Showing posts with label Reviews. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Reviews. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
2006 Parker Station Pinot Noir, California, $12.00 retail
I was out with the World’s Perfect Man a couple of weeks ago, and we ordered this bottle with dinner. We were out at one of the city’s old-school institutions (i.e. lots of taxidermy, highly polished dark oak paneling and tourists), where I ordered a steak salad (don’t judge me—it’s a good time of the year for vegetables) and he ordered a steak. Since I’m not a huge fan of typical steak house wines (read: over-oaked Cabs), we decided to go a little lighter. So, since there was no Merlot to speak of on the menu, Pinot is was! Even with the typical 150% restaurant markup, this bottle was still a good value. Nice earthy notes, though less than the typical—especially Oregonian—American Pinot Noir, with flavors of black cherry and plum. Nicely balanced acidity and alcohol, this is an excellent wine for food—it compliments and isn’t overbearing. The label notes didn’t lie— this is a good everyday Pinot Noir.
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Coppola Director's Cut 2005 Chardonnay
I attended an event last week at which I tried some interesting American wines, so I plan to post some "reviews" over the next month. The first of these will be for Francis Ford Coppola's Director's Cut 2005 Russian River Chardonnay. This bottle retails for between $17-20.
Celebrity wines don't sit very well with me on principle. I prefer to see hard working farmer-types build reputation, and (dare I say) fame, through their knowledge of terroir, a deft hand with yeasts, excellent vine and water management and, let's face it, a little bit of luck. Such is the American dream. Much to my chagrin, Francis Ford Coppola's wines are generally well reviewed, and when I had the chance to try the Director's Cut 2005 Russian River Valley Chardonnay, I was pleasantly surprised.
As wine is all about the sensory experience, I'll start with the package. I love the label--a long strip of paper wound 'round the bottle with images vaguely reminiscent of Renaissance France by way of 1930s cinema. The color of the wine is medium straw, the initial nose sweet with a touch of green apple. I'm admittedly not much of a Chardonnay enthusiast--especially of the oaked variety--but this was well integrated. Contrary to other reviews I read of the wine, I didn't find a lot of fruit on the palate--mostly green herbaceousness, some floral on the nose (perhaps honeysuckle) with a fairly strong note of bread. The finish was long enough, with nicely balanced acidity. I think this is a good wine for food--seafood in a light cream sauce, baked herb chicken with wild rice or mushroom pastry.
Celebrity wines don't sit very well with me on principle. I prefer to see hard working farmer-types build reputation, and (dare I say) fame, through their knowledge of terroir, a deft hand with yeasts, excellent vine and water management and, let's face it, a little bit of luck. Such is the American dream. Much to my chagrin, Francis Ford Coppola's wines are generally well reviewed, and when I had the chance to try the Director's Cut 2005 Russian River Valley Chardonnay, I was pleasantly surprised.
As wine is all about the sensory experience, I'll start with the package. I love the label--a long strip of paper wound 'round the bottle with images vaguely reminiscent of Renaissance France by way of 1930s cinema. The color of the wine is medium straw, the initial nose sweet with a touch of green apple. I'm admittedly not much of a Chardonnay enthusiast--especially of the oaked variety--but this was well integrated. Contrary to other reviews I read of the wine, I didn't find a lot of fruit on the palate--mostly green herbaceousness, some floral on the nose (perhaps honeysuckle) with a fairly strong note of bread. The finish was long enough, with nicely balanced acidity. I think this is a good wine for food--seafood in a light cream sauce, baked herb chicken with wild rice or mushroom pastry.
Friday, January 18, 2008
Bubbles!
"Come quickly—I am drinking the stars!"—attributed to Dom Perignon
Usually served at weddings, New Year's Eve and in the occasional mimosa, sparkling wine is unfortunately relegated to "special occasions" in the US. Not so in other countries—Prosecco, Lambrusco and Asti make frequent visits to informal gatherings and the dinner table in Italy, as do Sekt in Germany and Cava in Spain. Refreshing and versatile, sparkling wines from around the world make not only great party wines, but also good everyday wines.
