July 2018 Newsletter

Hope you are having a good summer. It’s been really great here at the school, and we have a lot of interesting classes coming up. The Great Ciders of the World  class is going to be really interesting. The Mixology class is going to be really amazing. We did a preview of the class for Yelp’s Elite squad and they went crazy for it.  If you prefer to plan further ahead, i’ve posted classes up to December, including our Italy Vs Greece class. Wine Lover? We’ll Give you $300 to Live Above the School Did you know there is a beautiful apartment above the Wine School? It’s going to become available on August 1st –for the first time in five years– and we’d love to have a wine-lover live here. To that end, If you (or someone you refer) ends up renting the apartment, we will send you a $300 gift certificate as a thank you for finding us the perfect neighbor. For all the details, check it out here: http://www.bitly.com/wsop3 Cheers! Keith Keith Wallace Founder Wine School of Philadelphia   New! Master Wine Aroma Kit Master Wine Aroma Kit We are happy to announce that the International Wine Scholar program now includes a  Master Wine Aroma Kit. This is the kit used by many of the wine education schools to train sommelier-instructors, master sommeliers, and winemakers.  This kit is not available to the public and costs $350 per kit wholesale. Students in the  International Wine Scholar program will receive the Master Wine Aroma kit free of charge.   What is the International Wine Scholar program, you ask? It’s an accelerated wine course for people interested in earning their Advanced Sommelier pin. The program will expose students to exotic and rare wines, the type of wines every great sommelier must know. Most importantly, the program focuses on the component training and deductive wine tasting critical to all wine education. Each class will include blind tasting and sensory training exercises. This training, which began in the Foundation Wine Course is greatly expanded with this program. If you want to attend, we are hosting the program this August and only a few seats remain. Details: https://www.vinology.com/class/international-wine-scholar/2018-08-20/ Wine Reviews   Mazzei Belguardo 2013 Serrata Toscana Belguardo’s vineyards are on the Tuscan coast, which is much warmer than the more traditional vineyards in the central hills. Along with an enthusiastic use of oak aging, this makes for some very modern, ultra-ripe versions of Sangiovese. Aromas of espresso, blackberry, and vanilla. Medium bodied with supple tannin, the flavor goes toward melting fudge and Asian five-spice. This is a wine with style, charisma, but not much depth. It’s the type of wine I open when I want to simply enjoy a richly textured Super-Tuscan.  As for a food pairing, try it with a handful of white chocolate truffles. Price: $11.99  | Wine Rating: 90 Points | Availablity: Wine & Spirits Stores in PA     Mount Veeder Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2015 Back in the 60’s, Michael Bernstein planted some grape vines that a farmhand had given him for free. He farmed plums on the property and was fine with that: he just stuck the vines in the ground and pretty much forgot about them. Despite never watering them, the grape vines thrived and the fruit they produced was amazing. Within a few years, he had replanted all of his lands to grape vines, in particular, Bordeaux varietals like Cabernet Sauvignon. Those old vineyards and the deft winemaking skills of Janet Myers are what makes this bottle very special, especially at this price point. Price: $13.99  | Wine Rating: 94 Points | Availablity: Wine & Spirits Stores in PA     Cambria Benchbreak Pinot Noir Santa Maria Valley 2014 The wine is fresh and vibrant, with just a wedge of rich fruit. The nose is all about the wildflowers: daisies and violets. On the palate, baking spices back up the rhubarb and bing cherry flavors and a wash of minerality adds some serious backbone to the enterprise. The finish brings in some complex forest-floor notes. Try this wine with oven-roasted shitake mushrooms and shaved Manchego cheese. Price: $13.99  | Wine Rating: 91 Points | Availablity: Wine & Spirits Stores in PA     Montecillo 2011 Reserva Rioja A 19th Century winery that still manages to put out some serious juice,  year in and year out. If you need an everyday bottle of Rioja, this will fit the bill.  Aromas of cigar box and tomato leaf; flavors of cherry, burnt vanilla, and laurel. There is plenty of fresh juicy flavors here and a pleasant grip in a medium-bodied package. My suggestion is to grill a lamb chop to medium rare, drizzle it with high-quality olive oil and finish with some flake salt. Slice up a tomato and give it the same treatment. Price: $9.99  | Wine Rating: 89 Points | Availablity: Wine & Spirits Stores in PA     Commanderie de la Bargemone 2017 Rose Commanderie de la Bargemone dates back to the 13th Century, founded by the Knights Templar. It’s a very light pink by rosé standards, but that is because of an early harvest. In fact, there is more red wine flavor here than in most rosé wines, with fresh strawberry and dark fruit on the nose and palate. The acidity is brilliant, with a dose of pomegranate and white pepper on the finish. One of my go-to brunch wines; it’s perfect with eggs benedict. Price: $14.99  | Wine Rating: 90 Points | Availablity: Wine & Spirits Stores in PA   Jean Cavaille 2016 Cep Noir Vielles Vignes Apremont, Savoie The grape here is Jacquère which can make elegant and ethereal white wines when sourced from older vineyards, like this bottle. A pretty nose of lemongrass and Lily of the Valley. A touch of spice on the palate, with light and supple orchard fruit flavors. An expressive style with rich notes and a fine length. Pan-seared sea scallops with a lobster-chorizo sauce is a perfect pairing. Price: $14.39  | Wine Rating: 91 Points | Availablity: Wine & Spirits Stores in PA   Domaine Kuentz Bas 2014 Alsace Blanc his particular bottle is what’s known as an Edelzwicker, a simple everyday blended wine. In this case, it’s Sylvaner, Muscat Ottonel, and Auxerrois. Crushed oyster-shell and Wisteria on the nose. This white wine has a bright fresh body with flavors of mint, lemon, and freshly picked pears. The finish is mineral-rich with a touch of ocean air. Shuck some Maine Oysters (Glidden Point if you can find them), dress them in a classic mignonette, and slurp away. Price: $13.99  | Wine Rating: 89 Points | Availablity: Wine & Spirits Stores in PA   Brotte 2015 Esprit Barville Cotes du Rhone Blanc Mostly Grenache Blanc with some Clairette and Viognier in the blend. The scent of anise and jasmine is layered into a note of grapefruit. On the palate, almond flavors are a pleasant counterpoint to the fresh apple and ginger flavors. Crisp with just a hint of richness on the palate and a lingering note of apricot. This would be a great bottle for grilled monkfish with peach salsa. Price: $14.99  | Wine Rating: 91 Points | Availablity: Wine & Spirits Stores in PA   Hillersden 2016 Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough An exceptional New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. Nose of guava and pineapple with an understated note of fine herb. The palate is texturally richer than most New Zealanders, with soft pear flavors that are kept in line with a POW of fresh acidity in the finish. Fresh grass and hazelnuts on the finish. Price: $9.99  | Wine Rating: 90 Points | Availablity: Wine & Spirits Stores in PA   Wine School of Philadelphia 109 S. 22nd Street Philadelphia, PA 19103 www.vinology.com

