Happy 2012 and Big Changes

In two days I will be moving from Houston to Northern Virginia to take an exciting new job.  I'll have to change the name of the wine blog, I guess, since Virginia is more of a purple state than a red state.  But having visited that area many, many times for vacations and holidays (many members of my wife's extended family are in that area), I know of several interesting wine shops and hope to discover many more.  So my plan is to keep on blogging after I get settled in.  There may be a brief (or slightly more than brief) hiatus, however, during the transition.

Best wishes to all of my blog visitors for the new year!

2010 Chateau L'Ermitage COSTIERES DE NIMES Rose (Rhone Valley, France)

A great value in a crisp, fresh, dry, flavorful rose.

Very light bubblegum pink with coppery highlights. Beautifully fruity nose of strawberry, watermelon, and crisp grapes, with a note of brothy earthiness adding some complexity.  Direct, fresh, and fairly full-bodied for a rose, yet not heavy at all.  Loads of minerally crisp cherryish fruit, and a clean, buoyant finish.  B+.  Imported by Miller Squared.  I think I got this for around $10 at Spec's on Weslayan, but I'm not 100% sure.

(Sorry: 2008 depicted)

2007 Domaine Philippe Gilbert MENETOU-SALON Rouge (Loire Valley, France

I had heard of and enjoyed red Sancerre before, but I did not know until I saw this wine that the nearby town of Menetou-Salon (known for its Sauvignon Blanc-based whites) made any red at all.  This was a very nice, lean, light, minerally Pinot Noir.

Light garnet color with some amber at the rim.  Intensely earthy/barnyardy at first, but that blew off after a while and the wine displayed classic PN scents of minerally-infused, zippy but sappy cherry fruit and dry spice cake.  Fills the mouth with flavors but feels very light on its feet, with bone-dry spiced cherry extract and a long, stony/minerally finish.  Excellent acids.  Long, clingy finish.  Very distinctive. A-.  Imported by Neal Rosenthal, I got this for about $30 at Houston Wine Merchant.

(Sorry: 2006 pictured)

2007 La Bastide Blanche BANDOL (Provence, France)

This was a classic example of a Bandol red -- deep, a little rustic in texture (from the Mourvedre) but slowly opening with air time to reveal great, earthy scents and deep flavors.  Would be fantastic with a French pot roast like a daube.

Nearly saturated black ruby with a brick tint.  Closed and unyielding at first, but after being opened a few days under  Vacu-Vin closure, it showed a very fragrant, low-toned nose of ripe berry and plum fruit, with lots of sweaty, earthy scents.  Still very tannic-feeling in the mouth, but with nicely-developed, ripe flavors of fragrant earth, spicy dark berry fruit, and a hint of minerally baker's chocolate.  Long, tannic finish.  This will keep and improve for 4-7 years in a cool cellar.  Impressive, traditionally-styled Bandol.  A.  Imported by Weygandt-Metzler, I can't remember where I got this or for how much.  Sorry!

2007 Mounts Family Winery ZINFANDEL (Dry Creek Valley)

A large-scaled, nicely-rendered Zin.  Harmonious and rich.

Dark ruby-garnet color.  Closed nose at first, but opened the second day (under a Vacu-Vin closure) to reveal lovely, sweet black raspberry scents, along with sweet wisps of high-toned woodsmoke and brown sugar.  Full-bodied, rich, and deep, with ripe, mouthcoating fruit and a subdued, earthy/minerally component that grows on the long, warm finish.  B+.  Was about $23 at Houston Wine Merchant.

2005 Chateau Caronne-Ste. Gemme HAUT-MEDOC (Bordeaux, France)

A decent, but unexciting, Bordeaux.  A little too thin and diluted for my taste.

Dark black ruby color with some brick at the rim.  Medium intensity nose of slightly scorched gravel, old cedar shavings, and a bit of bright plummy fruit.  Fades in the mouth quickly, however, ending with drying tannins and scorched mineral, brambly blackberry, and dried leave flavors.  B-.  About $20 at Spec's.  Not worth it.

2007 Dry Creek Vineyards "Old Vine" ZINFANDEL (Dry Creek Valley)

A very nicely-done, larger framed but balanced Zin.  For those who favor a lusher, richer style of Zin.

Nearly saturated black ruby color.  Rich nose of spicy blackberry syrup, and crumbling, warm sandstone.  Deep and mouthfilling, it features stone-infused dark berry fruit and a long, warm, intensely clingy finish.  Very full-bodied, but avoids being ponderous or out of balance.  A real mouthful.  B+.  This was a gift, but Spec's sells it for just under $25.

2009 Fausto ROSSO PICENO (Marche, Italy)

Rosso Piceno is the basic everyday red of the Marche region, and this one is a very direct, typical example.  It's a blend of Montepulciano and Sangiovese.  Not sure of the proportions in this example.  No delusions of grandeur or pretension: just straightforward and satisfying.  And a decent value as well.