Bubbles
Fermentation is the process by which sugars are converted to alcohol. The sparkle is due to the addition of extra sugar into the bottle (méthode traditionnelle) or in a vat (charmat process) after the first fermentation process. The second fermentation process creates the carbonation.
Sweetness
There are varying degrees of sweetness for sparkling wines, but the four sugar levels terms one should know are Brut, Dry, Sec and Demi-Sec. You'll find "extra" tagged onto these words, but the meanings are as follows:
Brut: bone dry
Dry: the smallest amount of discernable sweetness
Sec: slightly sweet
Demi-Sec: sweet enough to be served as a dessert wine
Color
An oversimplified, but hopefully useful guide to color:
Blanc de Blanc is a sparkling wine made with white grapes (usually Chardonnay).
Blanc de Noirs is a light pink sparkling wine made with red grapes (usually Pinot Noir).
Rosé refers to any “pink” wine. In this case, Rosé can be made with the saignée method, when, after pressing, some wine is bled off after only a short contact with the skins. A sparkling Rosé is a wine that has been through a second fermentation process to create the bubbles.
Opening The Bottle
I've been hit several times by flying sparkling wine corks, so the threat of a wine-related injury is a very real one. The best way to open a sparkling wine bottle is to saber it off, by which a person takes a sharp sword and cuts off the neck of the bottle. This is not an option for most folks, unfortunately—would that we all had swords lying around. The second best method, I've found, is to remove the cage (the wire implement securing the cork), put a dishtowel over the cork, hold the bottle at about ten o’clock, grip the sides of the cork in one hand, with the towel over it, and twist the bottle with the other. The cork should release with a slight pop into the towel, and very little, if any, wine should froth over.
Names
Although many people call all sparkling wines Champagne—this is fallacious and irritating to both Champagne makers and wine enthusiasts. Only wines produced with grapes grown in the particular chalk soil of the Champagne region of France may be called Champagne. "Sparkling wine" is the generic term for all wines with some form of carbonation. Regionally, sparkling wines have different names. Below are some of my favorite sparkling wines, and from whence they come:
Cava, Spain: Cristaline NV Brut Rose, $9. Hailed by eight out of the nine ladies in my book club as "very nice," this is a crisp, refreshing sparkler with notes of strawberry and raspberry and a tiny bit of citrus, with nice clean minerality. A very good bargain and perfect for summer.
Champagne, France: Veuve Clicquot, Yellow Label, Brut, approximately $50. Introduced to me by one of my favorite English professors after thesis presentations, this is an incredibly dry wine, with hard but pleasant minerality--incredibly refreshing. A classic wine and great for celebrations.
Sparkling Wine, Washington, USA—Domaine Ste. Michelle Frizzante, $11. In the future I will probably use the word "girly" often. This is a very girly wine, but also very good. Probably considered Demi-Sec, this wine pairs well with dessert, or if you like sweet wine, on its own. Good for weddings and for your friends who think White Zin is a dry white wine.
Lambrusco, Italy—Riunite, approximately $7. Anyone who has spent some time in Italy or is familiar with Lambrusco is probably horrified that I am listing this wine, but it is easy drinking and sweet. One of the few sparkling reds (aside from sparkling Shiraz, which I have not yet tried), this Lambrusco is inexpensive, girly and rather like soda. There are drier, fuller-bodied Lambruscos, certainly, which I encourage everyone to try when they happen to run across one, but this is a good wine for hanging out with friends and eating pizza.
Prosecco, Italy--Zardetto, NV, approximately $18. A wonderful, crisp sparkler—ever so slightly sweet. I'm told it pairs well with oysters and calamari. I like it with a fresh heirloom tomato, mozzarella and basil salad, lightly dusted with grey sea salt and sprinkled with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. It is best enjoyed on a patio, preferably overlooking the sea.
