Introducing... Vinous Views!
Welcome to Vinous Views, a periodic airing of our wine team's observations and musings, aka Our Blog. This is not a dispensing of erudite information from high on the mount; this is us sharing with you the aspects of the wine world that pique our interest.
Please feel free to comment.... It's time to get the e-conversation started, don't you think?!
Traditional Media Delivers the Goods
Are you plugged in, turned on, linked in, grouped on, kindled, twittered, scvng-d and is your face on a book? If so you are probably enjoying the many benefits of new media, social media and all of those other medias. News when and how you want it, social connections always connected, etc. When it comes to information on the topic of wine these sources can entertain and educate to a certain degree. Information (and misinformation) from blogs, websites and tweets can be downloaded from that touchscreen in your pocket or your purse in a nanosecond.
There are times, however, when the voice of experience can trump the quick and easy. Assesing a Bordeaux vintage is one of those instances. The 2009 vintage in that most heralded of French appellations is in full hype mode, with praise and hyperbole being tossed around like frisbees in Malibu. Is it the vintage of the decade? Our lifetime? Of all Time!!!? And what exactly does that mean to you?
I have been in the wine trade for twenty years and have seen many "great vintages" come and go. I take pride in my first hand experience but do not consider myself the final word on the subject.
British wine writer Steven Spurrier has been in the wine trade for two more years than I have been alive (since 1964, if you must know). He was the organizer of the famous Paris Wine Tasting of 1976 which put California on the quality wine map when the west coast entries trumped their French counterparts in a blind tasting. He also founded the Christies wine course, has written several wine books and has contributed countless articles to various wine publications. The guy knows his stuff.
His article in the Bordeaux Issue 2010 supplement to Decanter Magazine's August issue is an outstanding overview of "modern" Bordeaux vintages and a perfect perspective placement of the 2009 vintage. The writng is succinct and easy to understand, the understanding of the subject matter impeccable and the educational take-away invaluable. The article is not yet available online yet so do yourself a favor: put down the I-Pad, pick up a copy of Decanter August 2010 Issue (yes, we do sell it), pour yourself a nice glass of claret and learn from the Master. When you are finished reading the first page, simply put your finger in the top right corner of the page and turn to the next. Repeat.
Then tell us your thoughts!
Are you a fan of the 2005 vintage? Are you looking forward to trying 2009?
Do you pay attention to wine writers? If so do you follow them in new media, traditional media or both?
Aug 18, 2010 at 12:01 AM
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Be the first to comment on this postThe Anti-Rose
You've heard me harping on the unique pleasures of sipping a charming dry rosé in these summeriest of summer months. What I haven't discussed much is the actual process of making rosé. There are three generally accepted methods of making pink wine pink:
The first and most common among the types of rosé we like is the saignée method. Literally meaning a "bleeding", this process is a by-product of red wine production. A red wine gains its color through extended contact with the grape skins, which also impart flavor compounds, healthy anti-oxidants and tannins. To maximize concentration of a red wine, a winemaker can "bleed off" some of the juice early in the process to increase the ratio of must (the fermenting juice) to grape skin, thus increasing the concentration of the red wine. The liquid, which is drained into a separate tank to continue fermenting, is a very light red or pink color. It retains some of the flavor complexities of its parent red wine but is a much lighter and fruitier version. A dry rosé is born!
Method two is less common, and perhaps displays even more dedication to the world of pink wine. This also entails the removing of juice from the skins of fermenting red grapes. But, that's where the process ends! No red wine is created and the skins are discarded. I've only encountered a few of these - and they're usually made by a producer who has to realize their bread and butter is making pink wine. The moment of truth comes when they have to judge the exact time to drain the juice from the skins. They literally stand on a latter at the top of an open tank and observe the color saturation until it is just the perfect hue, a matter of hours. When you've got 10 tanks going this can get tricky!
Lastly and leastly is the blending method. Simply take some white wine and add tiny amounts of red wine to it until the color and flavor profile you seek is reached. I shouldn't disparage; many fine rosés are produced this way, particularly in Champagne. But...
