Entries tagged with ‘wine’:
On wine tasting blogs
I love wine.
I really love wine.
In fact, if you google “Barclay Loftus” one of the first things that pops up are some of my reviews of wines in cork’d. Now, I’ll be the first to admit, I’m far from an expert… But, to steal a term from marketing folks I would consider myself an “expert novice” when it comes to wine.
So the other day I was serendipitously surfing around, and stumbled across Gary Vaynerchuk’s podcast. So here’s some dude from Jersey that knows a tremendous amount about wine. At first I was a bit put off, but I watched an episode or two, and holy smokes, this guy is something else. He’s got amazing amount of knowledge, and gives some pretty damned interesting metaphors for tasting. He really comes across as a down to earth guy—a fella you could meet at a bar and have a good time chatting up. If you at all enjoy wine, do yourself a favor and watch a couple of his podcasts.
Now, this contrasts sharply with my previous experience on wine tasting blogs: “What Lukka Likes”.
Ok. I’m sure he’s a nice guy, but from watching a couple episodes, I gotta admit that I just fucking detest him. From his fake accent (it’s really funny when he forgets and then catches himself), to wearing his hipster sunglasses inside (that room sure looks bright, guy)… he’s just ridiculous. This guy exemplifies everything bad about wine tasting.
In the last episode I was watching, when he went to “saber” a bottle of champagne (opening by whacking the cork off with a blade), there was quite a bit of me that was seriously hoping he would take his own arm off. Now THAT would have been funny.
Guenoc 2005 Victorian Claret
I’ll freely admit to being a huge sucker for Bordeaux style blends, and most California claret’s really end up hitting my sweet spot: a bit more approachable and fruit-forward than a traditional French Bordeaux, but still have some interest, dimension, structure, etc.
So, that said, this was really “just OK” for me… There is tons of stuff going on here—it’s really pretty chaotic. There’s a real rich, sweet, complex fruitiness on the noise, and on the palate big flavors of raisin and plum, some vanilla, and a bit of cedar box. There’s also tons of oak, and then the finish is absolutely filled with smoke and tobacco—so much that I thought it was kind of nasty.
It’s a strange wine, and quite a bit different than the 2003 I’ve had previously. One would hope that (in some time) this wine will settle down and mellow out.
Jacques de Merial 2004 Chardonnay
Another one from the BevMo 5¢ sale… This wine was OK. It's got a super tight nose—I could hardly get much of anything… a little floral, but that's about it (even after being opened for 3 hours).
On the palate, this is quite different from your typical California chard (that I probably drink way too much of). It's nicely dry with hardly any sweetness. There's some very nice flavors of melon, up front, a hint of vanilla, and then a nice long citrusy finish. At $18.99, I think it's a bit too high, but it is a pleasant change.
And it's also worth noting that the label is “retro 80’s” ugly.
Viña Requingua Puerto Viejo 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon
Ok… so, right off the bat, I gotta say that I really dig the labels on Viña Requingua’s Puerto Viejo line. It’s an ink stamp on what looks like a thin slice of balsa wood (though it’s probably some kind of compressed wood). It's different, eye-catching, tactile and very well done.
So, after being impressed with both the packaging, and the Viña Requingua Puerto Viejo Carmenère, I picked this one up at the BevMo 5¢ sale. I gotta say, I'm also rather impressed with this effort. Nice flavors of cherry and a hint of spice. Decent tannin structure, and a nice velvety finish round it out. This is, with out a doubt, the best ~$10.00 cab I think I've ever had.
I reckon, while the sale is still going on, I should pick up a case.
Two wines from Michelle
This weekend, Katie’s friends from Oakland ame over for dinner. They brought the wine, and I cooked. I realize that I’m not really good at this whole “food porn” thing (since I totally forgot to take pictures… some photographer I am!), so describing it will have to suffice. The menu was as follows:
- A simple butter lettuce salad with goat cheese, toasted walnuts, red grapes, and a champagne vinaigrette
- Grilled rib-eye steak with a cabernet and wild mushroom reduction
- Roughly mashed fingerling potatoes with fresh rosemary and dill from the garden
- Sweet white corn on the cob
There were plans for dessert to be fresh berries from the market drizzled with honey and served atop vanilla ice cream… but that just didn’t happen.