 

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101 Wines, 43 Wine Regions, And 1 Rosy Picture (June 2018 Wine Product Roundup)

image: Amazon.com

Welcome to the June 2018 incarnation of the ongoing series in which I review samples that aren’t in liquid form. I am so, so, sooooooooooooooooooooo far behind in penning thoughts on various tastings and wine travels, but I’m also so, so, sooooooooooooooooooooo far behind in reviewing the never-ending flood of wine book samples coming my way that I felt compelled to knock off at least a small handful for this product roundup.

First up, we have the small-but-powerful 101 Wines to Try Before You Die (Cassell, 244 pages, about $12) by former Wine Magazine editor Margaret Rand. Generally speaking, I’m not a fan of list-style books, but Rand’s clever ploy here – in which she devotes two pages each to the wines on her list, including a bottle/label shot – is not to introduce you to individual wines per se, but to get people thinking more about things like Savennières, Hunter Valley Semillon, or Bierzo.

image: Amazon.com

Rand gets bonus points for employing a writing style that’s equal parts matter-of-fact, personal, and humorous (included with each selection’s vitals, such as trophy vintages and whether or not to chill or decant the wine, is a “What Not to Say” section; my personal favorite is probably “Is it German?” under Hugel’s Riesling Schoelhammer entry). 101 Wines to Try Before You Die is an honest and fun, if not essential, walk through some of compelling bottles.