This brings us to our actual topic for today: The "Anti-Rosé". Denis Jamain, a producer in the Loire valley, makes a wine made from the "white" grape Pinot Gris that has the appearance of, and is commonly reffered to as, a rosé (Reuilly Pinot Gris 2009, $18.99). The trick is that the Pinot Gris (grey) grape is actually a blue-ish/grey-ish hue. In its common white wine form, the must does not see extended contact with the grape skins such that the appearance of the wine is clear to pale yellow. However, Jamain gives his Pinot Gris an extended maceration (soak on the skins). This imparts a yellowish, orangey pink color to the wine. So what you have is a delicious "rosé" that is not a rosé at all! It comes from the completely opposite direction. This unusual process gives the wine a richly textured, full-flavored character that is like no other. Ripe pears are accented by a touch of cran/cherry zip with beautiful minerality and refreshing acids.
This is a wine that never fails to elicit a "wow" from those who you pour it for. You can further impress them by telling the gripping, sordid tale of the "Anti-Rose"!
Do the details of wine production methods interest you or are you happy just to consume the final product?
Wine Label Navigation, What's in a Name?
It was the last official Tuesday at the Tasting Station of the summer this week. We're shuttin' 'er down to focus on our list of pet projects and the day to day operations of a wine shop in the hazy, lazy days of July and August. We'll pick it back up in September when we jump in head first to the fall "tasting season". With temps in the triple digits its not surprising that some of our vendors chose not to cart around wines to taste so the load was light. Check out the score card below.
Still, one topic that arose while tasting with Kathryn from Ruby was that of wine labeling and the difficulties consumers can have communicatiing the specific wine they are seeking. She was tasting us on the Huber "Obere Steigen" Gruner Veltliner from Austria. Now, imagine that you and yours just had that beauty at a restaurant over the weekend and have decided that you liked it so much you'd like to order a case.
You stroll into BSFW to get a price quote. If you told me that I want to order this wine called "Gruner" I'd have to explain that there are hundreds of examples of that grape type in our marketplace. If you could pull up the name Huber that would be a step in the right direction but Huber makes five different Gruner Veltliner (!), which one? The chances of you remembering the Obere Steigen bit are dubious at best.
The solution? The smart folks at Huber, realizing the tongue-twisting nature of their wines, created a peel away portion of the back label that allows you to take all of the essential information pertaining to that wine home with you. In the wallet or purse it goes and the only thing left to remember was how good the Creme Brulee was.
Hopefully other wineries will follow suit and make life easier for consumers and wine buyers alike.
Did you know about these peel away labels? Have you ever taken advantage of the tool before?
Total wines tasted: 44
Wines that made “the short list”: 4
One new addition you can look for: 08 Huber "Obere Steigen" Gruner Veltliner
Burgundy to the 4th Power
When we last left the topic of the great Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays from that swath of land in France known as Burgundy I was lamenting.... Well you can read what I was lamenting in my Burgundy, Burgundy, Burgundy post from a few weeks back if you'd like.
I'll pick up the story here: Upon returning from the shop after tasting 80+ Burgs at the Martine's Wine's tasting I was greeted by a friendly and familiar face: Laurent Drouhin from (where else?) Burgundy! Laurent was in town on a promotional tour for his family's winery Maison Joseph Drouhin and stopped by BSFW to offer samples of some of their recent offerings. Laurent is an energetic and passionate spokesperson for his family's wines and the region in general.
After I explained how I had just come from a trade event that featured Burgundy, and how I had encountered many very young and very expensive and hard to judge wines from critically acclaimed, artisan producers, Laurent's face lit up. "Ah," he said. "That is why you should sell my family's wine, for we make 'populist' Burgundy!" He was referring to the fact that Drouhin is not a small company but a rather large one (by Burgundian standards) that sources grapes from throughout the Cote d'Or, Macon and Chablis and also owns significant vineyard acreage. This production power allows them to bottle many of the most prestigious wines such as Gevrey-Chambertin, Nuits St. Georges and Pommard all under one label and at a relatively affordable price. The next obvious question is, "Well, what about the quality?"
Fast forward a month and Rebecca and I are attending a portfolio tasting of importer Dreyfuss, Ashby & Co. at the Top of the Hub. Drouhin is part owner of Dreyfuss so there were plenty of Laurent's wines available to sample. In general the wines were indeed of very good quality, showing pure fruit, lifting acids and regional identity.
Some highlights:
The 2008 whites showed exceptional vitality and elegance. This appears to be a vintage to celebrate. The Puligny-Montrachet Folatieres 1er Cru was beguiling showing both power and restraint, with an exotic floral element offset by classic minerality and a finish that just wouldn't quit. It was the rare wine that as a seasoned professional taster, I just couldn't spit. Is it worth $89? As much as any white wine can be, I suppose.
