Monday, 26 February 2018

Wine Reviews: Weekly Mini Round-Up For February 26, 2018

So, like, what is this stuff, anyway? I taste a bunch-o-wine (technical term for more than most people). So each week, I share some of my wine reviews (mostly from samples) and tasting notes with you via twitter (limited to 140-ish characters). They are meant to be quirky, fun, and easily-digestible reviews of currently available wines. Below is a wrap-up of those twitter wine reviews from the past week (click here for the skinny on how to read them), along with links to help you find these wines, so that you can try them for yourself. Cheers!

13 Rodney Strong Symmetry Meritage Red (Alexander Valley): In time, all of that sweet, elegant wood spice will integrate; but that time will not be short… $50 B+ >>find this wine<<
14 Gundlach-Bundschu Mountain Cuvee (Sonoma County): Dependably coming together in an ensemble that's decidedly sexier than the sum of its constituent parts. $20 B+ >>find this wine<<
15 Chalk Hill Estate Chardonnay (Chalk Hill): Think, lobster, butter, potatoes, and cheese, and serve it all up in the chilly dead of mid-Winter. $42 A- >>find this wine<<
13 Blason-Louis Haut-Medoc Cru Bourgeois (Bordeaux): This is everything that's right about B-L's unique business model; more of this please… much more… $40 A- >>find this wine<<
15 Blason-Louis Sancerre (Loire): Sancerre as you don't often see it, namely totally relaxed and just letting everything hang out. $26 B+ >>find this wine<<
NV Vilarnau Brut Reserva (Cava): Serve it to your annoying friends who say that all Cava sucks, and watch them furiously backpedal on their no-longer recalcitrant stance. $15 B >>find this wine<<
15 Cantina Campotondo Mezzodi di Campotondo (Orcia): Chewy, and delicious; like, whoops-I-drank-that-entire-bottle-by-myself-with-a-hamburger delicious… $NA B+ >>find this wine<<
14 Poggio Grande Sesterzio Sangiovese (Orcia): All of Sangio's beguiling pieces, still deconstructed but merging inexorably into a cohesive whole. $NA B+ >>find this wine<<
10 Podere Albiano Cirie (Orcia): A hefty shot of Merlot gives this spicy Sangio some plusher edges, without losing an ounce of focus or intent. $NA B+ >>find this wine<<
12 Val d'Orcia Terre Senesi Sornione Sangiovese Riserva (Orci): For those who like to play fast and loose with their tobacco, spices, and leathery grip. $35 B+ >>find this wine<<

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Copyright © 2016. Originally at Wine Reviews: Weekly Mini Round-Up For February 26, 2018 from 1WineDude.com - for personal, non-commercial use only. Cheers!

source http://www.1winedude.com/wine-reviews-weekly-mini-round-up-for-february-26-2018/

Wednesday, 21 February 2018

Wine And Place And Threats (February 2018 Wine Product Roundup)

For February’s wine product sample roundup (in which I cast a critical eye on wine-related stuff that isn’t actually wine), we once again hit the book shelves, with some mixed but ultimately geekily fascinating results…

First up is a long-overdue mention of Maximillian Potter’s account of the train-wreck-style-too-crazy-to-look-away story behind the 2010 threat to poison the vines of Burgundy’s La Romanée-Conti, which produce some of the most sought-after and expensive Pinot Noir wines on the planet (interestingly, the vintage under threat was the same one that I reviewed and – SPOILER ALERT! – everything turned out okay). The book is titled Shadows in the Vineyard: The True Story of the Plot to Poison the World’s Greatest Wine (Twelve Books, 289 pages, about $10), and if that subtitle sounds a bit fawning, it’s also an accurate indication of the book’s only real flaw.