Next, there’s   (Mascot, 144 pages, about $25) by Michael Biddick. Biddick is a sommelier with an IT background, and his upcoming book is essentially full of vignettes about some of the world’s most important wine regions, accompanied by a sort of info-graphic that displays the area’s major grapes, soils, climate, and recent vintages.

Now, at this point, you’re probably asking yourself “why the f–k did he pick 43 regions?!?” and the answer has to do with Biddick’s IT geekdom, and is the kind of thing that’s just begging for controversy…

Being an IT guy at heart, the author basically created a matrix/spreadsheet for each potential wine region in the mix for inclusion, scoring for categories such as composite vintage score 2000-2016″ and “weather and climate.” A total point score was then calculated for each wine region, with 50 points being the cutoff for making the book. I can feel you points-haters cringing at this (hey, I’m one of you, and I did, too). For sh*ts and giggles, here are Biddick’s top 20 and bottom 10, based on his algorithm:

Biddick’s Top 20…

…and his Bottom 10

Whether or not 43 Wine Regions will be your particular cup o’ tea when it comes to wine reference books will depend in large part on how you feel about this kind of full embracing of the American penchant for list-making, categorizing, and ranking.

image: Amazon.com

Finally, we have a cute reference focusing on one and only one category of wine – Drink Pink: A Celebration of Rosé (Harper Design, 128 pages, about $12) by Victoria James (author) and Lyle Railsback (illustrator). James is a somm and beverage director, and, presumably, a big fan of pink wines. The pink-all-over cover and the clever/whimsical illustrations throughout will almost certainly have the more cynical among you (myself included) thinking that James and Railsback are capitalizing on the current boom in Rosé popularity; and while I don’t think that’s an incorrect conclusion, it doesn’t mean that Drink Pink should be overlooked. On the contrary, there’s a lot to like about this book: it’s unpretentious, gets into cool levels of detail (for example, in discussing the Cassis, Palette, and Bandol sub-regions within Provence), and offers Rosé-focused food pairings/recipes, and even Rosé cocktail ideas that don’t actually sound disgusting. A bit of Rosé history and production overviews round the book out, and it’s a solid gift idea for those who are not necessarily wine geeks but are enthralled with pinks.

Cheers!

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Wine Reviews: Weekly Mini Round-Up For June 25, 2018

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 in a “mini-review” format.

They are meant to be quirky, fun, and (mostly) easily-digestible reviews of (mostly) currently available wines (click here for the skinny on how to read them), and are presented links to help you find them, so that you can try them out for yourself. Cheers!

• 2013 Ellena Giuseppe Langhe Nascetta (Piedmont): Not that you need yet another reason to go, but if you’ve not yet been to Piedmont, this vibrant sipper will have you booking flights. $19 B+
• 2017 Tasca d’Almerita Tenuta Regaleali Le Rose (Sicilia): And it also happens to be Le Floral, Le Juicy, Le yummy, and Le Affordable. $12 B
• 2014 Tenuta di Ghizzano Veneroso (Terre di Pisa): Sultry, smooth, smokey, and packing a little mischievous bite within its tart, red fruit core. $25 B+
• 2017 The Original Dark Horse Pinot Grigio (California): Significantly leaning towards the tropical spectrum; also significantly leaning towards the Fun spectrum. $6 (can) B-
• 2017 The Original Dark Horse Rose (California): How much refreshment and floral tones can one expect for about six clams? More than you might think, in this case. $6 (can) B-
• 2015 Markham Vineyards Merlot (Napa Valley): Leather, grit, vanilla, ripe plums, and the kind of demeanor that will certainly make friends. $28 B+
• 2014 Miner Family Winery Garys’ Vineyards Pinot Noir (Santa Lucia Highlands): Trying very hard to convince you that it’s lithe; almost to a fault. $60 A-
• 2015 Edna Valley Vineyard Heritage Chardonnay (Edna Valley): Yeah, it’s impressively flamboyant. But it’s also impressively, well, impressive. $40 A-
• 2014 Brack Mountain Cyprus Pinot Noir (Russian River Valley): RRV, but all trimmed, toned, and looking might fit these days. $32 A-
• 2014 Cadaretta ‘Springboard’ Red (Columbia Valley): In dark and smokey backroom dealings, this *is* the dark and smokey backroom. $50 B+

