyard being harvested in the Anderson Valley. My notes: medium color, understated nose, sour cherry aromas, tart and spicy in the mouth, slightly unbalanced in terms of acidity. Many tasters didn't like it.

• 2004 Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard Pinot Noir Bailey's Branciforte Ridge: originally established in 1863 as the Jarvis Brothers Vineyard, Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard is one of the oldest continuously operated vineyards in California. The Branciforte Ridge vineyard is a relatively new vineyard established in 2000, just two miles away from the historic Jarvis Vineyard at the old winery location. My notes: deep color, sweet cherry and vanilla aromas, smooth on the palate, good length.

• 2006 Melville Estate Pinot Noir Santa Rita Hills: The family-owned Melville Vineyards and Winery is located in the Santa Rita Hills, in the western Santa Ynez Valley of Santa Barbara County. The estate has 139 acres planted with 255,000 vines of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, and two Rhone varietals, Syrah and Viognier. The Estate Pinot Noir is 100% Pinot Noir from the Melville Santa Rita Hills estate. 33% of the fruit was fermented as whole-clusters, the rest being de-stemmed. My notes: deep color, forward nose of ripe black cherry and berry, smooth and full-bodied on the palate, revealing tobacco and stewed prunes notes on the finish. This was the richest wine of the whole selection and the highest in alcohol (15.1%). It was also a good match for bitter-sweet chocolate. Here again, there was some disagreements about the wine, some tasters finding it too strong and alcoholic, and others loving it.

Our next wine club tasting event is scheduled later this month and will feature wines from the Rhône Valley so stay tuned!

Previous wine club tastings:
•  Second Guess The Wine tasting party
•  Wine and Cheese pairing
•  Champagne Tasting

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An extra fridge on the deck for New Year's Eve

The New Year's Eve party at the ski cabin was great, the guests cheerful, and the drinks perfectly cold.

The day before, we had shoveled more than a foot of accumulated snow off our deck, but decided to leave a large block next to the kitchen door. This was good thinking. Our refrigerator was full with enough food to feed an army and there was no room for any additional bottles that needed to be chilled.

That's how the block of snow on the deck became home to three bottles of Champagne, including the outstanding Mumm Grand Cru, three bottles of Sauternes to accompany the terrine of foie gras — we actually tasted the 2004 Château Rayne Vigneau and the 2005 Château Coutet, the latter particularly rich and aromatic — and last but not least, three bottles of sparkling Martinelli for the younger crowd.


Our fridge on the deck

There was also a nice layer of snow for everybody to go barefoot in the snow at midnight for our traditional New Year photo.

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The Widow Clicquot: it's delicious but you can read it too!

“Because of her willingness to take risks without fanfare, the Widow Clicquot became one of the most famous women of her area. For decade after decade, her name was heard on the lips of soldiers, princes, and poets as far away as Russia. Before long, tourists came looking for a glimpse of the woman whom the writer Prosper Mérimée once called the uncrowned queen of Reims. In the Champagne, she was known simply as La Grande Dame—The Great Lady.”
The Widow Clicquot: The Story of a Champagne Empire and the Woman Who Ruled It

In 1798, Barbe-Nicole Ponsardin, the daughter of a prosperous Reims merchant marries François Clicquot, a textile merchant with a small wine business. But in 1805, François dies and Barbe-Nicole, now a widow, chooses to defy convention and take the reins of the fledgling wine business. After multiple political and financial reversals, she becomes one of the first great businesswomen and one of the richest women of her time.

This is a fascinating story about an audacious and intelligent woman, a bold risk taker, a daring and determined entrepreneur, the first woman in history to run an international commercial empire.






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Find me on Facebook!

I just released a version of my Cellar Management application ManageYourCellar.com for Facebook.

If you're a Facebook user, ManageYourCellar for Facebook allows you to access our extensive database of wines and tasting notes, view and update your wine collection, rate wines, and this from within your Facebook account.

With ManageYourCellar for Facebook, it is easy to share your wine purchases and reviews with your friends, see which wines your friends have enjoyed recently, and get recommendations, as the application publishes stories displayed on the user's wall and friends' News Feeds when users buy, drink, or review wines.

So try it now and tell all your friends about it!

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More on Thanksgiving leftovers: if you're ambitious, make a Turkey Mole

Two days after Thanksgiving, our friend and gifted cook Catherine was still full of energy and undertook the ambitious project to make a mole.

