Video Vino Double Header: Gewurtz & Burgundy

Welcome to another impromptu CLG Video Vino!  In this episode we taste two wines of interest.  The first is the 2007 Ash Hollow Gewurztraminer from Columbia Valley, WA ( http://www.ashhollow.com/ ) and the second is the 1996 Domaine Dominique Guyon Reserve du Domaine Burgundy (http://www.guyon-bourgogne.com/index_en.php).  The Gewurtz was a recent feature in the Cafe le Grand Wine Club… and if you’re a wine club member and have had the Ash Hollow, please share your thoughts!  I should also give a shout out to Dusted Valley as I’m wearing my Stained Tooth Society shirt… didn’t really think about it until I watched the vid!

Thanks for visiting and spending some time on the CLG Blog!

Regards,

Ron

2005 Brewer Clifton Mount Carmel Pinot Noir

The second wine of my Thursday night Video Vino was the 2005 Brewer Clifton Mount Carmel Pinot Noir… WOW!  If you know my wine tastes, you know I love Pinot Noir – from all over.  I don’t know if I have a major preference for any one Pinot region, but if pushed on the subject, I probably lean toward Central Coast and Oregon… not necessarily always in that order.

We’ve been a fan of Brewer Clifton wines for some time, but equally enthralled with Greg Brewer and Steven Clifton’s side projects.  If you check out their site, http://www.brewerclifton.com/index.html, you can read about them in detail.  A couple years back Loreen and I visited Central Coast wine country – doing way too much driving for the week, but finding ourselves as far south as Lompoc, where we visited Palmina… one of Steve’s other labels.  Awesome wines… awesome visit.  You can check out my Blog from that visit on the Paso Robles page… but you’ll have to scroll down quite a way to get to Palmina (or read your way down through our other visits).

I thoroughly enjoyed this wine… and could easily say I loved it… it was fantastic!  In hindsight, I think I underscored it just a tad.  That’s the interesting thing about wine – the memory lingers and if you think back and it’s perhaps better in your mind’s eye, I’m guessing it was a pretty damn good wine.  Robert Parker, in his 94 point review, said the following (which, when read, will clarify what I said in the video if it doesn’t make sense to you):  A dead ringer for a DRC Echezeaux, the 2005 Pinot Noir Mount Carmel exhibits a medium ruby hue as well as a big, expansive aromatic display of forest floor, sweet cherries, pomegranate, fresh mushrooms, and spring flowers. Fabulous fruit, a silky mouthfeel, a long, heady richness, full body, and moderate tannin suggest this Burgundian-styled California beauty should drink well for 12-15+ years.

Of course one needs to remember that Parker loves Pinot… as do I.  So if you’re also a fan, you get it.  Thanks for stopping by and spending some time with me and Meg.  And by the way, don’t make fun of Meg… she’s in heat, so is wearing her bloomers.

Regards,

Ron

2008 Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc

What better to do on a Thursday night while enjoying a couple bottles of wine (not by myself…), but share them here on the CLG Blog!  Considering Loreen and I drink wine just about every night it’s about time, right?  You’ll just have to excuse the casual attire, poor lighting, lack of background on the wine and slurring… I usually ”taste”  quite a bit before deciding to do a video… which  can be entertaining (for you, I hope).

The first wine of the two was the 2008 Kim Crawford Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc.  You can read about the wines & winery at http://www.kimcrawfordwines.co.nz/home/, so I won’t go into great detail about such things.  A quick check of eRobertParker sh0ws a review by Neal Martin giving the wine 85 points, while Wine Spectator rated the wine 91 points.  Check out the video to see how I score the wine, and if you’ve had it, sound off about it!

Falkner Winery

Our first day in Temecula greeted us with a chilly morning… see your breath chilly.  Of course it doesn’t compare with the freeze your (fill in the blank) off chilly that Wisconsin has seen this week.  Loreen and I walked for coffee as usual and chatted about our upcoming winery visits.  We so look forward to tasting, touring and learning.  Loreen has explained wine tasting as enjoying the one in your hand while anticipating the next to be poured.  It’s sort of an excitement that comes with each new glass.  I think that’s how we see each of our trips, each visit to a new winery and each new pour at each winery.  It’s really about the experience.

The first stop of the day was Falkner Winery (http://www.falknerwinery.com/ ).  The present day incarnation of Falkner began in July, 2000, when Ray and Loretta Falkner opened the doors.  The history of the winery itself dates much further back, with it changing hands a couple times prior to becoming Falkner.  Of course this must have been an interesting time to venture into the wine business, considering the Temecula Valley vineyards were struck a devastating blow in the late 1990’s when the glassy-winged sharpshooter spread Pierce’s disease throughout, killing an estimated one-third of the Valley’s vines.  Nothing leads to reinvention like total destruction – and each winery we visited agreed.