Very dark black ruby/violet.  Strong scents of pungent gravel and tangy plums, along with a hint of parmesan cheese rind.  Direct and mouthfilling.  Loads of winey berry fruit and some rustic tannin are the strongest impressions.  Good acidity too.  Medium full body.  Would work well with meat braised in tomatoes and wine, or pasta with a meat sauce.  B.  Was $13 and change at Spec's on Smith.  Imported by Angelini Selections.

2009 Domaine Notre Dame des Pallieres RASTEAU (Cotes du Rhone Villages) (France)

Needs a little time to open up, but it's a solid effort and a decent value.

Crystal clear dark ruby garnet color.  Closed the first night, with earthy, brambly scents predominating; the second night it was more friendly-smelling, with sweet baking spices, plummy dark berry fruit, crushed stone and dry gravel scents.  Soft, enveloping, warm flavors of dry blackberry and slightly scorched dry gravel.  A fair amount of tannin in the medium length, pure finish.  B.  I can't find the receipt, and can't remember where I got this, but I seem to recall it was under $15.  I'll come back and update if my memory suddenly sparks.  A Douglas Skopp Selection imported by Dionysus Imports.

(Sorry, 2004 shown)

2009 Remo Farina RIPASSO VALPOLICELLA CLASSICO SUPERIORE (Veneto, Italy)

I previously reviewed the 2006 iteration of this wine -- which I liked a lot -- and I like this one equally.  Very favorable smell-and-flavor-to-price ratio.  Lots of bang for the buck.

Dark ruby garnet color.  Exuberant nose of almost pungent cherry and plum extract, baking spices, and crushed stone.  Intensely flavorful -- but not heavy or jammy at all -- with penetrating fruit attacking the palate.  Some fine-grained tannins give texture, with dark cherry extract fruit then turning just a tad bitter (in a good way) and earthy as the finish wore on.  Full-bodied, but with respectable acidity.  No heat at all in the long finish.  A textbook ripasso-style Valpo with loads of character.  A.  Was $18.99 at Central Market, making it a very good value.  Imported by Banville & Jones Wines.

2010 Dauvergne Ranvier LUBERON "Vin Gourmand" (Rhone Valley, France)

This was a great value.  Very old-fashioned southern Rhone flavor profile in a smooth-textured package.  A must buy for holiday parties, to have on hand when guests unexpected pop by, and for weeknight dinners.

Dark black ruby with magenta highlights.  Closed nose at first, but with air it displayed a rich, iodiney nose of dark sweet berries, baking spices, warm sandstone, and sweet cream.  Mouthfilling, with loads of texture from smooth nano-tannin, it had inky, iodine-laced dark berry syrup flavors.  Good acids for balance.  Performing way above its pay grade.  Imported by The Sorting Table, this was $10 and change at Spec's on Smith.  B+

2007 James Petit "Cuvee Ronsard" BOURGUEIL (Loire Valley, France)

A nice lighter style Loire red, its nose and flavors could not have been more cognitively dissonant.

A medium black ruby color, this wine's floral and sweet berry fruit nose suggested that this wouldn't be a typical, earthy, machine oil-tinged, bitter herbal Cab France . . . but not so!  The flavors screamed Cab Franc and had all the clingy, slightly bitter, earthy/herbal components you'd ever want, but in a lighter style, with very nice acids as well.  It went very well with a simply roasted chicken.  B.  Imported by Neal Rosenthal, this was about $22 at Spec's on Smith.

(Sorry, 2005 depicted).

2008 Chateau St. Jean de la Gineste CORBIÈRES "Vieilles Vignes" (Southern France)

A wine a geologist could love.  Wicked gravelly and stony.

Dark blackish ruby/garnet.  Intensely gravelly dark stony nose, with some dark berry fruit underneath.  Peppery, intensely stony flavors as well, with lots of cling and bite.  Good acidity and some tannic structure.  Shows loads of terroir but not a whole lot of friendly fruit.  Needs rustic food; not to be sipped by itself.  B-.  Was $11.99 at Houston Wine Merchant.  A Becky Wasserman Selection.

(Sorry, 2009 depicted)

2006 Ridge SYRAH "Lytton Estate" (Dry Creek Valley, Cal.)

Our friends the Murphys bought this at Ridge when they were out there visiting a coupla months ago, and were nice enough to share it with us recently.  It's available only at the winery or if you're a member of the Ridge "Advanced Tasting Program" (which is well-worth being on if you have the wherewithal.)

It was outstanding.  Very much a "Ridge style" wine, with great depth, length, and linear flow, without being too heavy, too jammy, too alcoholic, or too tannic.  In other words, everything in perfect balance.  Great nose of dark, ripe berries, bacon drippings, and dry gravel.  Loved it.  Perfectly mature, though seemed like it could hold for several more years.