Potter’s an accomplished and experienced former staff writer, and he knows both how to spin a yarn and how to meticulously research his topic, both of which come together masterfully in Shadows in the Vineyard. Be forewarned, however, that Potter also falls into the same trap that has snared countless others who’ve mentioned this fabled Burgundian top-tier producer, which is to mention so often that its wines must be the world’s best that your facial muscles might get a bit tired from all of the ensuing eye-rolling. I mean, we get it already. But in terms of entertaining wine-related reads, this is a top-notch tale…

Next, we have the potentially controversial Wine and Place: A Terroir Reader, by Tim Patterson &‎ John Buechsenstein, with a foreword by a long-time friend-of-1WD, the eloquent Patrick J. Comiskey (UC Davis Press, 329 pages, about $39). Wine and Place is meant to be an examination of the concept of terroir from several angles (scientific, folk, you-name-it) and using material from, well, all over the place (wine writers, critics, growers, winemakers, chemists…). You are unlikely to find a more current of thorough compendium of writing about terroir – both in support of and challenging its veracity – without the authors (or, more accurately in this case, editors) adding their own opinions on the matter.

It’s that last bit that is either the key to success or the fatal flaw of Wine and Place, depending on your preferred style of prose when it comes to controversial topics. At times, Patterson and Buechsenstein get seriously academic, which makes portions of this book a bit of a slog, but they seem so intelligent and involved that the reader (or this reader, anyway) can be left feeling a bit empty that they don’t take stronger stances on whether or not they view terroir as essential to the concept of fine wine, or as bunk. At this price, I’d wait for the paperback.

Cheers!

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Copyright © 2016. Originally at Wine And Place And Threats (February 2018 Wine Product Roundup) from 1WineDude.com - for personal, non-commercial use only. Cheers!

source http://www.1winedude.com/wine-and-place-and-threats-february-2018-wine-product-roundup/

Tuesday, 20 February 2018

Beringer 2014 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Knights Valley

One of the top pieces of advice I can give anyone is this: if you want to buy great wines at a discount, don’t buy from famous places.

Case in point: Knights Valley produces some killer Cabs, but you probably never heard of it.

Beringer has been the main player in Knights Valley since the 1960’s and owns much of the vineyards, about 600 acres. It sits at the northeastern tip of Sonoma, where it connects with Napa Valley at Calistoga; Alexander Valley and Chalk Hill lie to its western borders.

The valley sports the warmest daytime temperatures in Sonoma, but its high elevation contributes to a wide diurnal shift –hot days, cool nights– that contributes to a long growing season. The gravel-rich and well-drained alluvial soils keep water stress in the peak zone without the need for irrigation.

Major league ripeness with meaty layers of vanilla-burnt oak, fresh figs, chocolate-flecked dates, and olive tapenade . And that’s just the aroma. Full bodied with the dense and melted tannins stacked into a wealth of oak and chocolate ganache. Dense mountain of dark fruit finishes ebbs slowly into a mineral-and liqourice finish that doesn’t quite ever finish. It just rides around in a Ferrari made of cinnamon and blackberries for a few more minutes.

Coming in at $40 (Thank you, PLCB!), a bottling this luxurious would tip the scales at $250 if it came out of Napa Valley rather then Knights Valley. A barrel selection of 81,000 cases.

The post Beringer 2014 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Knights Valley appeared first on Wine School of Philadelphia.

source https://www.vinology.com/beringer-2014-reserve-cabernet-sauvignon-knights-valley/

