Memorable Wines…

I wouldn’t say I’m one of those people who had a lightning bolt moment when I discovered wine. You know the scenario…Jenny drank a glass of 50-year-old Château Lafite Rothschild at her Uncle Doug’s retirement party when all of the sudden time stood still, angels sang and she knew from that moment on she would dedicate her life to wine. Definitely not me. That being said, there have been a couple of wines that made an impact on me as I have navigated through my stages of wine enjoyment and learning.

…And it’s not that the wine(s) were necessarily grand. It’s more they spoke to me at the perfect time in my wine journey to make an impact. So you wanna know what they are?

The first “A-ha” moment was when I tasted a bottle of Tenuta San Guido Sassicaia. I was living in Italy, it was my anniversary and I was dining with my husband at an oceanfront, rooftop restaurant in Possilipo. It was dusk when we arrived and the setting was…well, you can probably fill in that blank, it was movie-edited romantic. I realize that is a pretty impactful package even if I was drinking milk but I believe the memories tied to wine play a big role in the way we look at wine. Our waiter helped us decide on the Sassicaia. I had heard of this illustrious wine but wasn’t ultra familiar with it. I knew it was iconic and special but not sure what grapes were even in it or why it was so special. In fact, I can’t even remember the vintage we drank, thinking it was either a 2002…or 2005. I do remember taking my first sniff and first sip. It was so incredibly complex, unlike anything I’d ever had before. It was the first time I had ever smelled or tasted what I call a “meaty” wine, it was a wine I could almost chew. It was like drinking the best spicy beef stew I’d ever tasted with loads and loads of earth-driven aromas and flavors all gushing forward like kids pushing their way to the front of an ice cream line. It was the first time I realized wine was capable of actually sparking emotion.

My second impactful wine was a 2007 Petite Sirah from Niner Wine Estate. The moment was not fancy or special, I was just meeting my friend, Jen, for dinner. I was the mom of a then 7-year-old (whose 17 today) and my husband was in the midst of a seven-month deployment so this was honestly a “morale dinner” (one of my survival mode tactics). We went to what was then a relatively new restaurant in Coronado, CA called Leroy’s Kitchen + Lounge. I don’t know what I had to eat nor why we chose the Niner Petite Sirah but I do know, it was the first time I had ever heard of and drank Petite Sirah. I could not believe how it felt, how it tasted and how classy the bottle looked – I’m a sucker for a good looking bottle. The wine felt like velvet had turned into liquid magma and coated every nook and cranny of my mouth. I became keenly aware of the role weight played in wine. Prior to that, I had not thought of wine having weight or mouthfeel. The wine tasted sensational. Because of that bottle, I’ve been a big fan of Niner Wine Estate ever since. Not that all of their wines fall in the “sensational” category but it’s easy to sit in their corner when their wine made such an impact in my journey.

I will never forget either that Sassicaia or Niner Petite Sirah. My experiences and palate have changed and broadened a lot since then. I’ve been fortunate to have tasted many more fantastic, high-quality wines. But the fact remains, those two wines had stand-out moments for me and will be preserved in the halls of my brain that are dedicated to wine. Assuming brains have halls…and dedicated spaces for things like wine.

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A Vertical Tasting of Casanova di Neri

I brought back 3 bottles of Casanova di Neri Brunello di Montalcino from Italy in 2010 and put them (along with about 400 other bottles) in wine storage for safe keeping. It was not until I moved back to California in 2016 that I flew down to San Diego, pulled my wine out of storage, rented the biggest SUV I could find and drove the entire inventory to my home wine cellar in Central California (full disclosure – my husband did the driving). Just as good as presents under the Christmas tree in case you were wondering!

The vintages of the Casanova di Neri were 2003, 2004 and 2005. Not ancient but aged enough that I started wondering how they were doing. I bought a Coravin just for the occasion.

Tasting Notes –

2003 – Intensely colored garnet, with flavors of red currant, black tea leaves, and eucalyptus. A masculine wine with woodsy flavors alongside cigar and leather. Tannins were still very pronounced and the finish long.