 

 

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“There’s Liquid On The Brain” (Checking In With Primus And Claypool Cellars, 2018)

“When minds are dripping color, And there’s liquid on the brain
They laugh to one another, And politely go insane”

– Primus, The Dream

Last month, I had the pleasure of (once again) checking out the funky, entertaining, and technically dazzling band Primus, as they rolled through Philly on their Ambushing the Storm tour. Primus are currently playing with fellow prog-influenced band Mastodon in support of The Desaturating Seven, an at turns raucous, pretty, trippy, and virtuosic concept album based on Ul de Rico’s also trippy, gorgeous, and all-too-allegorically-topical-and-relevant-today (hey, one of the goblins is Orange… just sayin’…) children’s book The Rainbow Goblins. The album is played in its entirety during the show, with vibrant and also trippily-fantastic visual accompaniment that, I can tell you from personal experience, goes down even better with a wine-altered state of consciousness.

As was the case last year, I got to tag along with the VIP Package ticket-holders as a guest of Chaney Claypool, wife of Primus front-man Les Claypool and (along with Les), proprietor of Sonoma-based Claypool Cellars, who have been mentioned on these virtual pages for over eight years (holy crap!) at this point. The current tour VIP package offers a Q&A session with the band, and a tasting of some of the more recent Claypool Cellars releases; given my penchant for awesome prog-y type tunes, and my pinch-me wine-thing day job, and my music-thing side-gig, you can probably guess that I was pretty pumped to spend an early-summer-ish evening watching my various worlds collide…

Goofing around with Claypool Cellars’ Chaney Claypool (far right)

2016 Claypool Cellars ‘CC Pachyderm’ Pinot Noir Rose (Sonoma Coast, $28)

Only 200 cases of this delightfully zesty little beauty were produced, with fruit sourced from the Russian River Valley’s Moore Vineyard, which in my experience has produced varietal Pinots on the cranberry/pomegranate/lithe side. That profile is all played to excellent effect here, with a red-berry-and-stone-fruit-infused flavor emphasis that retains a buoyant mouthfeel and should have rock music fans and rose lovers wantonly flocking to chilled bottles of this well-balanced stuff. That it’s holding up so well after getting a year+ in under its belt is, I suspect, a testament to the Claypools’ now relatively long-standing penchant for finding excellent vineyard source material in their hometown Sonoma vicinity.

The tall one makes wine. Also, Team Iron Man forever!!!

2013 Claypool Cellars ‘CC Pachyderm’ Thorn Ridge Pinot Noir (Sonoma County, $68)

It’s rare that I get to taste the same wine on three separate occasions, as I have with the Claypool Thorn Ridge vineyard Pinot. You’d think that I’d be sick of it by now, and you’d be very, very wrong. Planted in the 1990s, Thorn Ridge sits on relatively steep hills outside of Sebastopol, and sees little water. What you end up with (and what’s also the case here) are Pinot wines that kind of dance between acidic structure and floral notes on the one hand, and a bit of tannic grip and depth of red fruit on the other. When I tasted this vintage last year, here’s what I wrote: “Despite its lithe profile, there’s good structure here, and I’d recommend waiting for a couple of years (or at least through the listening of an entire Primus album) before yanking the cork out of it.” That’s even more the case now, as the density of fruit and oak aging notes are still roiling around together like young, inexperienced lovers gettin’ busy, and haven’t yet really come together to make refined, tender, sweet-sweet luuuuuv. But make tender, sweet-sweet luuuuuv they eventually will.

Cheers!

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Wine Reviews: Weekly Mini Round-Up For June 18, 2018

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 in a “mini-review” format.

They are meant to be quirky, fun, and (mostly) easily-digestible reviews of (mostly) currently available wines (click here for the skinny on how to read them), and are presented links to help you find them, so that you can try them out for yourself. Cheers!