Monday, 19 February 2018

Wine Reviews: Weekly Mini Round-Up For February 19, 2018

15 Ravenswood Big River Single Vineyard Designate Zinfandel (Alexander Valley): Aptly named; there is nothing small about this textural, jammy, deliciously-succulent guilty pleasure. $39 B+ >>find this wine<<
15 Dry Creek Vineyard Heritage Vines Zinfandel (Sonoma County): Still one of the cooler stories – and one of the better values – in the modern Zin marketplace. $18 B+ >>find this wine<<
15 Siduri John Sebastiano Vineyard Pinot Noir (Sta. Rita Hills): So muscular, sinewy, powerful, and gorgeous, it might as well be a thoroughbred. $50 A- >>find this wine<<
10 Caroso Montepulciano d'Abruzzo Riserva (Montepulciano d'Abruzzo): The theme here is dark-&-robust; that goes for the tobacco, earth, woody, and fruit. Bring the big boy pants! $27 B+ >>find this wine<<
15 Simonsig Kaapse Vonkel Brut Rose (South Africa): A bit like German-language opera, where the craft & execution have to overcome the brute force of raw material. $24 B >>find this wine<<
15 Robalino Albarino (Rias Baixas): Lemons and lemons and lemons, all of which are fresh and juuuuuust sweet enough that you can't put them down. $18 B >>find this wine<<
15 Tommasi Rafael (Valpolicella Classico Superiore): Leather, sweet cherries, dried spices, and a penchant for beef stew on really, really cold Winter evenings. $16 B >>find this wine<<
13 Restoran Vinarija Josic Baranja Ciconia Nigra Cuvee (Croatia): For when you want your red chewy, burger-friendly, and meaning business. $12 B- >>find this wine<<
15 G. Descombes Morgon (Morgon): Will make you say things like 'More Morgon!' and actually mean them sincerely without feeling like a dork. $25 B+ >>find this wine<<
16 Domaine de Cala Rose (Coteaux Varois en Provence): Yet another reason – not that we needed more – to start your exploratory dry rose journey in Provence. $22 B+ >>find this wine<<

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Copyright © 2016. Originally at Wine Reviews: Weekly Mini Round-Up For February 19, 2018 from 1WineDude.com - for personal, non-commercial use only. Cheers!

source http://www.1winedude.com/wine-reviews-weekly-mini-round-up-for-february-19-2018-2/

Wine Reviews: Weekly Mini Round-Up For February 19, 2018

15 Ravenswood Big River Single Vineyard Designate Zinfandel (Alexander Valley): Aptly named; there is nothing small about this textural, jammy, deliciously-succulent guilty pleasure. $39 B+ >>find this wine<<
15 Dry Creek Vineyard Heritage Vines Zinfandel (Sonoma County): Still one of the cooler stories – and one of the better values – in the modern Zin marketplace. $18 B+ >>find this wine<<
15 Siduri John Sebastiano Vineyard Pinot Noir (Sta. Rita Hills): So muscular, sinewy, powerful, and gorgeous, it might as well be a thoroughbred. $50 A- >>find this wine<<
10 Caroso Montepulciano d'Abruzzo Riserva (Montepulciano d'Abruzzo): The theme here is dark-&-robust; that goes for the tobacco, earth, woody, and fruit. Bring the big boy pants! $27 B+ >>find this wine<<
15 Simonsig Kaapse Vonkel Brut Rose (South Africa): A bit like German-language opera, where the craft & execution have to overcome the brute force of raw material. $24 B >>find this wine<<
15 Robalino Albarino (Rias Baixas): Lemons and lemons and lemons, all of which are fresh and juuuuuust sweet enough that you can't put them down. $18 B >>find this wine<<
15 Tommasi Rafael (Valpolicella Classico Superiore): Leather, sweet cherries, dried spices, and a penchant for beef stew on really, really cold Winter evenings. $16 B >>find this wine<<
13 Restoran Vinarija Josic Baranja Ciconia Nigra Cuvee (Croatia): For when you want your red chewy, burger-friendly, and meaning business. $12 B- >>find this wine<<
15 G. Descombes Morgon (Morgon): Will make you say things like 'More Morgon!' and actually mean them sincerely without feeling like a dork. $25 B+ >>find this wine<<
16 Domaine de Cala Rose (Coteaux Varois en Provence): Yet another reason – not that we needed more – to start your exploratory dry rose journey in Provence. $22 B+ >>find this wine<<

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Thursday, 15 February 2018

Drunken Globetrotting Good Ideas (Domaine Bousquet Recent Releases)

Anne Bousquet

Anne Bousquet has some of her best ideas when drunk.

This isn’t something that I have experienced firsthand, mind you, but comes by way of her own admission (during an NYC media lunch at which I was recently a guest). And it’s the opinion of her wine-growing father, Jean Bousquet.

More on that later. The point is that some of Anne’s vinous ideas (sober or not) are very, very good. Such as her credo that “we just want to make high quality wines that others can afford.” That one is definitely a winner, as her wares from Domaine Bousquet harken back to a time when many of us marveled at the QPR of Argentina’s wines.