Aside from the preview of the 2008 vintage, there were two full tables of "in stock" items. Some of these were wines that are starting to show maturity. This helps clear one of the major hurdles of spreading the Burgundy word, finding wines that are ready to drink. One standout of this group was the 2005 Cotes de Beaune rouge. This wine is made exclusively from vineyards owned by Drouhin - and it was really starting to show its stuff. Wet loam and well kept barn complexities melded seamlessly with still vibrant red and black fruits. The texture was mouth-filling and rounded until the maturing tannins stepped in to keep the whole affair in order. This was coming close to the "magic" that is a great red Burgundy experience. For just under $40 you can't really call it a bargain but you can say its a well justified treat!
In the end, Maison Joseph Drouhin's wines may never hit the highest heights of some of the region's legendary producers like Comte Georges de Vogue or Domaine de la Romanee Conti, but as Laurent claimed, they consistently deliver good examples of white and red Burgs. And if you hit one just right, a little bit of vinous magic may come your way.
Score Card
Total wines tasted: 55
Wines that made “the short list”: 7
One to look for in the store this weekend: 05 Maison Joseph Drouhin Cotes de Beaune rouge
A Viticultural Visitor
Though it was rainy and windy Tuesday at the Tasting Station with few wines to taste and fewer to get excited about, a ray of vinous sunshine came our way midday-ish when we were visited by Jason Tosch, the Director of Viticulture for Anne Amie Vineyards in Oregon. While it is fairly common to have regional "reps" from wineries visit us and a rare treat to have the actual winemaker make the trip, it is extremely unusual to have the viticulturalist presenting wines.
A viticulturalist is the guy or gal in the vineyards, the "farmer", the steward of the land - in other words, the "soul" of a winery. Jason was a wonderful ambassador for his trade and a wealth of well-articulated information.
One thing he made very clear was that the viticulturalist doesn't simply hand off grapes to the winemaker for vinifying; at least in the case of Anne Amie, they are partners in the entire process. Which grapes are for the single varietal wines? Which will go in the Cuvee A blends? How long should the riesling hang? What should we plant next and where? These are all decision that the viticulturalist is instrumental in making.
A couple of interesting tidbits from our conversation:
1. Jason mentioned that the Riesling vines were over thirty years old. I asked how much their production had fallen off due to their age. He described a process where they actually send an auger deep into the soil between the vines and cut the spreading roots of the Riesling vines. This process puts the plant into "production" mode and insures regular yields.
2. Anne Amie is certified sustainable though LIVE (low input viticulture and enology). Jason noted that a sustainable certification is much less expensive than an organic one and leaves him more room to use modest amounts of mild chemicals in the event of extreme circumstances (such as spraying SO2 to fight mildew in wet years).
3. He also explained that when vinifying their white wines they would ferment them until they were "bone dry" (leaving zero residual sugar) and then add back unfermented grape juice called muté to balance the wine.
Incidentally, the entire line-up of Anne Amie wines was stellar. (Of course this should come as no surprise since we carry almost all of them!)
Is a sustainable certification like LIVE "good enough" for you or do you prefer to see a full organic certification?
Score Card
Total wines tasted: 39
Wines that made “the short list”: 1
One old favorite that was tasting GREAT: 08 Anne Amie "Cuvee A" Amarita White (Oregon)
Burgundy, Burgundy, Burgundy!
Because Rebecca was off satisfying her civic obligation by reporting for jury duty, there was no regularly scheduled "Tuesday at the Tasting Station" last week. That does not mean there was no tasting, however. I made my way to the W Hotel for a trade-only tasting of the Martine's Wines Portfolio.
Before I hit the road I stopped at Victor's Deli next door to grab a slice of pizza (it's not a good idea to go to one of these events on an empty stomach!). Victor's wife, Rosa, and daughter, Nancy, were behind the counter and out of the blue they asked me, "what's your favorite wine?". The question caught me a little off guard. But before I gave it much thought, the three syllables "Bur-gun-dy" came out of my mouth. Then I mumbled something about it being expensive. Undaunted, they said they would stop by the shop sometime soon so I could show them this wonderful type of wine.
I spared them the five paragraph explanation of how Burgundy (red Burgundy specifically) was indeed my "favorite wine" when it expressed that wonderful Burgundian terroir, was perfectly mature and someone else was paying for it. There was no time to explain that the number of great Burgundy experiences I had could be measured on one hand - and that the number of times I had tried it was somewhere around a hundred. Anyone would have been perplexed by the notion that a red Burgundy from a good producer and vintage opened in what is thought to be its "window of drinkability" can still disappoint; sometimes they just don't feel like showing their stuff on a particular day!