• 2017 Bota Box Dry Rosé (California): One hell of a pithy, fruity, well-rounded bargain, except without any of the actual Hell part. $22.99 B+
• 2013 Bonny Doon Vineyard 30th Anniversary Le Cigare Volant (Central Coast): Lovely, lovely, lovely; a fitting, reserved, and perky tribute to a venerable legacy. $45 A-
• 2015 Bonny Doon Vineyard Le Cigare Blanc (Arroyo Seco): Curvy and pretty, floral and perfumed, living up to the Beeswax vineyard namesake, and coming off as a veritable bargain. $28 A-
• 2015 Clos du Val Winemaker’s Signature Series Three Graces Red Blend (Napa Valley): The Napa deal, the whole Valley deal, and nothing but the deal, and basically the real deal. $180 A
• 2015 V. Sattui Winery Morisoli Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley): Boldly going where, well, where many Napa reds have gone before, but doing it with both gusto and a sense fo prestige. $100 A-
• 2012 Donnafugata Mille e una Notte (Sicily): Check it out, somebody is doing their sexxaaaahhhhh dance!!! $75 A-
• 2015 Rocca Sveva Castelcerino (Soave Superiore Classico): Substantive, textural, interesting, anda little nutty; so, basically, a really good Postmodern novella. $17 B+
• 2015 Selbach Riesling Kabinett (Mosel): Subtle and understated, but to be overlooked only at your lime-blossom-missing peril. $25 B+
• 2016 M. Chapoutier Domaine de Bila-Haut Lesquerde ‘L’Esquerda’ (Cotes du Roussillon Villages): Could use a bit more verve, but otherwise you’ve got an incredibly tasty, sweet maple sausage breakfast in a glass here. $28 B+
• 2013 The Infinite Monkey Theorem “The Bubble Universe” Sparkling Wine (Grand Valley, CO): Like a bubble, rich in texture, beautiful to behold, and yet light as a feather throughout. $55 A-

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Patience Becomes Virtue (About 40 Years Of Vintage Port)

“I hate waiting…”

So… I promised a follow-up to that 2016 Vintage Port preview, and since I’m a man(-child) of my word, here ’tis!

The central theme of my `16 VP roundup was that we all need to slow the f*ck down and accept the fact that Vintage Port not only takes a looooooong time to come around, and that a) many of us might be dead before newly-released VPs are fully developed, but we should buy them for future generations, and b) your patience regarding waiting on the slow maturation of VP will be well rewarded.

It’s time for us to get to the “b)” part, as we take a trip back through roughly thirty years of time, beginning with 2007 (when we were lamenting the state of our 401k balances) and ending with 1980 (when we were wearing JAMs, listening to disco, and some of you were probably snorting cocaine). We’re going to walk through a tasting of some of the world’s best “recent” Port vintages (with an average price per bottle of a staggering $367), from a tasting at which I was a media guest in NYC because, well, my life totally rocks (for more on the background of the various Port houses and their respective VP styles, see this post).

Alrighty then, wipe your nose and let’s get to it…

2007 Fonseca Vintage Port, $100

Big, tight, powerful, and still sporting youthful elements. It’s like a rambunctious pre-teen right now in terms of its attitude, in that it’s showing what it can do – in this case in the form of spice, licorice, mineral, mint, rum raisin, chocolate, and fresh and dried plums – with both verve and a haphazardly charming lack of self-consciousness. In any case, it’s clearly healthy, and being raised correctly.

2003 Croft Vintage Port, $90

Exotic, herbal, deep, and spicy, this is stunning. The palate moves quickly to rum, cigar, and opulent black fruits. I was pleasantly surprised at how drinkably smooth this opulent beauty is right now, though it clearly does not lac for structure. You’ll want it with some kind of dark chocolate, provided that you can wait about 15-20 more years, I mean.

2000 Quinta do Noval Vintage Port, $100

Rum, smoke, black cherries, prunes, spices, mint, raisins, leather, tea… all of that, and a silk purse, too, at least in terms of palate feel. This is VP excellence personified, and available at the relatively reasonable price of $100 (yeah, I know…) when you consider that you could gift this to your grandchildren and it will still be VP excellence personified then, too.

1997 Warre’s Vintage Port, $100

In a word, a classic. It’s actually even lovely at turns, with the type of freshness not usually associated with dessert wines in general. Yeah, you get raisin and licorice and richness, but you also get fresh plum, violets, and an overall sense of elegant loveliness.