The backstory goes something like this: Anne grew up in a wine-centric family in Southwest France, moving to Minnesota and then Boston to pursue education and work, respectively. While she was busy building up her CV, dad Jean (in the 1990s) decided to plant vines in the Gualtallary Valley of Tupungato in Argentina. Jean knew a good thing when he saw it, favoring the high elevation conditions there and planning to go organic. Anne was in the process of moving to Brussels when dad called, suggesting that she come back to the family biz, which a few years later saw Anne moving yet again to another country to join her father in tiny-put-promising Tupungato as the eventual Domaine Bousquet CEO. Subsequent culture-shock ensued.

“The town of Tupungato hadn’t done much to capitalize on tourism,” Anne told me, ” so the wines really had to step up.” The last few years have seen Tupungato’s more forward-thinking wineries take the lead in terms of the type of gastronomy-focused endeavors that are meant to attract wine-lifestyle-loving tourist dollars to the region. But to do that, the wines have to be worth the trip, which in this case, they are.

By the way, Anne now splits time between Miami (where Bousquet’s importing company is based) and Tupungato, because apparently her passport had a little bit of space left on it…

NV Domaine Bousquet Brut Rosé (Tupungato, $13)

Now this was a bit unexpected; a charmat-method Pinot/Chardonnay blend that takes full advantage of the freshness that Bousquet’s high-elevation vines are capable of preserving. A gorgeous pale salmon color, an emphasis on bright raspberry and strawberry fruitiness, and a hint of earth and rose petal all combine into something that is ridiculously gulpable, and yet carries just enough complexity to make you pause said gulping momentarily in order to ponder its finer points.

2016 Domaine Bousquet Reserva Malbec (Tupungato, $18)

One of those wines that make you wonder why the price tag doesn’t have a higher number on it, this Malbec is 100% estate fruit and sees a smidgen of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Syrah mixed in to the final blend. Ten months in French oak (in increasingly reused percentages) rounds this out into a rich, jammy, dark-fruited palate profile, but the main draw is the amalgam of violets, savory meatiness, mineral, and spice on the nose. Focused, fresh, and at turns lovely (yes, I wrote “lovely” with respect to Malbec), it’s a great food-friendly choice that punches a bit above its weight class.

2015 Domaine Bousquet Gaia Red (Gualtallary, $20)

Ok, we can finally get to the drunk story. As Anne relayed the tale to me, half-jokingly: “I was drunk in a restaurant in Adelaide, and I called my father, who was planting the vineyards in Argentina, and I said ‘you have to plant Syrah! I’m in love with it!’ It was maybe the only time with business that my father listened to me. He said, ‘I always told you, you have your best ideas drunk!’ We like Syrah, because we’re from the South of France.” It’s also worth mentioning that the subsequent wine takes its name from the Greek Mother Earth goddess, who was the parent of Uranus (insert your own immaturely crude joke here).

A wine with that kind of history had better be pretty good, and Gaia is absolutely good enough to live up to that story. A blend of 50% Malbec, 45% Syrah, and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, all grown at about 4000 feet elevation and taking advantage of the natural acidity preserved in the grapes farmed at those heights. This wine is a beast, but a tamed one; Deep, plummy red and black fruits mingle with minerals, spices, graphite, game meat, and pepper. Stick the words “Napa Valley” on this label and the wine would likely be selling for about $50, so I consider the sub-$30 price in this case to be a nice bargain. That Syrah is promising indeed, and probably the main contributor to the sexiness that this red exudes.

Cheers!

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Copyright © 2016. Originally at Drunken Globetrotting Good Ideas (Domaine Bousquet Recent Releases) from 1WineDude.com - for personal, non-commercial use only. Cheers!

source http://www.1winedude.com/drunken-globetrotting-good-ideas-domaine-bousquet-recent-releases/

Tuesday, 13 February 2018

Ant Moore 2016 “Signature Series” Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough

Yeah, so Ant is the guy’s name. Short for Anthony. Yeah, that’s a thing. He’s one of those up-from-nothing and built a small wine empire kinda guys. He also is the kind of guy who buys a few acres of land in the middle of nowhere, clears the land with his own hands, plants some vineyards himself, tends to them, and then starts making wine there a decade later.