Sekt, Germany-- Schloss Biebrich, approximately $4. Wine from Trader Joe's had to come up eventually. This is a very inexpensive bottle, but it does not actually taste like the sparkling equivalent of two-buck-Chuck. It is probably best classified as sec, but not cloying. If you can convince yourself to open a bottle of bubbles on a Tuesday, for no reason, this is the way to go.
Domaine Ste. Michelle has a great website with simple information about sparkling wine.
Usually served at weddings, New Year's Eve and in the occasional mimosa, sparkling wine is unfortunately relegated to "special occasions" in the US. Not so in other countries—Prosecco, Lambrusco and Asti make frequent visits to informal gatherings and the dinner table in Italy, as do Sekt in Germany and Cava in Spain. Refreshing and versatile, sparkling wines from around the world make not only great party wines, but also good everyday wines.
Bubbles
Fermentation is the process by which sugars are converted to alcohol. The sparkle is due to the addition of extra sugar into the bottle (méthode traditionnelle) or in a vat (charmat process) after the first fermentation process. The second fermentation process creates the carbonation.
Sweetness
There are varying degrees of sweetness for sparkling wines, but the four sugar levels terms one should know are Brut, Dry, Sec and Demi-Sec. You'll find "extra" tagged onto these words, but the meanings are as follows:
Brut: bone dry
Dry: the smallest amount of discernable sweetness
Sec: slightly sweet
Demi-Sec: sweet enough to be served as a dessert wine
Color
An oversimplified, but hopefully useful guide to color:
Blanc de Blanc is a sparkling wine made with white grapes (usually Chardonnay).
Blanc de Noirs is a light pink sparkling wine made with red grapes (usually Pinot Noir).
Rosé refers to any “pink” wine. In this case, Rosé can be made with the saignée method, when, after pressing, some wine is bled off after only a short contact with the skins. A sparkling Rosé is a wine that has been through a second fermentation process to create the bubbles.
Opening The Bottle
I've been hit several times by flying sparkling wine corks, so the threat of a wine-related injury is a very real one. The best way to open a sparkling wine bottle is to saber it off, by which a person takes a sharp sword and cuts off the neck of the bottle. This is not an option for most folks, unfortunately—would that we all had swords lying around. The second best method, I've found, is to remove the cage (the wire implement securing the cork), put a dishtowel over the cork, hold the bottle at about ten o’clock, grip the sides of the cork in one hand, with the towel over it, and twist the bottle with the other. The cork should release with a slight pop into the towel, and very little, if any, wine should froth over.
Names
Although many people call all sparkling wines Champagne—this is fallacious and irritating to both Champagne makers and wine enthusiasts. Only wines produced with grapes grown in the particular chalk soil of the Champagne region of France may be called Champagne. "Sparkling wine" is the generic term for all wines with some form of carbonation. Regionally, sparkling wines have different names. Below are some of my favorite sparkling wines, and from whence they come:
Cava, Spain: Cristaline NV Brut Rose, $9. Hailed by eight out of the nine ladies in my book club as "very nice," this is a crisp, refreshing sparkler with notes of strawberry and raspberry and a tiny bit of citrus, with nice clean minerality. A very good bargain and perfect for summer.
Champagne, France: Veuve Clicquot, Yellow Label, Brut, approximately $50. Introduced to me by one of my favorite English professors after thesis presentations, this is an incredibly dry wine, with hard but pleasant minerality--incredibly refreshing. A classic wine and great for celebrations.
Sparkling Wine, Washington, USA—Domaine Ste. Michelle Frizzante, $11. In the future I will probably use the word "girly" often. This is a very girly wine, but also very good. Probably considered Demi-Sec, this wine pairs well with dessert, or if you like sweet wine, on its own. Good for weddings and for your friends who think White Zin is a dry white wine.