1994 Quinta do Noval ‘Nacional’ Vintage Port, $2000 (that’s not a typo)

Harvested when I was still in undergrad, this rarity offers notes of resin, brambly spices, herbs, rum, dried fruits, mint, black cherry, green tobacco, and pepper. It’s not only one of the more complex noses you’re likely to ever encounter on a VP, but it’s also one of the more texturally fascinating; powerful, young, structured, bold, and packing some vibrancy to help weave it all together coherently into something very much closer to art than to craft. In other words, it’s ridiculously, almost life-alteringly good.

1985 Taylor Fladgate Vintage Port, $220

Delicate balance is achieved here between the riper, drier, spicier fruits and the cigar, walnut, and developed characteristics that you’d expect from thirty-plus years in bottle. The finish is forever, powerful and tinged with rum. You’ll need to like them big and powerful, but if you do, there are few better than this.

1983 W & J Graham’s Vintage Port, $155

Wood spice, stewed plums, spices, minerals, prunes, raisin, rum, mint, and a craaaaazy amount of concentration and length, there’s plenty left in the tank here both in terms of longevity and power. This is more hedonistic pleasure than it is contemplative specimen, but this level of hedonism kind of needs a brand new yardstick to be invented in order to accurately measure it.

1980 Dow’s Vintage Port, $170

Holy shit. Holy. SHIT. This is colored almost like a much younger wine, and the palate entry is superb: hearty, substantial, and unfolding from intense, extracted plum and brandy flavors into a soft and perfumed experience that includes stewed fruits, slate, raisin, wood spice, eucalyptus, green tea leaves, espresso, cocoa, and probably a ton of other stuff that I forgot to write down after I more or less had my mind blown and just decided to drink it instead of to taste it. So, yeah, i guess it was okaaay…

Cheers!

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Wine Reviews: Weekly Mini Round-Up For June 11, 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!

• 14 Le Cimate Montefalco Sagrantino (Umbria): Spice, fruit, and tobacco that are all sweet, in both senses of the word. $40 A- >>find this wine<<
• 16 Arnaldo-Caprai Cuvee Secrete (Umbria): The worst-kept-secret here is how deliciously tropical this rich, sultry white blend really is. $NA B+ >>find this wine<<
• 15 Cecchi Villa Rosa Gran Selezione Chianti Classico (Tuscany): So… as in So Sexy, So Brooding, So damned good, and So Full of Poential. $NA A >>find this wine<<
• 16 Donnafugata Lighea Zibibbo (Sicily): Flowers – and joyful enjoyment – for daaaaaaaayyyyyysssssss…. $20 B+ >>find this wine<<
• 15 Chimney Rock Stags Leap District Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley): Violets and blackcurrants arm-in-arm in peaceful protest against the ills of the mortal world. $99 A >>find this wine<<
• 17 Ehlers Estate Sauvignon Blanc (St. Helena): Lead character in a quirky foreign film: exotic, interesting, and acting with a zest for life. $32 B+ >>find this wine<<
• 15 Attune Eighth Street Vineyard Pinot Noir (Carneros): Tea, and red berries, and citrus peel, awesome, and just YEAH BABY! $50 A- >>find this wine<<
• 15 Gerard Duplessis Les Clos Chablis Grand Cru (Chablis): Piquant, perfumed, peachy, and, like Mary Poppins, practically perfect in every way. $75 A >>find this wine<<
• 14 Domaine Romain Collet Chablis 1er Cru Butteaux (Chablis): Svelte of figure, yet also rich, toasty, and adorned with high end trappings. $40 A- >>find this wine<<

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Who’s Your Daddy… Of RRV Single Vineyard Pinot? (Davis Bynum Recent Releases)

sushi – it’s not just for Pinot anymore

Recently, I was invited for a media-lunch-tasting-type-thingy in Philly with the affably hippie-ish-appearing Greg Morthole, who has been making wines for the Davis Bynum label since 2010. Davis Bynum wa purchased by Rodney Strong in 2007, and before that was a bit of a Sonoma-area legend, based on its eponymous founder.