This is his personal brand, but he’s also behind the New Zealand wine brands Pear Tree, Catalina Sounds, Isabel Estate, and Crowded House, too. This is my favorite of all his projects.

This is classic New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, with a cut more depth and creativity. Exotic fruit, citrus and lemongrass on the nose with a dusting of sumac and fresh basil. Pumped up and alive, this is a fun and extracted bottle of Sauvignon Blanc.

The post Ant Moore 2016 “Signature Series” Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough appeared first on Wine School of Philadelphia.

source https://www.vinology.com/ant-moore-2016-signature-series-sauvignon-blanc-marlborough/

Monday, 12 February 2018

Wine Reviews: Weekly Mini Round-Up For February 12, 2018

So, like, what is this stuff, anyway?
I taste a bunch-o-wine (technical term for more than most people). So each week, I share some of my wine reviews (mostly from samples) and tasting notes with you via twitter (limited to 140-ish characters). They are meant to be quirky, fun, and easily-digestible reviews of currently available wines. Below is a wrap-up of those twitter wine reviews from the past week (click here for the skinny on how to read them), along with links to help you find these wines, so that you can try them for yourself. Cheers!

12 Donatella Cinelli Colombini Casato Prime Donne (Brunello di Montalcino): Not all of the heroes survive at the end of this brooding, exceptional, heartfelt tale, performed by an all-female cast. $100 A >>find this wine<<
15 Donatella Cinelli Colombini Leone Rosso Orcia (Tuscany): A Tuscan Sangiovese core, displayed at some of its juicy, plummy, & deliciously friendly best. $NA B+ >>find this wine<<
06 Donatella Cinelli Colombini Vin Santo del Chianti (Tuscany): Tasty, persistent, powerful, and not at all shy about leaving lasting – and quite positive – impressions. $70 A- >>find this wine<<
14 Ehrhart Domaine Saint-Remy Gewurztraminer Cuvee EVA (Alsace): It’s really, really hard not to like something this finessed, rosy & lovely. Except by hard, I mean impossible. $NA A- >>find this wine<<
14 Josmeyer Riesling Hengst Grand Cru (Alsace): Do you like limes? How about slate washed in sea water? Whatever, just shut up & drink this already. $60 A- >>find this wine<<
NV Gustave Lorentz Cremant d’Alsace Rose (Alsace): More perkiness than anything else, but that perkiness is both very pretty and totally charming. $30 B+ >>find this wine<<
15 Lieb Cellars Reserve Pinot Blanc (North Fork of Long Island): Take a flower, put a fresh lemon slice on top of it, sprinkle it with a bit of sugar and sea salt, take a whiff, be very happy. $22 B+ >>find this wine<<
13 Franciscan Estate Reserve Merlot (Napa Valley): Dense and silky, because, well, duh, but never looses touch with its soulful Merlot roots. $45 A- >>find this wine<<
14 Dutton Goldfield Walker Hill Vineyard Chardonnay (Green Valley of Russian River Valley): Still in fine form, with a bit more nutty pie crust than tropical perkiness. $50 A- >>find this wine<<
15 Dutton Goldfield Dutton Ranch Pinot Noir (Russian River Valley): Goldilocks just-right levels of bramble, fruit, spices, zest, flesh, and flash. $44 A- >>find this wine<<

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Copyright © 2016. Originally at Wine Reviews: Weekly Mini Round-Up For February 12, 2018 from 1WineDude.com - for personal, non-commercial use only. Cheers!

source http://www.1winedude.com/wine-reviews-weekly-mini-round-up-for-february-12-2018/

Thursday, 8 February 2018

Del Rio 2015 Pinot Gris, Rogue Valley

Del Rio Pinot Gris Rogue Valley 2015

If you drew a line between Napa Valley in California and Willamette Valley in Oregon, Rogue Valley is just about the halfway point. It’s a place of rolling hills, warm sunshine, and several river systems: that is to say, Southern Oregon is a far cry from the Willamette Valley up north.