The wine Michelle brought was great though:
Benziger 2004 “Oonapais” Sonoma Mountain Red
I really liked this wine. A couple of things before the tasting… First, I’m very intrigued by the whole biodynamic thing that Benziger is doing… it’s pretty far out stuff.
Secondly, the packaging of these wines was done very nicely. From the recycled textured paper used for the label, to the printing on the cork, their designer is paying attention to detail and doing a really good job.
Anyway… on to the wine… This is a really big, full-bodied wine. Some nice soft hints of blackberry and cassis up front, then lots and lots of asian spice, black pepper, white pepper, and bell pepper—it is seriouslyspicy! A nice long finish rounds out a really lovely wine. Very nice.
Ledson 2005 Monterey Orange Muscat
This was also a really nice effort. Not too sweet, but still thick and viscous, with hints of melon and honey. A surprising amount of structure, and a really interesting velvety finish. Just outstanding.
According to Michelle, this was the saving grace of her tasting there. Everything else was pretty “eh”, while this one rocked the house.
Brassfield Estate 2005 Pinot Grigio and Grilled Ahi Tuna
I based this from a recipe in the May 2007’s “Cooking Light”. A (barely) grilled Ahi steak with a white bean and onion salad. With summer on it’s way, I paired it with Brassfield Estate’s 2005 “High Serenity Ranch” Pinot Grigio.
It’s a very simple wine, but that said, it’s also extremely drinkable. On the palate there are nice flavors of apple and just a hint of butter, and a nice bit of lemon in the finish rounds it out. Simple and nicely done, even if it doesn’t quite knock it out of the park.
Pure Love Wines 2005 Layer Cake
I have to say, after all the hype surrounding this wine, I came away pretty unimpressed… It’s just too much for me… Too sweet upfront on the palate (kind of an artificial blueberry thing), kind of an awkward sour, flabby mid-palate, and then finally way too much alcohol in the finish.
Really not my cup of tea.
I paired this with a red pepper marinara I had made, and that was a pretty bad match. Outside of something crazy sweet like BBQ, I‘d be hard pressed on what to have with it.
L’Oriflamme 2005 Châteauneuf-du-Pape
I bought this as a total impulse buy at BevMo. They listed the normal price at $28, and the 1/2 off sale totally got the best of me.
My mistake. Lesson learned.
Now, it's not that bad… It's fairly fruit-forward and approachable, and there is a bit of a nice finish to it… In fact, when pared with some nice lamb chops that I made last night (sorry no photo), it actually worked out ok… but I’m going to go out on a limb and say it was the lamb that carried the wine there.
For the wine that it is, even $14 is way over-priced. A total pass.
2005 Artezin with Pork Tenderloin and Bourbon Soaked Apples
This wine was just OK for me. I recall liking the 2004 quite a bit more. Upfront, it's quite fruity and (almost artificially) sweet… mainly super ripe cherry, followed by some nutty-mocha and pepper flavors. It's not bad, but for the $20+, I think it's a bit overpriced.
I paired it with a nice pork tenderloin, with polenta, peas, and some lovely green apples soaked in bourbon and sautéed.
The meal totally trumped the wine.
Ray’s Station 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon
So, if you read the little bit on the back of the bottle it talks about a sea captain who opened a “rough around the edges” tavern in the late 1800’s, and how this “broad shouldered” wine is named after him.
Now, not to be mean here, but I’ve got to say that this is the most pansy-assed wine I’ve had in a long time. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not bad… but, seriously, this wine is about as machismo as a kitten napping in a flowerbed filled with pink flowers. “Rough” is not a term I would ever use when describing this wine.