But enough on the curse of the Burgundy lover. I was off to the tasting....
Martine's portfolio has many shinning stars such as Chateau Rayas from the southern Rhone and Niepoort Ports. But the main focus of the tasting was (you guessed it) Burgundy. I tasted 60 wines from the Burgundy region (including the Macon and Beaujolais). They ranged in suggested retail price from $14.99 (a Beaujolais-Villages) to $400 (a Chambertin Vielles Vignes). The average price was $77 per bottle. Of these, I gave six wines a little dash on the tasting sheet, meaning they were worth remembering as a favorite. Only one, the 2007 Corton Charlemagne (white) from Chevalier Pere et Fils ($169.99), received a plus sign. It was really delicious.
The tasting represented in micro the challenge of the Burgundy buyer: the reds (all from the Pinot Noir grape, except the Beaujolais) were from the 2006 and 2007 vintage - mere babies. At this stage they show fruit concentration, hints of complexity and plenty of acid. They won't start showing their real stuff for at least 3-5 years. Only then will the tight grip of their structure begin to loosen, and the earthy and floral complexities start to show. So, the taster has to use their imagination and experience and "see" the wine further along in it's evolution based on the sum of it's basic components.
I essentially tasted two categories of red Burgundy: the wines of "breed" from the famous villages (Gevrey-Chambertin, Chambolle-Musigny, etc.) that would need significant aging to be enjoyed and commanded a small fortune; or wines from lesser known villages (Ladoix, Marsannay, etc.) that were more accessible and somewhat more affordable, but lacked the depth and magical balance of "real" Burgundy.
This is where the frustration comes in. You wish you could expose Pinot Noir lovers to the greatest Pinots of them all and say "this is better than Oregon or California." But the wines in comparable price ranges to these more known/popular categories aren't as good - not in their youth anyway. You have to pay more and be patient with Burgundy. Not an easy sell. Because of these challenges, only one or two of the wines I tasted could be seriously considered for additions to the shop's portfolio.
Burgundy's hefty price tag is a result of a combination of factors. These include the fragile nature of the Pinot Noir grape, the tiny production of the most famous vineyards, and worldwide demand, especially from "emerging markets" like China and India. Those financial realities are here to stay.
I will continue to pursue the great Burgundy in the sky (I still haven't been able to replicate my first and most wonderful Burg experience - a 1985 Pommard-Pezerolles from Ballot-Millot) and when people ask what my favorite wine is you know what the answer will be! I'll just try to keep it to one word.
Have you ever had a great red Burgundy experience?
Total wines tasted: 114
Wines that made “the short list”: 8
One new addition you can look for: 07 Chamarre Pinot Noir (France)
A Kamiak Conundrum
A fair to midland Tuesday at The Tasting Station for the Ball Square wine buying crew. The pace was easy to take with our vendors evenly spread and overall not a ton to taste. This was a good thing as I was feeling significantly under the weather (sorry Asa those sparkling sakes just didn't hit me right AT ALL!). Check out the score card below.
We did learn a few interesting factoids:
-Sebastiano de Corato of the Rivera winery in Puglia reminded us that the name of the Primitivo grape refers to its early ripening nature (thus first to be picked).
- A representative from the Graziano winery reported that the 2008 vintage in Mendocino County was a veritable disaster. Frost, Fire and Rain combined to make the crop virtually unusable. Much was left on the vines as "bird food". If you have a favorite Mendo wine stock up on the '07's!
We also encountered this rather sticky wicket:
Arik, our tall, dark and (humorously) sarcastic representative from Charles River Wine Company presented us with the new vintage (2007) of Kamiak red from Washington State. This had been eagerly anticipated as the 2006 was a huge hit at Ball Square Fine Wines. Kamiak is the second label of the Gordon Brothers winery and the '06 was a smooth and complex red that sold like hot cakes at $9.99 per bottle. The good news was that the '07 was the spitting image of its predecessor; cheery red fruits, light brushy earth and a hint of luxury that comes from aging in high quality oak barrels. The bad news was that the price would have to be $14.99, a full fiver over the '06. In reality it wasn't that the '07 had taken such a huge jump but that, for unknown reasons, the '06 had been priced unusually low by the winery....