Del Rio’s vineyards were a century-old pear farm until 1997 when the first vines were planted. Like many new wine regions, their really isn’t yet an established set of grapes grown. I love this time in a wine region’s history: the push and pull of hundred of ideas competing all at once.

One of those ideas is Pinot Gris. The style here is a bit of a curiosity. A touch of residual sugar, a touch of skin contact, and a touch of oxidization. It works well and is a tasty bottle, but that’s not the only reason I am recommending this bottle.

These are flavors of a winery that is in the throws of experimentation. And that is something worth exploring.

On the nose, this Pinot Gris is fresh pear and lanolin, with a wilted fennel component. A lively acidity is balanced with a richness that takes on an overripe pear character. A zot of ocean air keeps the finish interesting as the flavors move toward fresh mango and almonds.

The post Del Rio 2015 Pinot Gris, Rogue Valley appeared first on Wine School of Philadelphia.

source https://www.vinology.com/del-rio-2015-pinot-gris/

Wednesday, 7 February 2018

#FlyEaglesFly (Piper-Heidsieck Cuvee Brut Champagne)

The “Philly Special” that helped make Philly truly special

I rarely listen to Philly sports talk radio.

This is not because I don’t like the sports franchises of my adopted-home nearest-metropolitan-city; the only major sports category in which a Philadelphia team isn’t my #1 is the NFL (Steelers fan here), and even then the only time I wouldn’t cheer on the Eagles is when they’re playing the Steelers (which is, thankfully, a relative rarity).

The reason I don’t listen to Philly sports talk radio – especially this time of year – is because for many, many moons it’s been full of the self-flagellating, though legitimate, tales of woe of Eagles fans, many of whom have literally gone their entire lives wondering what it would be like for their home team to be crowned Superbowl Champions.

This week, I’ve be listening to Philly sports radio almost non-stop. And yes, it really is that good, even for a somewhat-jaded NFL fan whose fave team is, ahem, kind of used to this sort of thing (at least one time more than everyone else, in point of fact). I mean, people have been calling in literally sobbing tears of joy, and if you live anywhere near the Philly area, you immediately understand why. This week, an Eagles fan popped open a bottle of bubbles that has been in his fridge since late 1980 (when he expected his team to subsequently prevail in their first Superbowl performance). Now that, my friends, summarizes Philly’s Eagles fandom. By the way, I swear this will eventually turn into a wine review of a sample bottling.

It’s not just that the Philadelphia Eagles finally – finally! – brought home a Lombardi trophy after decades of enviable-but-ultimately bridesmaid-not-bride NFC success. It’s how they did it that makes this first Superbowl win so brilliant for this city. Unless you were a Philly sports fan, you were writing off Superbowl LII as the final coronation-to-godhead-status of the most successful quarterback/coach combination in modern NFL history. And instead, that combo got taken down in an out-play-calling, out-throwing shootout, by a QB/coach combo that was almost universally mocked, and both of whom had previously considered calling the NFL quits (and are now being hailed as sports geniuses).

A rag-tag group of talented, dedicated, underrated upstarts, many of whom were backups at their respective positions, just wanted it more badly, and worked both harder and smarter, than some of the most talented and successful performers in the history of the sport. And they beat the more dominant opponent at their own game.

Hello!!! This city erected a statue to Rocky Balboa. This city is the spiritual embodiment of the underdog. And so this Superbowl is the perfect David-vs-Goliath story for a city that needed exactly that outcome at exactly this time. And it is f*cking glorious…

If there’s a better time for the mass consumption of Champagne in Philly while listening to Eye of the Tiger on repeat, I’ve yet to encounter it in my lifetime…

NV Piper-Heidsieck Cuvée Brut (Champagne, $50)

A blend of Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, and Chardonnay in descending percentages, around 15% reserve wine, and literally sourced from about 100 Champagne vineyards, you can regularly find this for under $40 on sale, and at that sale price it comes off as one of the better picks in traditional Champers.