We were greeted by Kathleen, who shared with us some tidbits about the winery as well as the wines.  The 2008 Sauvignon Blanc was first… and set the stage.  It was unbelievably grapefruity with good acid and lingering rind finish.  We cruised through the lineup of whites (Viognier, Sweet Loretta, Chardonnay, hit the Cabernet rosé and then into the reds.  The highlight here was the Amante, which is a super-Tuscan style wine consisting of Sangiovese, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc.  It was very well balanced with good acidity for versatility in food pairing.  An interesting blend which we’d found to be quite popular in the area, which focuses on many Italian varietals.  Their Meritage blend was nice as well.  We finished the tasting with two versions of their Luscious Lips, a slight sweet 100% Syrah which is pleasant on its own, but also billed as Hot Lips and sold with mulling spices and a recipe to make a hot spiced drink which reminded us all of a great Christmas time beverage.

During our time we also had the great opportunity to meet and chat with Steve Hagata, winemaker for Falkner.  This was, as we’ve said before, one of those great experiences that visiting wine country allows.  We discussed their wines, production and specifically their Port.  Steve explained that the grape spirits for the Port are purchased in large barrels – which led us to request a tasting.  Steve was pretty astonished that we’d want to try the 190 proof grape spirits, but obliged us.  If you’re into liquid fire, I’m sure you’d enjoy this… crystal clear with the near volatility of kerosene.  Unbelievable something so potent results in something so delicious.

Falkner proved to be a great introduction to the Temecula Valley and our treatment there was top notch.  Interestingly Falkner is available in Wisconsin – one of only a few from the area – and if things work out well, hopefully you’ll see it at CLG!

Thanks for visiting and keep coming back for more Temecula winery visits.

Regards,

Ron

Temecula Valley Wine Country… here we come!

Having traveled to wine country before, enjoying it thoroughly each time, planning another trip posed the “difficult” question: now where?  We had been tossing around the idea of going to Chile, but alas, financially it was a challenging proposition.  So we thought about wine regions within the U.S. that would be something different.  This, and Loreen’s friend Melissa, brought us to Temecula.

Ever hear of the Temecula Valley AVA?  Well, we have, but we’ve never knowingly tasted wines from Temecula and certainly don’t carry any at Café le Grand – unfortunate, since we now know some are distributed in WI.  So we’re excited about the trip and thinking it could prove to be a whole new area of interest – to us and our customers.  After all, that’s what wine should be… an area of interest and something of an experience.  So I spent about a month contacting wineries in the area and inquiring about visiting.  Certainly many of them offer tours/tastings, but when approached by a little wine shop from Wausau, WI they don’t all react the same.  Some are gracious about your interest and offer you their world – a tasting, tour, visit with the owners and winemakers, etc.  Some politely tell you that since they don’t have distribution in Wisconsin that you’re welcome to visit but you’re just another gullet to them- pay up or don’t come at all.  I can certainly understand this mindset – perhaps more so during a tough economic time when selling wine is more important than treating trade guests to a visit when they can’t buy your wine for resale anyway… wait a second… does this sound curiously like the old “step over a dollar to pick up a penny line?”  It does to me.

Granted, if we can’t purchase wine for resale at Café le Grand it essentially places us in a similar position as anyone else.  However, by taking a more global – or shall I say regional – perspective on this situation maybe they should consider that even if they don’t distribute wine in Wisconsin right now, maybe they will in the future and perhaps their neighbor winery does and they should jump on the welcome wagon to hopefully promote the area as a whole.  Plus, in the hope of having their neighbors wine on our shelves in Wisconsin it will bring more awareness to the area as a whole.  What’s my point?  We’re being treated as “trade guests” at some wineries that distribute in Wisconsin – we hope to find some fantastic wines, wines which end up in CLG for our customers.  We hope to have a great experience, talk about it, write about it and promote as a wine destination.  This will benefit the entire region (albeit, I’m not some national publication, but who knows).  In addition, with each visit I plan on writing about them, their wines, the people, etc.  You’ll see all the links to each of their wineries and this too will eventually pop up in a search engine along the way.  A valuable perpetual word of mouth will be out there for everyone.

Does it sound like I’m whining about not getting trade discounts?  I’m not.  If it sounds like I’m surprised a small, relatively unknown wine region doesn’t take lessons from the Almighty Napa Valley, I am.  The promotion of the area – the Temecula Valley AVA – as a “brand” and as a destination should be taken seriously by all parties.  And when a winery says that they don’t and can’t distribute in Wisconsin for whatever reason, it tells me perhaps they’d rather people continue to never hear of them… or respond “they have wineries there?” when the owners of their local wine shop tell them where they are going to visit wineries.

Alas, I ramble.  We’re looking forward to our visits and are positive some of the wine will end up on our shelves.  And if we don’t bring in all the wines to CLG, don’t be surprised if you ever hear us talking about a wine from Temecula that we had at home… where we still enjoy wines that we can’t get in Wisconsin!