In Mexican Spanish, mole simply means sauce or mixture (like in guacamole, avocado mole) but in the US, mole usually refers to a specific sauce called Mole Poblano. Mole Poblano is a thick, rich, sweet sauce prepared with dried chile peppers, ground nuts, seeds, raisins, spices, and chocolate, and traditionally served with turkey. This is a recipe that requires long preparation times but the result is totally rewarding.


Mole mixture before being blended


Blended mole cooked with turkey stock

Now, what kind of wine can stand up to those strong, complex flavors? We tried a Zinfandel from Opolo Vineyards, a winery located in Paso Robles. Opolo co-owners Rick Quinn and Dave Nichols own about 280 acres of vineyards, most of them situated in the Adelaide range of the Santa Lucia Mountains. The name Opolo is a reference to Quinn's Yugoslavian heritage, and is actually the name of a blended rose-style wine found on the Dalmatian Coast.

The 2003 Opolo Mountain Zinfandel Paso Robles is a big, alcoholic wine (16.6% ABV) with a opulent, full-bodied mouthfeel and rich, sweet aromas of raisins and other dried fruits. Not the kind of wine that I would drink everyday, but with the mole, it made a interesting pairing.

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After Thanksgiving, what to do with the leftovers? A tortilla soup

Come Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, and what do you do with all the leftovers? If you had saved some of the stock that you used for the gravy, you can make a tortilla soup, a tasty soup with vegetable, spices, and fried tortilla strips, which is served with diced cooked turkey, cheese, and avocado, and topped with chopped cilantro and a lime wedge.

It is never easy to choose a wine that goes well with Mexican food. Many would argue that beer should be the beverage of choice but I was pretty happy with the wine we had with the soup: a 2006 A Coroa Godello Valdeorras.

Valdeorras is located in the Galica region in northwestern Spain, close to the border with Portugal. The name, which means golden valley, refers to the fact that gold was mined there in ancient times.The climate is continental, characterised by hot summers and cold winters, with a long autumn season.

The local grape Godello is the rising star of Valdeorras. The white variety produces crisp, fresh, aromatic wines and new planting has been encouraged in the region in the last few years.

The wine had a light straw color and a fresh citrus nose. On the palate, it was fleshy and crisp with a mineral finish. Definitively, a wine with a distinguished personality.


Tortilla Soup

With leftovers from a garnet yams and marshmallows gratin, my daughter made some delicious sweet potato rolls.


Sweet Potato Rolls

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More comfort food and a gorgeous Vacqueyras

It was getting cold outside and I was craving for something hearty and soothing. The answer was easy: Braised Pork Roast with Prunes and a bottle of 2001 Vacqueyras Domaine Le Sang des Cailloux Cuvée Lopy.

The Domaine Le Sang des Cailloux, which literally means blood of the stones, is a 17 hectare estate in Vacqueyras, a small appellation in the southern Rhône Valley not very far from Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Almost 11 hectares are planted to Grenache with smaller plots of Syrah, Mourvèdre and Cinsault. The white grapes are Grenache Blanc, Clairette, Bourboulenc, Rousanne, and Viognier. The domaine is farmed using organic techniques. The cuvée Lopy refers to the name of the farm where the winemaker was raised. The blend is 75% 65 year old Grenache and 25% 40 year old Syrah.

The 2001 Cuvée Lopy had a dense, dark color and a sweet, forward nose of black fruits. On the palate, it was rich, luscious, silky with a long lasting finish. And absolutely sensational with the prunes.



My braised pork with prunes (and potatoes)

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Second Guess The Wine tasting party

Earlier this fall, we had our second annual Guess the Wine tasting party where guests are asked to identify the varietal, region, and vintage of the wine. To add to the fun and ensure that the tasting was completely blind, each wine was transferred beforehand into a completely random bottle. That evening, we tasted 6 different single varietal wines from different regions including Australia, California, France, and New Zealand. Here they are:




• 2006 Pouilly Fuissé Les Folles Vieilles Vignes Domaine des Nembrets: located in the south of Burgundy, Pouilly-Fuissé is one of the best known appellation of the Mâconnais. It is a white only appellation producing wines from the Chardonnay grape. Domaine des Nembrets is a tiny estate west of the town of Mâcon. The wine is made from 50 year old vines from a south-west facing vineyard called Les Folles. Grass is left to grow on the vineyard to force the roots of the vines to dig into the deep topsoil. The wine is fermented and aged in 100% stainless steel. My notes: light golden color, peach, tropical aromas on the nose, light to medium-bodied, good acidity on the palate, grapefruit notes and minerality on the finish. Because of its crispness and minerality, some guests identified the wine as a Sauvignon Blanc.