That Davis Bynum (who passed away in 2017) is literally the daddy of Russian River Valley single-vineyard Pinot Noir, having harvested the first ever such varietal wine in 1973. Bynum got his start as a home winemaker in the 1950s, went pro in the 1960s, and at times had vineyard land in Napa and handshake grape deals with the Rochioli clan. And those last two sentences are a gross oversimplification of why Bynum’s name is well-regarded in the vinous world; I mean, this is also the former San Francisco Chronicle reporter who famously bought a box of grapes from Robert Mondavi for less than $2, once employed the about-as-legendary winemaker Gary Farrell, and used to haul grapes to his Albany winery in a 1946 Studebaker flatbed.

Morthole speaks fondly of Bynum, and if he’s suffering from any pressure-related performance anxiety related to making wines under Bynum’s name, he doesn’t betray an iota of it in his laid-back, California dude demeanor. Here’s what we tasted together over bites of Zama Sushi in Philly (and, yeah, Pinot works with sushi, depending on how earthy a cut you order, and how reserved your application of wasabi is…)…

2017 Davis Bynum Virginia’s Block Jane’s Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc (Russian River Valley, $25)

“This is my favorite vintage [of the Sauvignon Blanc],” Morthole mentioned to me, “and I’m not just bullsh*tting you!” And there is definintely something special about this release, which hails from a mere five acres of sandy-clay loam soils, and sees twenty percent acacia and older oak barrel action. Sporting melon, lemongrass, spice, blossoms, and tropical fruit aromas/flavors, this holds its palate weight deftly; I mean, it’s curvy, but it’s also firm.

 

2015 Davis Bynum River West Vineyard Chardonnay (Russian River Valley, $25)

A change of label accompanied this vintage, along with a change in the oak regimen (less was used, as you’d probably already guessed mid-sentence). The result is a zesty Chardonnay that showcases lemon, blossom, and flint action along with its peaches-and-cream profile. “I like where this is at now,” Morthole mentioned, and I am inclined to agree with him.

2014 Davis Bynum River West Vineyard Chardonnay (Russian River Valley, $25)

Broad, toasty, tropical, and dead-sexy, this is alive and kicking. Ripe peaches, cream, crème brûlée… you know you’re in California, for sure, and in this case there’s balance along with the opulence and you don’t mind it even one little bit.

 

2016 Davis Bynum Jane’s Vineyard Pinot Noir (Russian River Valley, $35)

A vintage built for some aging, this Santa Rosa plain vineyard Pinot hails from low-vigor soils, and in the `16 incarnation has a tight, earthy, spicy, and dark-fruited profile. It’s big, it’s structured, but it’s also floral, with lovely herbal overtones and great balance between its riper and tarter berry and plum fruit flavors. And yeah, it worked with raw tuna (like, big-time).

 

2015 Davis Bynum Jane’s Vineyard Pinot Noir (Russian River Valley, $35)

This is a richer, toastier vintage of the Jane’s, with ample spice and black tea leaf aromas. There are sexy black fruits, lithe red fruits, and lots of berry fruits in general. The finish is what really works well here; it’s long, toasty, and not taking No for an answer.

 

2014 Davis Bynum Jane’s Vineyard Pinot Noir (Russian River Valley, $35)

This is the kind of wine that should dispel doubts about whether or not the Bynum wine legacy is in good hands. Aromas of wood, tea, and pepper spices mingle with big, juicy, red and black berry fruits. As long and toasty of a finish as we’ve come to expect, and basically just kick ass the entire time during the drinking experience.

2015 Davis Bynum Pommard Clone Jane’s Vineyard Pinot Noir (Russian River Valley, $55)

A new venture for the Davis Bynum label (hey, you heard it here first, kiddos!), from Huichica soils that, along with the clone and rootstock choices, provide some water stress to the Pinot vines from whence this wine came. It’s big, earthy, toasty, spicy, and dark; bring your penchant for black tea, citrus peel, and plummy fruits. Underneath it all, there’s tannic and acidic structure that provides both scaffolding and liveliness. 17% new oak, 14.49% abv, and basically 99% Kick-Ass.

Cheers!

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Copyright © 2016. Originally at Who’s Your Daddy… Of RRV Single Vineyard Pinot? (Davis Bynum Recent Releases) from 1WineDude.com - for personal, non-commercial use only. Cheers!

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Mini Reviews Are Dead! Long Live Mini Reviews!