Lambrusco, Italy—Riunite, approximately $7. Anyone who has spent some time in Italy or is familiar with Lambrusco is probably horrified that I am listing this wine, but it is easy drinking and sweet. One of the few sparkling reds (aside from sparkling Shiraz, which I have not yet tried), this Lambrusco is inexpensive, girly and rather like soda. There are drier, fuller-bodied Lambruscos, certainly, which I encourage everyone to try when they happen to run across one, but this is a good wine for hanging out with friends and eating pizza.
Prosecco, Italy--Zardetto, NV, approximately $18. A wonderful, crisp sparkler—ever so slightly sweet. I'm told it pairs well with oysters and calamari. I like it with a fresh heirloom tomato, mozzarella and basil salad, lightly dusted with grey sea salt and sprinkled with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. It is best enjoyed on a patio, preferably overlooking the sea.
Sekt, Germany-- Schloss Biebrich, approximately $4. Wine from Trader Joe's had to come up eventually. This is a very inexpensive bottle, but it does not actually taste like the sparkling equivalent of two-buck-Chuck. It is probably best classified as sec, but not cloying. If you can convince yourself to open a bottle of bubbles on a Tuesday, for no reason, this is the way to go.
Domaine Ste. Michelle has a great website with simple information about sparkling wine.
Saturday, January 12, 2008
The Little Black Dress of Wines
Riesling--the little black dress of wines. Balanced acidity, versatile flavors. Pairs well with foods from Asian cuisine to Russian Baklava.
Of course, like any woman knows, there are many types of little black dresses for many different occasions. Here are their Riesling equivalents:
Modern jersey--clean and structured: Chateau Ste. Michelle 2006 Eroica Riesling, Washington. Crisp green apple and apricot flavors with a hint of petrol. Food friendly, but excellent on its own. At a slightly higher price point than most domestic Rieslings, this is an excellent option as a hostess gift for a cocktail party.
Vintage chiffon--frothy: King Frosh Sparkling Riesling, Germany. In both brut and sec styles (dry and sweet), this is a fun wine, perfect for celebrations.
Mod, sequined shift--clean lines with a sparkle: Poet's Leap 2006 Riesling, Washington. Lively acidity, this wine has the fruit forwardness of a classic New World wine, but with an Old World touch of minerality.
Lace overlay--girly and fun: Columbia Winery 2006 Ice Wine, Washington. A very sweet wine, a perfect pair for fruit based desserts (peach cobbler, pear tart, etc.)--a great way to end an evening.
Cotton shirt dress--clean and classic: Pacific Rim 2006 Riesling, Washington. A great wine for a summer picnic: an easy drinking wine with stone fruit (peach, apricot) and citrus notes.
Of course, like any woman knows, there are many types of little black dresses for many different occasions. Here are their Riesling equivalents:
Modern jersey--clean and structured: Chateau Ste. Michelle 2006 Eroica Riesling, Washington. Crisp green apple and apricot flavors with a hint of petrol. Food friendly, but excellent on its own. At a slightly higher price point than most domestic Rieslings, this is an excellent option as a hostess gift for a cocktail party.
Vintage chiffon--frothy: King Frosh Sparkling Riesling, Germany. In both brut and sec styles (dry and sweet), this is a fun wine, perfect for celebrations.
Mod, sequined shift--clean lines with a sparkle: Poet's Leap 2006 Riesling, Washington. Lively acidity, this wine has the fruit forwardness of a classic New World wine, but with an Old World touch of minerality.
Lace overlay--girly and fun: Columbia Winery 2006 Ice Wine, Washington. A very sweet wine, a perfect pair for fruit based desserts (peach cobbler, pear tart, etc.)--a great way to end an evening.
Cotton shirt dress--clean and classic: Pacific Rim 2006 Riesling, Washington. A great wine for a summer picnic: an easy drinking wine with stone fruit (peach, apricot) and citrus notes.
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