2004 – Luscious with black cherry, plum and red fruit seeds. Interesting flavors of baking spices sprinkled on tomatoes, and earthen clay pot planted with herbs. The tannins were in-your-face fury in the most pleasant way.

2005 – Prominant red fruit alongside smoked paprika, red cedar, and caramelized mocha. Beefcake aspects included leather, cured meat, and campfire wood. The clay pot was not planted with herbs but flowers that had dried. Beautiful round tannins and an engaging, lingering finish.

A couple take-aways….

If you’ve ever thought about purchasing a Coravin, let me just say, I can not believe it took me so long to get one. The perfect tool for the task.

I shouldn’t have been but was surprised how well these wines held up. We deduced the 2003 was appropriately aged so we enjoyed the rest of the bottle. The 2004 and 2005 were fantastic but not at prime “show off” status so we put them back for now. It will be with great anticipation and excitement to revisit them and see how they’ve changed. A nice reminder that wine is exciting, ever-changing and mystical.

*Thank you to Wine Folly The Essential Guide To Wine by Madeline Puckette and Justin Hammack always a great reference source.

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Bordeaux The Beautiful!

Bordeaux. This single word conjures up thoughts of some of the most prestigious wine known. Both the business side and the romantic side of wine meet seamlessly in Bordeaux where the largest amount of fine wine in the world is produced.

The Bordeaux wine region is located in southwest France and surrounds the bordeauxmappicmonkeycity of Bordeaux. Near the city, two rivers, the Garonne and Dordogne, meet to form the Gironde, which flows into the Atlantic. These rivers divide the Bordeaux region into three areas: the Left Bank, the Right Bank and Entre-Deux-Mers in the middle.

The main red grapes for the region are Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec. To be a “Bordeaux” the wine must have at least two of these grapes blended together. Generally, a blend from the Right Bank will lead with Merlot while the Left Bank showcases Cabernet Sauvignon. Entre-Deux-Mers produces mostly everyday drinking wines featuring Merlot.

Today, Bordeaux style blends are made worldwide. Among the best regions to produce this style is Napa Valley, California. Napa Valley is also home to “Meritage” (pronounced like heritage), which is similar to a Left Bank Bordeaux with Cabernet Sauvignon being the prominent grape. If you have a hefty wine allowance and want a superior Bordeaux style from Napa Valley, splurge on Opus One, a collaborative effort between Robert Mondavi and Baron Philippe de Rothschild of Chateau Mouton Rothschild.

If Opus One isn’t in your budget not to worry. It is fairly easy to find Bordeaux style wine. Most will use the typical Bordeaux grapes and generally Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot will be the predominant varietals. And now you have an excuse to go wine shopping!

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Is Red Wine Healthy?

I have read plenty about the health benefits of red wine. In fact, I planned on declaring the praises in this post however, in doing research, it seems most of the testing has been done on mice and pigs. I don’t know about you, but animal research does not give me a warm, fuzzy feeling.  The positive findings are vast though so you be the judge.

In a nutshell, researchers say red wine is good for your heart – more accurately, the nutrients found in the red grape skins used to make red wine. Red wine has antioxidants, known as polyphenols, which can prevent heart disease. Specifically, the polyphenol known as resveratrol has a laundry list of potential benefits including, but not limited to, protecting the heart’s blood vessels, increasing high-density lipoprotein (or HDL, the good cholesterol), decreasing low-density lipoprotein (or LDL, the bad cholesterol), preventing blood clots, reducing the risk of dementia and preventing certain cancer cells from dividing. Resveratrol can also be found in other foods like blueberries, peanut butter, and dark chocolate.

Additional studies (on mice) found that red wine burns fat and can aid in storing less of it by delaying the growth of fat cells and slowing the growth of new ones. Sounds enticing but unfortunately, I don’t think that is a free pass to skip the gym.

Keep in mind, moderation is important. What is moderation? Well that depends on a person’s size, age, sex, etc. Women absorb alcohol more rapidly than men.  A moderate amount for women is roughly 5 ounces and for men, 8 ounces.