At any rate, it’s a total “new world” wine, so up front there’s tons of super ripe jammy-berry flavors (this is a cabernet?), a bit of a flabby mid-palate, a hint of green pepper, and a heavy oaked finish. Given that bleak description it sounds like I should be totally panning the wine… but there’s something that’s “just enough” working for it—something in it is right, and made it quite drinkable.
I paired it with a nice grilled tri-tip, some roasted new red potatoes, and fresh steamed broccoli.
2004 DEWN Cigare Alternative C
Wow.
I reckon I should start by admitting that I wasn’t too hot on Bonny Doon. I think I had tried a couple of their lower-end Ca’del Solo house wines (which I wasn’t a fan of), and their Cardinal Zin (which also didn’t work for me at all), and I had got the impression from one of my more knowledgeable wine friends, that Bonny Doon was a lot more marketing than wine.
And, while we’re being honest, I’ll freely admit it: I’m a complete snob about the screw-cap thing. Sure, corks can spoil a wine—but I just love the ritual of uncorking a bottle… And no matter how you do it, cracking that screw-top is not the same.
Anyway, on our way down to the Hearst Castle the other weekend, I saw a sign for Bonny Doon along Highway 1, and figured: “It’s our vacation, It’s almost noon… let’s do some wine tasting!”. So we stopped in and gave it a go.
The flight that we had was a nice mix of reds and whites. There were some stinkers (I wasn’t a big fan of their 2006 Albariño or their flagship red Le Cigare Volant), but there were also a couple of real winners, in particular the 2004 DEWN Cigare Alternative C.
This wine just completely rocked the flight—it is fantastic. Lush flavors of plum and cherry, some nice tannins, and a good long finish of pepper, tobacco, and Asian spice. Wrap it all in a really nicely done label, and I’m sold. This is a great wine.
In fact, it was good enough for me to actually decide to become a member of their wine club (more on that later), especially since they were having a “join the club, and get a bottle of the Alt. C for $5” deal.
Kim Crawford 2006 Malborough Sauvignon Blanc
Ah, the power of merchandising.
I had another bottle of sauvignon blanc in hand, and was walking out of the wine aisle in Draeger’s when the little tag hanging from the Kim Crawford bottle (expertly placed at the end of the aisle cap) screamed out “92 Points WS!”. And (I hate to admit) it totally worked. I put the other bottle down, and without even thinking twice grabbed this up. That, ladies and gentlemen, is what we call a sucker.
So, first of all… 92 points? Boy, I sure had a hard time figuring that one out. Don’t get me wrong… it’s a fine bottle of wine… but 92? Yikes, I sure couldn’t get there.
There are some nice flavors of grapefruit and just a bit of peach at the very front, with a little butter, a little minerality, and a good bit of grass that round it out. Good enough, and at $14, it sure doesn’t hurt to try it… but 92? Nah.
One other interesting thing about this wine (one of the other reviews on cork’d mention this, and I completely agree) is that this is a hard wine to have in 750ml. The first glass was lovely great and fun, but by the end of the bottle my palate really felt worked over and tired. So, either bring it to a dinner where every one can enjoy just a glass, or just seek it out in a restaurant.
Bonny Doon 2006 Vin Gris de Cigare
Wait… Pink wine? Barclay? For real?
Yup.
And you know what… it was damned tasty, too. Real fruity and sweet on the nose, but the sweetness stays off the palate. It's very dry, with just a bit of acidity, and the smallest expression of strawberry. At $10, this is a great summer patio wine. Different, interesting and fun.
2006 Clos de los Siete
I also really liked this. It's a 45% Malbec, 35% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 10% Syrah blend. I was expecting something quite a bit different, crazy and new world—but it's actually pretty subdued. A lot of lush cherry up front (though, not sugary which is nice). Some notes of dark chocolate, and a real surprising amount of structure. The finish is spicy and dry… maybe a little oak heavy, but not too overdone. Very nice—I'd totally buy it again. Paired it with a roasted pork with green peppercorn sauce, rough mashed fingerling potatoes, and sautéed asparagus.
It's also worth noting: the label, I thought was really nicely done.