Next Monday (or June 11, 2018, at the time of this writing), will mark the final run of the Wine Mini-Review Round-Up posts in their current incarnation here on 1WineDude.

After that date, the corresponding “broadcast-only” twitter account associated with those reviews, 1WineDudeReview, will no longer be maintained. Mini-reviews will also no longer be posted to the 1WineDude twitter account, LinkedIn, or to the 1WD account on the Book of Face.

I originally began reviewing wines on twitter (and, as far as I’m aware, I might have been the first person to do so) about a decade ago, in an attempt to both a) provide an additional outlet for an increasing number of wine samples and tastings that came my way, and b) have some fun trying to cram something pithy, meaningful, and edu-taining about a wine in 140 characters.

Over the years, it’s become increasingly difficult to maintain those reviews across multiple social media accounts, automate the reproduction of the mini-reviews on to the “traditional” blog format here (hey, twitter: “thanks” for shutting off the RSS feeds years ago… for which you can totally suck my white ass!), and try to keep all of that content within manageable numbers while also providing links to finding those wines for the curious, and dealing with the advent of twitter reducing the fun in the exercise by increasing its update character count.

After all of these years, we are just way overdue for a change-up with respect to all of the above. Like, years overdue, at this point.

Here are how things will look moving forward with respect to the whole Mini-Review thang…

• A weekly list of short wine reviews (in Mini-Review format) will appear here on 1WD, with more direct and vintage-specific links to where the wines can be found for purchase.
• Like all 1WD posts, a link to the article will be cross-posted to twitter, FB, etc.; but If you want ’em, you’ll need to come here to get `em!
• I will finally be posting stuff to Instagram (probably just good old-fashioned wine recommendations, and not formal reviews).

So… hopefully this is all fairly clear, and those of you who are following the reviews at 1WineDudeReview won’t get too pissed-off (if so, refunds for your $0.00 outlay are available at any time).

In any case, there will be similar content, just probably more of it (which means more wines to talk about here!), and with extra wiggle-room on each wine for my bizarre commentary.

Cheers!

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Copyright © 2016. Originally at Mini Reviews Are Dead! Long Live Mini Reviews! from 1WineDude.com - for personal, non-commercial use only. Cheers!

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Wine Reviews: Weekly Mini Round-Up For June 4, 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!

• 15 Julien Brocard Vigne de la Boissonneuse Chablis (Chablis): The only place you’ll likely find more compelling minerality action is an underground cave. $27 B+ >>find this wine<<
• 16 Isabelle et Dennis Pommier Petit Chablis (Chablis): Just super. As in, super-mineral, super-lemony, and super-fresh. $22 B+ >>find this wine<<
• 15 Ferraton Pere & Fils Samoren Rouge (Cotes du Rhone): Meaty, solid, and aimed at the beef-jerky-loving crowd… which should be almost everyone. $14 B >>find this wine<<
• 16 Cleto Chiarli Vigneto Cialdini Lambrusco Grasparossa di Castelvetro (Emilia Romagna): Party in a bottle; the fun kind, the kind that you don’t want to leave. $16 B >>find this wine<<
• 15 Siduri Muirfield Vineyard Pinot Noir (Willamette Valley): The mystic black tea Kung Fu is very, very strong here. $50 A- >>find this wine<<
• 15 Mi Sueno Winery Chardonnay (Carneros): Oozing California from just about every conceivable nook & cranny, including its soul. $42 A- >>find this wine<<
• 14 Rodney Strong Rowen Red (Sonoma County): Clearly bigger, sexier, more perfumed, & all-around just *more* than the sum of its parts. $55 A- >>find this wine<<
• 12 Rutherford Hill Merlot (Napa Valley): Get thee to some BBQ pulled pork, immediately, my good man, immediately, I say! $30 B+ >>find this wine<<
• 14 Stewart NOMAD Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley): You’ve found a home, & it’s at a splurge day at a ridiculously expensive spa. $175 A >>find this wine<<

 

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Copyright © 2016. Originally at Wine Reviews: Weekly Mini Round-Up For June 4, 2018 from 1WineDude.com - for personal, non-commercial use only. Cheers!

source http://www.1winedude.com/wine-reviews-weekly-mini-round-up-for-june-4-2018/