Thanks for your time.

Regards,

Ron

Champagne…

If you celebrated the New Year like many, sipping a beautiful sparkling wine, perhaps you’d like to hear a story about it…?  Wisconsin Public Radio- Here On Earth is currently replaying a segment featuring the author of The Widow Clicquot, Tilar J. Mazzeo.  This is the story behind Veuve Clicquot Champagne, specifically of Madame Barbe-Nicole Clicquot Ponsardin.  Realizing you may have missed it (for a second time, since it aired in January, 2009), be sure to visit http://www.wpr.org/hereonearth/archive_090116k.cfm and take a listen.  It’s an interesting story, interesting book and interesting WPR program.

And if you plan ahead… perhaps pick up a sparkler to enjoy as you listen!

Happy New Year!

Ron

Live the Wine Life

We talk a lot about tasting wine, traveling to wine country and doing wine related things.  I think that’s generally expected from people who own a wine shop.  But here’s the thing… you too can Life the Wine Life.  Granted, you may not sink a whole bunch of time, energy and money into traveling, taking classes, examinations, books, etc., but each and every place you go, dinner you host/attend, night out on the town or in the comfort of your own home can be an opportunity to enjoy wine and all it has to offer.

Here’s an example…

A couple weeks ago Loreen and I were in Madison – so we figured we’d go out.  Taking every opportunity to Live the Wine Life that we can, we figured we’d try a wine-related establishment.  So we went to Eno Vino on the Madison’s west side.  This is a pretty cool, hip, intimate wine bar/bistro that really represents when it comes to the Wine Life.  They do all sorts of wine things – pairings, flights, tastings, special events, etc.  They offer lots by the glass and much more by the bottle.  They have a wine club program (not nearly as cool or as value-rich as the CLG club, but a club all the same!).

So we had some great food – all served as tapas style plates for sharing and to allow for  a greater variety- as well as a couple flights of wine.  I had a great flight of big reds, while Loreen had a flight of sparklings.  We enjoyed way too much food… and perhaps just enough wine.  The atmosphere was very nice and service was fantastic!  And the flaming dishes were pretty cool too…

Our visit to Eno Vino also gave as our first time experiencing a corked sparkling.  This was really weird.  Sure, we’ve had plenty of corked (spoiled… bad… ruined… off… not good) bottles of wine, but never have we had a corked sparkling.  If you’re curious – we didn’t get it on the nose at all.  The aromas were muted and very subdued, but not corky.  The palate however was horrendously noticeable.  Upon tasting it we mentioned it to our waiter who promptly addressed with the bar manager, who – without discussion – opened another bottle.  Always up for a learning experience, we kept the suspect glass at the table and compared to the new pour.  What an amazing difference!  And the bar staff also took the opportunity to educate themselves on this wine fault.  As I said, the service was great- exemplified by how they handled this situation.

So, the next time you’re in Madison and are looking for a little of The Wine Life, be sure to check out Eno Vino.  You can see all they have to offer on their very complete website: http://www.eno-vino.com.

In the meantime, take every opportunity you can to Live the Wine Life by stopping in at Cafe le Grand, where we’re changing the way you look at wine!

Regards,

Ron

Speaking of Pinot Noir…

I must have Pinot Noir on the brain.  That’s what comes from visiting Domaine Serene, Domaine Drouhin, Beaux Freres, Ken Wright Cellars, Chehalem and Penner Ash all in two days.  There are certainly worse afflictions than Pinot Noir on the brain, so please don’t take this as a complaint or plea for help.  But I certainly have it bad…

I just bought tickets to the 3rd Annual Pinot Days Festival coming to Chicago on November 13 & 14!

If you are near Chicago, and I use the term “near” loosely to mean you could drive there in a day, I highly recommend this event.  It’s an opportunity like few others to taste several hundred (you’d better spit) Pinot Noirs from 60+ producers.  In addition to tasting through the wonderful wines  you’ll have the chance to talk to many of the people who are behind said Pinots: winemakers, owners, growers, etc.  It’s like traveling to countless AVA’s and visiting each producer personally.  It’s amazing.

Don’t just take my word for it… check it out yourself:  http://www.pinotdays.com/

We hope to see you there… and if you go, beware… Pinot on the brain is the likely outcome.

Ron

Wine Experiences…

For a wine drinker there are times, places and wines associated with both that make up our Wine Experiences.  Perhaps it’s a little over dramatic, but I’ll accept that critique.  I think anyone who really enjoys wine and thinks about what it is they’re sipping from their stemware can probably share an experience… when, where and with whom they enjoyed an amazing bottle of vino.  Wine is like that… no, actually I should clarify:  Wine is exactly that- all of that.