• 2006 Georges Vernay Viognier Le Pied de Samson: the Domaine Georges Vernay is a 16 hectare family owned winery with vineyards mostly in the Condrieu and Côte Rotie appellations. Georges Vernay (now retired) is renowned for having almost single-handedly resuscitated the Condrieu appellation as well as Viognier the local grape. The cuvée called Le Pied de Samson comes from vines growing on the upper slopes of Condrieu (above 300 meters), an area excluded from the appellation because of the elevation. The wine is aged in stainless steel vats. My notes: light yellow color, fragrant nose of litchi fruit and rose petal, fat mouthfeel with fresh raspberry notes on the palate, spicy finish. Not everybody was familiar with the Viognier grape but those who had tasted it before were able to recognize it.

• 2006 Amisfield Pinot Noir: Amisfield is a New Zealand producer of Pinot Noir, aromatic whites and sparkling wines. It is located in Central Otago, the most southerly wine producing region in the world where Pinot noir is the leading grape variety (approximatively 70% of plantings). The estate consists of 60 hectares of Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc. My notes: medium red color, raspberry, vanilla on the nose, medium-bodied on the palate with some acidity, rather short finish, slightly disappointing. Many guests were confused about the wine and few identified it as a Pinot Noir.

• 2001 Joseph Swan Zinfandel Mancini Ranch Russian River Valley: located in California's Russian River Valley, Joseph Swan Vineyards is a small family-owned winery specialized in vineyard designated Pinot Noir and old vine Zinfandel. The Mancini Ranch vineyard was planted in the early 1920's on the Santa Rosa plain of the Russian River Valley. Although the majority of the vineyard is Zinfandel, it is interplanted in the old traditional Italian style with a mix of varietals. My notes: red-brick color, attractive floral nose with notes of cinnamon, medium-bodied on the palate with complex berry flavors. Some guests mistaken it for a Pinot Noir. Personally, this was one of my favorite wines of the evening.

• 2005 Buehler Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley: Buehler Vineyards is another small family-owned winery located in the mountains east of St. Helena in Napa Valley. The Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from grapes grown on hillside estate-owned vineyards (35%) blended with grapes from other Napa Valley vineyards located on the valley floor. My notes: deep garnet color, blackberry and plum aromas on the nose, medium bodied plate with a good balance between acidity and tannins, tasty fruity finish. A very good wine but not showy, which is what confounded some of the guests.

• 2005 Kurtz Family Vineyards Boundary Row Shiraz Barossa Valley: Kurtz Family Vineyards is located in the Barossa Valley, South Australia. The name Boundary Row refers to the fact that vineyards in the Barossa Valley traditionally have no fence lines to divide the properties between neighbors. Instead, a Boundary Row is planted and the yield from this row is shared. The wine consists of 5 different blocks that were picked and fermented at differing times. My notes: dark and deep color, ripe fruit and pepper on the nose, full-bodied and warm on the palate, notes of eucalyptus on the finish. This was maybe the easiest wine to recognize.

For the second year in the row, our host Jean won again, with our friend Marcus in second place. Now, is Jean going to win again next year? Stay posted! Meanwhile, for our next tasting event, we'll be tasting some Pinot Noir.

Previous wine club tastings:
•  Wine and Cheese pairing
•  Champagne Tasting
•  Tasting the wines of South America

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Back to Basics: Lasagna and Chianti

For me, lasagna is the ultimate autumn comfort food: hot from the oven, soft, creamy, cheesy, and topped with a rich tomato sauce. Now try lasagna with a good Chianti, like the stylish 2005 Rocca di Montegrossi Chianti Classico. That's what we did the other night.

Although Rocca di Montegrossi is a relatively new name, it's already a respected quality Chianti producer located in the picturesque town of Gaiole in Chianti in the province of Siena.

The 2005 Rocca di Montegrossi Chianti Classico has a deep color and aromas of sweet ripe fruits on the nose. On the palate, the wine is medium-bodied, juicy, round and well-balanced with some mineral character on the finish. Definitively a truly pleasurable complement to the lasagna.

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The Marsanne Roussanne Blend from Cline Cellars

In 1991, Fred Cline and his wife Nancy relocated their winery from Oakley, Contra Costa County, to the Carneros region where Fred pioneered the planting of Rhône varietals including Syrah, Viognier, Marsanne and Roussanne. Fred chose to farm his vineyards naturally and sustainably using organic cover crops, compost teas, crushed volcanic rock and oyster shell, natural mined sulfur and sheep grazing.