The quandary for us is whether to put the new vintage of Kamiak (which also has a new, more minimal label and the name "Rock Lake" added) on the shelf and risk the perception that we jacked up the price, or choose not to stock it and deny our customers a perfectly good Washington state wine at a decent, if significantly higher, price.
Do you think we should go for it and stock the new Kamiak or hold out for another Washington wine to fill the $9.99 slot?
If a wine takes a price increase do you blame the store you bought it from or assume it was initiated further up the supply chain?
Total wines tasted: 47
Wines that made “the short list”: 4
One new addition you can look for: 04 Grazziano Carignane Mendocino
Special Tuesday with Leitz wines at Ball Square
Rebecca and I took our places at the Tasting Station this past Tuesday to do what it is we do every second day of the week: meet with our vendors and evaluate the wines they have in tow. The pace was like the weather, mostly calm with bursts of activity. (Check out our Score Card below.)
Tom “the Professor” Welch got things started at 10:30am sharp with a line-up that looked promising. Sanford Chardonnay had me reminiscing in “old man Dan” mode about how this wine used to be a “real player” before the world was inundated with a million similar wines; unfortunately it didn’t live up to the memory. The 2008 Brancott Pinot Noir from New Zealand earned points for being varietally correct and affordable (would be $11.99 on the shelf) while the Wyndam Estates Show Reserve Shiraz 2004 and the Marques de Murrieta Rioja Riserva 2005 didn’t succeed in floating our boats. We told Tom we’d look to add the Brancott when we had room on the shelf. The day continued with similar batting averages from Asa at Horizon, Dan from Café Europa and Kurt from Masciarelli Wine Company.
The predictable highlight of the day was (drumroll...) our 1:30pm appointment with Brian Lamb from Atlantic Imports and his special guest Johannes Leitz from Weingut Josef Leitz of the Rheingau region of Germany. Mr. Leitz was a classic European farmer/ artisan winemaker with mitts for hands, broad shoulders and an obvious passion for his life’s work. He brought a huge, three-panel, panoramic photograph of the vineyards he farms on the banks of the Mosel river and used it to explain how this uniquely situated hillside was ideal for growing Riesling. We tasted six of his wines which ranged from bone-dry (Eine Zwei Dry Trocken 2008 $15.99 retail) to full fruited (Rudesheimer Berg Schlossberg Spatlese 2007 $37.99 retail). All of his wines showed great purity, balance and finesse with varying degrees of minerallity, richness and vibrancy. I thought the Dragonstone (Rudesheimer Drachenstein) Riesling QBA 2008 at a suggested retail of $15.99 would be the best addition as it was affordable, easy drinking and had a cool, recognizable name. Rebecca preferred the Rudesheimer Klosterlay Kabinett 2008 $17.99 for it’s slatey minerallity and layered fruit. Truth be told, we would both have been happy to buy all six wines, but that wouldn’t be a good use of the wine budget!
You can check out our experience with Johannes (our first attempt at videotaping…) and then tell us:
1. Do you think we should go with my choice, Rebecca’s or both?
2. In a relatively small section like Germany (27 facings) do you think having multiple wines from a single producer is OK or would you prefer more diversity?
Score Card
Total wines tasted: 54
Wines that made “the short list”: 7
One addition you can look for this weekend: 07 Telegramme Chateneuf du Pape
Tuesday's at the Tasting Station
Most every Tuesday at 10:30 AM Rebecca Rethore and I take our place behind the tasting bar at Ball Square Fine Wines and hold court to a steady stream of wholesale wine vendors. The purpose is to catch up on the latest industry news, hear about new offers, resolve issues, place orders and of course, sample wine. We reckon we sample an average of 50-70 wines from 10-15 vendors on any given Tuesday....
Through this blog we now invite you to join us vicariously as we exalt in an exciting new find, weed out the insipid and debate the merits of wines that fall in between those extremes!
Check in regularly to meet the cast of characters (and characters they are!) who visit us on a regular basis to present their wares. We hope you will also enjoy learning how we make decisions regarding our wine selection. We encourage you to effect the outcome by commenting on the process and results!
Valentine's Day Wine Picks
Did you know our very own Rebecca writes the Wicked Local wine column? Every Monday she muses about this and that - and every second Monday of the month she picks a few wines that really catch her attention, or "Wicked Wines". This week she couldn't help herself, selecting several wines perfect to woo the object of your affection! (And yes, you can find them all on our shelves.) Check them out here.
Will wine be part of your Valentine's Day repertoire this year? What do you have in mind?
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