I often refer to wine as more than a slightly alcoholic drink but until now I don’t know if I’ve ever quite went so far as to say that wine is an experience.  An experience, after all, isn’t one thing.  An experience is a collection of things.  An experience is about time, place, feelings, sensations, emotion, people and activity.  An experience goes well beyond things that are wholly tangible.  As does wine.

I write this shortly after 9 days with boots on the ground in Oregon and Washington Wine Country.  The trip, our second wine focused journey of the year, started with two days in northern Oregon visiting some of the great Pinot producers of the Northwest.  We followed that short stint with 7 days in Washington – starting in Walla Walla and ending in Yakima.  As such trips tend to be – it was wonderful!  We tasted and toured and talked.  We met many wonderful people with a singular mission: making wine – no, making experiences.  Each of them spoke of their wines with matter of factness, sharing the “information” about the wines, talking of the vineyards and the barrels, the blending and the ageing, suggesting food pairings and speaking of what one should taste.  All of this was the making wine portion of their mission.  But lurking deeper in their discussion and the words they chose was the experience.  It shown in their eyes and the corners of their mouths as they smiled a more-than-commercial smile.  Each of them has had a wine experience.  I’d bet on it.  What else would drive them to this work?  From the owners, winemakers, tasting room help, cellar masters, vineyard managers, tour guides and office staff.  They’ve chosen the wine “industry” – or perhaps it chose them.  This can be said about many occupations, but I’m starting to think it runs deeper when it involves a wine experience.

The trip was amazing – an experience in itself.  During the trip we underwent several wine experiences and perhaps I’ll be bringing them to you within these pages.  But the point to this post is not to rant about my wine experiences, but to inject a lingering thought to your wine psyche: relish your wine experiences… if you can’t name them off the top of your head- seek them out.  Do something with someone somewhere and open a great bottle of wine or two.  Make it intimate or make it a huge affair and make it more with the right bottle of wine.  Lock the physical with the ethereal and your memory to your sensory.  Like food, a bottle of wine will enhance all else.  In addition, think about the wine and what it represents- not just you and your companions at that time and place you’re consuming it, but all those who strived to make the wine what it is… and the place from where it was produced… and the weather of the year… and the year itself.  It is people, place and time in a bottle… being shared by people at a place and time.  All of which will be remembered and discussed as one of your great wine experiences.

Until next time… keep thinking and drinking!

Ron

2006 Yangarra Estate Vineyard McLaren Vale Single Vineyard Chardonnay

This month’s CLG Wine Club primary white selection is the ‘06 Yangarra Estate, McLaren Vale Single Vineyard Chardonnay – a wine we’d had before but chose it based on our memory and some other external factors.  Tonight we planned a dinner of chicken in olive oil with a slight spiced seasoning, so I figured we’d crack a bottle of the Yangarra Chard.  Wow!  What a great re-visit!

The Yangarra Estate ( http://www.yangarra.com/ ) property, located in South Australia, is 420 acres, of which 250 acres are planted to vineyard.  Although South Australia is located in the middle, along the southern coast, of Australia, the majority of wine regions face west with the ocean imparting its influence.  The winery was founded in 2000, although most of the vineyards were planted in the late 1940’s.  This Chardonnay was fermented in stainless steel and saw no malolactic fermentation (the process which converts malic acid – that crisp apple like acidity – to lactic acid – the smooth acid found in milk which smooths the texture).  It was aged 4 months sur-lie (on the dead yeast cells) which further adds a creamy body/texture and structure.  This vision leads to a wine true to fruit character retaining crispness.

So what did we think?  Well, I blinded Loreen when she arrived home… her first smells were mineral, stone and salty… somewhat Chablis like in her mind.  In tasting she got a ton of lime, acid and the sensation of licking a stone (remember when you were a kid and you’d lick a stone on the beach to wet it and make the colors stand out?).  Continued smelling & tasting shows the creamy result of malolactic fermentation and sur-lie ageing.  I got some pear and lime and other stone fruit on the palate.  The crisp acid showed very well and paired well with our spiced (not hot spice… just a blend of flake salt, black pepper, orange peel and coriander) chicken.  I think Loreen was right on to compare it to Burgundy… with it’s mineral notes and crispness.  We are still (as I type) really enjoying it… and it’s changing in the glass!

One of the things that you should accept as a lead down the road to deciding the quality of a wine is how much you have to say about it… if upon tasting a wine you are able to name three or four “flavors” and identify some sensations – and comparisons to things you know – these are all signs!  Relish in this… it means the wine you’re drinking is probably pretty damn good.  This is one of those wines.  This wine, although CLG priced at $17.99, easily drinks in the $22.00+ range.  Loreen and I agree… 90-91 points.  If you get a chance, give the Yangarra Chard a try.

Thanks for visiting… drop a comment and come back often!

Regards,

Ron