The Marsanne used in the blend comes from four acres planted on the winery's Carneros estate. Marsanne is a white grape variety commonly found in the Rhône Valley where it most likely originated. With Syrah and Roussanne, it is one of the three varietals permitted in the Hermitage appellation. This was the first planting of Marsanne in the region. The blend has also a smaller amount of Roussanne from Cline's Sonoma Coast vineyards near Petaluma. The wine is fermented in stainless steel to preserve fruitiness and freshness.

The 2007 Cline Marsanne Roussanne Los Carneros was the wine I brought as I was invited with some good friends for lunch. Our host had cooked a sumptuous meal starting with a soft-boiled egg topped with whipped cream and salmon roe, followed by a Baked Pork Tenderloin in Pastry with Provencal Vegetable Gratin, and ending with a Grapefruit and Champagne Granité.

I think the wine did a pretty good job with the food. Showing a bright golden color, it had aromas of ripe pear and apple on the nose. The palate was round and mellow with some juicy acidity and a mineral finish.


soft-boiled egg topped with whipped cream and salmon roe, baked pork tenderloin in pastry, and Provencal vegetable gratin

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Can we improve our sense of smell?

“Can you train your nose?” inquires wine writer Natasha Hughes in the November edition of Decanter Magazine. Moreover, can people that professionally rely on their sense of smell accurately identify aromas outside their field of expertise? Three experts, a sommelier, a tea buyer, and a perfumier, were put to the test with tea, wine, and perfume samples.

The sommelier, Mathieu Gaignon, doesn't think he was born with extrordinary skills. “I believe the sense of smell is one you can train,” he says. “The trick is to find a way of associating an image with a particular smell.” For him, detecting the aromas of the perfume samples was easier than for the tea samples, which were more subtle, although he ended up with the same score for the tea as for the wine.

The tea buyer, Edward Eisler, “learned about tea just by being interested in it.” “When you're focused and you drink a lot of tea, you can pick up the subtleties,” he says. Although he acknowledged not being into perfume, he got the top score for the perfume and tea samples.

The perfumier, Linda Pilkington, was never formally trained, although she admits that perfume bottles was a childhood obsession. For her, the way we interpret aromas is personal. “Sometimes a smell reminds you of something personal to you, and it does not smell like that to someone else, ” she says. She thought that the aromas of the tea samples were the hardest to capture.

My conclusion is that our sense of smell should benefit from regular exercise. So next time you pour yourself a glass of wine, close your eyes, sniff, and enjoy!

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I am glad we had the Popes in Avignon

Because the popes were great wine lovers, they did much to promote local viticulture and winemaking while the Papacy was located in Avignon. Châteauneuf-du-Pape, which means New Castle of the Pope is a wine district a few miles north of Avignon that has become the most renowned appellation in the southern Rhône Valley. It is also a small town with a 14th-century castle that was build by Pope John XXII as a summer residence.


Châteauneuf-du-Pape

Local winegrowers have traditionally planted different grape varieties to enhance their wines and improve quality. So for this reason, the Châteauneuf-du-Pape appellation allows thirteen grape varieties. Red wines are usually blends of Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvèdre and to a lesser extend, Cinsault, Counoise, Muscardin, Terret Noir, and Vaccarèse. White varieties include Grenache Blanc, Clairette, Roussanne, Bourboulenc, Picpoul Blanc, and Picardan (Grenache and Picpoul may be used both in the red and white versions so the actual number of allowed varieties is in fact fifteen).

The Domaine de Marcoux is one of my favorite Châteauneuf-du-Pape producers. It is also one of the oldest properties with family vineyards dating back to 1344. It is run today by the two sisters, Catherine Armenier and Sophie Estevenin. The property that includes 10 acres of 95 year-old-vines, is farmed biodynamically.

I recenty opened a bottle of their 2001 vintage. The wine exhibited fragrant aromas of sweet fruit compote. On the palate, it was concentrated and full with more ripe black fruit flavors and spices, leaving a lasting impression of harmony and balance. What a pleasure! Next time, try a Châteauneuf-du-Pape with a lamb stew with figs and olives.