Pound for pound (sorry, ml for ml), this is consistently Piper’s best bang bottling for the buck. The current marketing surrounding this blend centers on seduction, which is all well and good, but it’s just as easily a celebratory pick, because the balances between richness and perkiness, green apple and brioche, flowers and earth, all hit a very well-threaded, coherent equilibrium that makes this complex without being overly intellectualized, and just dangerously easy to imbibe (and almost as easily paired with a wide variety of food… wings and cheesesteaks included).

What does the future hold for the Birds?

Honestly, who give s a sh*t right now? Not even the Superbowl MVP backup quarterback and now-lauded Eagles head coach are falling into that look-ahead trap, and they are wisely advising the city to just take it in and enjoy a well-deserved moment of glory.

And I agree with them; I’d only add that you should consider drinking bubbles when you do it.

Cheers!

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Copyright © 2016. Originally at #FlyEaglesFly (Piper-Heidsieck Cuvee Brut Champagne) from 1WineDude.com - for personal, non-commercial use only. Cheers!

source http://www.1winedude.com/flyeaglesfly-piper-heidsieck-cuvee-brut-champagne/

Monday, 5 February 2018

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The post test appeared first on Wine School of Philadelphia.

source https://www.vinology.com/test/

Wine Reviews: Weekly Mini Round-Up For February 5, 2018

So, like, what is this stuff, anyway?
I taste a bunch-o-wine (technical term for more than most people). So each week, I share some of my wine reviews (mostly from samples) and tasting notes with you via twitter (limited to 140 characters). They are meant to be quirky, fun, and easily-digestible reviews of currently available wines. Below is a wrap-up of those twitter wine reviews from the past week (click here for the skinny on how to read them), along with links to help you find these wines, so that you can try them for yourself. Cheers!

13 Wunsch & Mann Pinot Gris Hengst (Alsace Grand Cru): Taking you back to old school Alsace; squash soup, drizzled with smoked honey. $NA A- >>find this wine<<
96 Domaine Zind-Humbrecht Gewurztraminer Hengst (Alsace Grand Cru): Simultaneously intellectual & insane; imagine complex oyster honey, only it’s actually excellent. $75 A >>find this wine<<
13 Domaine Zind-Humbrecht Gewurztraminer Hengst (Alsace Grand Cru): Lemon drop and marmalade candy, only they were dropped from the heavens, apparently. $60 A- >>find this wine<<
15 Domaine Barmes-Buecher Pinot Noir Vieilles Vignes (Alsace): For when you need to be reminded that Pinot is supposed to also have earth, balsamic, and freshness. $30 B+ >>find this wine<<
14 Domaine Barmes-Buecher Hengst Grand Cru Riesling (Alsace): Still thoroughly an infant, maybe even a zygote; give it a few more years for those limes to blossom. $46 A- >>find this wine<<
15 Josmeyer H Vieilles Vignes Pinot Auxerrois (Alsace): Don’t let the broad melon fruits fool you, this one is energetic enough to act as a battery for most modern electronics. $42 B+ >>find this wine<<
15 Siduri Parsons’ Vineyard Pinot Noir (Russian River Valley): Delivering the generous fruit of the CA sun, but with the flab trimmed. $50 A- >>find this wine<<
15 Simonsig Kaapse Vonkel Brut (South Africa): A classic Cap Classique that that manages to cap off its classy reputation with even more classiness. $25 B+ >>find this wine<<
15 Donnafugata Ben Rye (Passito di Pantelleria): Rich, bold, sticky, and triumphantly resplendent, this should excite you if your heart is actually still beating. 375ml $40 A >>find this wine<<
15 Podere Sapaio Bolgheri (Bolgheri): Refined, rustic chewiness; bring Bolognese pasta and prepare to be pleasantly surprised. $25 B+ >>find this wine<<

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Copyright © 2016. Originally at Wine Reviews: Weekly Mini Round-Up For February 5, 2018 from 1WineDude.com - for personal, non-commercial use only. Cheers!

source http://www.1winedude.com/wine-reviews-weekly-mini-round-up-for-february-5-2018/

Thursday, 1 February 2018

A Tale Of Wannabe Abject Hatred (Simonsig Recent Releases)

This is a tale of hatred.