With all these studies, you may think red wine sounds like a pretty awesome health partner; it is your decision. As for me, I am going to assume some validity and keep on sipping because, in my book, life without wine is quite simply not very fun.

 

Sources: www.mayoclinic.org, www.medicalnewstoday.com, www.medicaldaily.com

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Jesus & Wine

pouring red wine in glasses

In case you’ve ever doubted your (responsible) wine consumption…

The two beverages Jesus drank were water…….. and wine, red wine specifically.

A small amount of red wine was customarily consumed after dinner to kill bacteria, parasites, etc.

Doesn’t that just make your passion for the red stuff all that more compelling!

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Happy Beaujolais Nouveau Day!

Beaujolais Nouveau is made from the Gamay grape – it’s light and soft with aromas of strawberries and cherries.

The bright fruit, bubble gum flavors are enhanced by the process of carbonic maceration (whole berry fermentation).

By law, Beaujolais Nouveau must be released the third Thursday in November of the harvest year.

Beaujolais is a region in Burgundy known for it’s granite and schist soils which enhances the character of the wine – it’s (almost) all about terrior.

The vast majority of Beaujolais Nouveau wine is not age-worthy and is intended to be enjoyed directly upon purchase.

If you haven’t tasted Beaujolais Nouveau, give it a try – it’s light, inexpensive and available for a limited time – once the current vintage runs out, you will not see this wine again until next November.

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Official Wines of the Olympics

This Olympics is epic in that it is the first time in history the games have their own official wine.  UK wine merchant Bibendum was given the job of selecting the wines – a white, a rose and a red.   The decision making didn’t come without controversy as the commercial director insisted the wines be from the 2012 vintage to avoid having confusion of the vintage date and 2012 Olympic date both on the bottle.  In addition, since the wines would be available in event areas, they had to be contained in recyclable PET bottles and the alcohol level had to be lower than normal to promote responsible drinking (11.5% instead of around 13%).

To make the deadline, the wines had to be from somewhere in the Southern Hemisphere and the grapes had to be picked early by a couple of weeks.  For the white that meant the potential of too much acidity and green flavors.  To overcome this winemakers fermented the wine with yeast strains from sauvignon blanc to enhance the aromatics knowing full well the wine would be drunk soon, age-worthiness not being a factor.

So what wines made the cut?  The white and rose are from Stellenrust, the largest Fair-trade wine estate in South Africa located in the oldest, most respected region of Stellenbosch.  The white is a Chenin Blanc that is easy drinking with tropical notes and just a hint of acidity.  The rose is a blend of Pinotage, Shiraz and Merlot.

The red is from Seival Estate in Brazil, a nod to the 2016 Olympics.  It’s a blend of Shiraz and Tempranillo with a dash of Gamay Nouveau to keep the otherwise earthy wine vibrant and lively.

If I were lucky enough to be at the Olympics, I’d have the white while watching beach volleyball, the rose while watching swimming and the red while cheering on the gymnasts.

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Altovinum Evodia – Great Everyday Drinking Wine

On the suggestion of the knowledgable employee at one of my favorite wine stores, I bought a bottle of 2010 Altovinum Evodia to fill out my 6 pack so I could get the 10% discount.  What a score at only $7.99 a bottle!  I went back the next day and bought 6 more bottles.

This wine is made of 100% old vine garnacha (grenache) in the Denominacion de Origen Calatayud region of Spain.  Calatayud is known for having the highest elevation vineyards in Spain and schiste soil which is known for bringing unique characteristics to the wine.

Tasting notes:  ripe dark berries – blueberry, blackberry, mocha, licorice, earthy minerals, spicy with some smoke.  Nice medium to full body, good tannin balance and a very long finish.

So let this be a lesson for us all.  Hopefully the only people you’ll find working at your wine store are people who have a passion for their job (if not, walk away) and whose advice you can confidently take.  If the store is worth anything, the employees will have a good knowledge of the inventory and have tasted most if not all the wines on the shelves.  I know the day I open the doors of my wine shop, you can be assured everyone working there will know the wines and love their job (and hopefully their boss).

 

 

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