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A rich wine from Oakville, in the heart of Napa Valley

Located north of the town of Yountville in the Oakville AVA, Beckstoffer Vineyard X is a 45 acres vineyard planted to multiple clones of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in deep and well-drained soils. It was purchased in 1996 by Andy Beckstoffer, one of the most important grape growers in California. With vineyards in Napa Valley, Mendocino and Lake County, the family owned Beckstoffer Vineyards delivers over 10,000 tons of fruit annually to more than 50 wineries.


Beckstoffer Vineyard X

With fruits sourced from Beckstoffer Vineyard X Merryvale Vineyards produces a single vineyard 100% Cabernet Sauvignon and the 2001 Merryvale Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Vineyard X was their second release. The wine went through native yeast fermentation, was aged 18 months in 100% French oak and was bottled unfiltered.

When we tasted the wine the other night, it was opaque and dark with a lot of black fruit on the nose. On the palate, it was dense with lot of weight. However, I found the wine much too big to accompany our usual dinner fare. Actually, I would rather recommend the more balanced Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon from the same winery.

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Bordeaux wine: it has everything and nothing more

I was not sure what to expect the other night when I opened a bottle of 1998 Château d'Aiguilhe. It is a Côtes de Castillon, an appellation next to Saint-Emilion that had the reputation to produce rather rustic wines, although of good value. Located on hills overlooking the Right Bank of the Dordogne River, Château d'Aiguilhe is one of the oldest estate in the region. Its sun-facing vineyards have excellent natural drainage with thin clay soils over a limestone base. In 1998, the estate was acquired by Stephan von Neipperg of Château Canon La Gaffelière. Since then, a new modern cellar has been built and new vines have been planted.

Although the 1998 vintage didn't benefit from these costly investments, the wine was absolutely delicious. A blend of 80 percent Merlot and 20 percent Cabernet Franc, it showed a deep garnet color with a hint of orange at the rim. The nose was peppery with aromas of sweet berries. On the palate, it was medium-bodied with notes of earth, blackberry, and cocoa, and a rather lengthy finish.

That reminded me of that quote from Jean-Bernard Delmas, chief winemaker at Château Haut-Brion, that I read recently. “Le Bordeaux: il a tout et rien de plus.” (The Bordeaux: it has everything and nothing more).

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Banyuls and dark chocolate, a winning parnership

What do you do when your daughter bake a dark, rich, full flavored chocolate layer cake? You simply open a bottle of Banyuls — certainly the best partner for chocolate — to enjoy with the cake.

Our Banyuls was the 2003 Banyuls Rimage Les Clos des Paulilles, produced by the Dauré family, a well established winemaking family in the Roussillon region. With breathtaking views of the Baie des Paulilles, Les Clos des Paulilles is located just north of the Franco-Spanish border and produces wines from both the Collioure and Banyuls appellations.

The Banyuls Rimage (which means vintage in Catalan) is made from Grenache Noir grown in red schist soils. Grapes are hand-selected and then destemmed. Fermentation is stopped by addition of grape spirit, then the wine continues to macerate on the skins for a few weeks before being aged in tanks.

The wine exhibited a dark garnet color and aromas of prunes and candied fruits. On the palate, it was sweet but not cloying, with a light to medium body and a long aftertaste of dried figs and raisins. The cake recipe was from the Scharffen Berger book The Essence of Chocolate and called for 100% unsweetened cocoa for the cake and the frosting.



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Chardonnay: The antithesis of a White Rhone Blend

For Tablas Creek Vineyard, a Paso Robles winery founded by the Perrin family of Château de Beaucastel and importer Robert Haas, making a Chardonnay seems like the antithesis of the winery's mission: the production of wines based on Rhone varietals, inspired by the centuries-old traditions of Châteauneuf-du-Pape

So why producing a Chardonnay at Tablas Creek? Here is the story: in the early 1990s, as the Haas and Perrin families started importing Rhone varietal cuttings from Château de Beaucastel, a Sonoma winery requested a highly regarded clone of Chardonnay from Burgundy called La Vineuse. 1.5 acres were planted with the Chardonnay clone to get enough bud wood for sale. But three years later, the harvested fruit was so compelling that Tablas Creek decided to bottle that non-Rhone varietal, calling it Antithesis. Since that day, a small amount of Antithesis Chardonnay is produced every year.

Now, how is the wine? The 2004 Tablas Creek Antithesis shows a bright golden color and a pleasant nose of apple, pear, and spices. On the palate, it is medium-bodied with a creamy mouthfeel, leaving an aftertaste of brown sugar and spiced pear compote. The wine is well balanced and not oaky and buttery at all. Enjoy it with a creamy Asparagus Risotto.

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