Well, of wanna-be hatred.

I’m not sure exactly why I approached the wines I am about to discuss with you with such abject internal bile. But rage my bile against them I did, although they ultimately showed me who was boss and got my attitude turned around; but I did not make it easy for them.

Personally, I blame the current U.S. President. This week marked the first time in decades that I simply ignored the Presidential State of the Union address. I mean completely and utterly ignored the fact that it was happening, to the point of not even reading about its contents or subsequent Democratic party rebuttals. The less intelligent reader (who, of course, isn’t here reading this anyway, right??) will ostensibly chalk that up to me having some sort of Liberal-leaning angst over Donal Trump, even though I’m not actually a Liberal and the only time I ever affiliated with a party was as a Republican in the 1990s.

No, my bile-boiling is the result of the unique personal political hell-scape that a Trump presidency has created; I am a bit of a fiscal/budget hawk, highly value reasonable discourse, and support (along with the majority of Americans) a tolerant, progressive social agenda (within reasonable spending!). Trump is literally the opposite of all three of those things: he acts without proper analysis of how much money will be burned as a result, he is often embarrassingly angry and unintelligible in his speeches, and he seems to court the kind of oh-whatever-just-get-over-it kind of subversive sexism and racism that had no real place in the USA in the 1970s, let alone in 2018. So, basically, he’s a raging douchecanoe in my view, and since he dominates the national news cycle, I’m kind of always in a minor state of angry despair these days, waiting for that thing on top of his head to admit that it can no longer control him and crawl off somewhere to find another host…

Anyway, we’re supposed to be talking about wine, and so the TLDR version is that I wanted to hate these two wines, but instead I am enthusiastically recommending them to you!

2012 Simonsig “Merindol” Syrah (Stellenbosch, $44)

I cannot be reasonably faulted for wanting to not like this. After all, the description of the wine includes the term “black forest chocolate cake topped with black cherries,” and who the f*ck wants to drink black forest chocolate cake? Not only that, but we’re talking about a wine that saw a month of extended maceration, and underwent full ML fermentation in 100% new French oak. Oh, and it takes its name from the Malan Family coat of arms, which is all about celebrating French Huguenot heritage and not really at all about celebrating the natural bounty of an African nation. It ought to be the kind of viscous, woody, overwrought, tiresome slog of a red that the cool kids love to make fun of these days.

As douchecanoe Trump would say, “WRONG!” The wine is certainly decadent, and it certainly has no shortage of wood spices, but it’s also fruity, elegant, and balanced, its blackberry and plum flavors buoyed by a sense of energy and a peppery disposition. How balanced? I didn’t even the nearly three grams of residual sugar in the reasons why I wanted to hate it, because you’d never even know it was really there, that’s how balanced. At turns, it’s powerful, sexy, and bordering on lovely.

2015 Simonsig “Avec Chêne Blanc” Wooded Chenin Blanc (Stellenbosch, $36)

Again, entering with preconceived notions was a recipe for getting schooled. I mean, c’mon, the word “wooded” appears in the NAME OF THE FREAKIN’ WINE. And yet, this is clearly a case of favorable course correction, as we’re seeing a decidedly not-so-woody nose and flavor profile coming from this release. This is much more fresh-and-zesty citrus, heady white flowers, and ripe tropical fruits than it is wood spice and 2×4 scaffolding. There’s no ML here, but some oak aging does give it roundness and character and enough texture that it becomes a compelling match for a wide range of seafood and cheese options. Just leave your wanna-be hatred at the door, ok?

Cheers!

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Copyright © 2016. Originally at A Tale Of Wannabe Abject Hatred (Simonsig Recent Releases) from 1WineDude.com - for personal, non-commercial use only. Cheers!

source http://www.1winedude.com/a-tale-of-wannabe-abject-hatred-simonsig-recent-releases/