Mom & Dad's Visit -- last coupla rounds

Mom and Dad have gone back to Massachusetts, but we went through quite a few goods wines during the last week of their visit:

2007 "Rosso del Vulcano" AGLIANICO DEL VULTURE -- This was an excellent, balanced, flavorful, traditional styled Aglianico.  Great, minerally, gravelly nose with deep winey, berry fruit.  Excellent balance and persistence.  Not too tannic and, best of all, no smell or flavors of new French oak.  ($17.99 from Houston Wine Merchant).

2009 Chateau Thivin CÔTE DE BROUILLY  -- Outstanding old school Beaujolais.  Gobs of minerally, rich, crunchy cherry fruit.  Vivacious and deep-flavored.  Smooth, clingy, and refreshing.

2009 Domaine Diochon MOULIN-À-VENT "Cuvée Vieilles Vignes" -- This wine pointedly displayed  the typical difference between the neighboring Beaujolais applelations of Moulin-á-Vent and Cote de Brouilly (or the Moulins and ANY of the other Beaujolais appellations):  The Moulins are typically earthier, larger-framed, more structured and austere, and less overtly fruity.  (This one fit the profile to a "t".)  In a word, they are -- at least to me -- more challenging to drink.  Some would argue that makes it the best Beaujolais appellation.  I just think it's different, and I usually go for the non-Moulin style when I'm considering drinking a Beaujolais. 


2009 Leitz Rudesheimer Magdalenenkreuz RIESLING Spatlese (Rheingau, Germany) -- A fantastic, more than slightly sweet Riesling, with piercing peachy, apricot fruit, coupled with intensely minerally (almost petrolly) notes, and a dark tea leaf aspect.  Fantastically balanced, with outstanding acidity and a great, pure finish.  Loved it.


2010 King Estate "Vin Glacé" RIESLING (Oregon) -- This "fake" Eiswein (the grapes were harvested late and then frozen by the winemaker and crushed, as opposed to being harvested late while frozen, then crushed) was a fantastic buy in a dessert Riesling.  Intensely fruity, with loads of pure peach/apricot fruit, a tad bit of minerality, and intense acidity adding lift to the finish.  Was about $14 for the half bottle at Spec's on Smith, making it a steal for a delicious, lighter-styled  dessert wine.


2007 Selection Laurence Féraud GIGONDAS (Rhone Valley, France) -- A classically-styled Gigondas.  Loads of herbal, austere, iodiney-minerally fruit on the nose.  Fairly full, with that classic Gigondas austere feel, but with an excellent, clingy finish.  Great with winter stews and wine-braised pot roasts.


2008 Francine et Olivier Savary CHABLIS "Selection Vieilles Vignes" (No. Burgundy, France) -- A traditionally styled, austere, earthy, straw and broth-scented Chardonnay.  Lean, penetrating, and with loads of crisp, earth-tinged, apply fruit.  Very nice.

Mom & Dad's Visit -- Round three

2009 Domaine Perraud MACON-VILLAGES "Vieilles Vignes" -- This unoaked Chardonnay was large-framed, earthy, with lots of wet straw and gravel scents, along with intense pear/apple fruit.  Very nice.

2010 Chateau Soucherie ROSE DE LOIRE "Cuvee L'Astree" -- This rose, which I believe is Cabernet Franc-based, was ridiculously crisp, fresh, floral and zesty, with excellent minerality and sweet/tart strawberry fruit.  Excellent.

2009 Three Vineyards "Old Vines Field Blend" (Contra Costa County, Cal.) -- Much bigger, riper, and in-your-face than the 2008 (which I've previously reviewed here), this wine would be an excellent choice on a cold fall or winter evening with a beef stew.

2008 Umani Ronchi LACRIMA DI MORRO D'ALBA "Fonte del Re" (Marche, Italy) -- This wine is grown in the hills where my grandfather was born, and is quite unique in its aromas and flavors.  It's got an intense, bitter dark plum/grape and licorice aroma, with a bit of dry gravelly earth, and is both mouth-filling and palate-cleansing at the same time.  Very nice accompaniment to rich, meat and tomato sauces and braises.

2002 Selbach RIESLING EISWEIN (Mosel, Germany) -- Wow.  Light tawny-copper color.  Intense, complex nose leaps out, with honey, apricot, bright citrusy acids, and sweet earth.  Utterly ridiculous in the mouth, with mouthfilling richness and honeyed, intensely sweet fruit, but juxtaposed with such vibrant intense acids that it literally makes your mouth water.  Fantastic, long finish.  In 500 ml bottle, so a little more to enjoy than the typical dessert 375.  This wine will last another several years.

Mom & Dad's visit -- next few rounds

Louis Roederer CHAMPAGNE Brut Premier -- Very nice, toasty, yeasty, apply scented, on the lighter side but with a very long, crisp finish and great persistence of bubbles.

2010 Pascal Granger "La Jacarde" BEAUJOLAIS-VILLAGES BLANC (!) -- A rare white Beaujolais, from Chardonnay grapes and completely unoaked.  It has a ridiculously fresh, fruity fragrance with crisp peach and ripe apple fruit, and was nicely balanced, medium-light bodied, and as fresh as cotton sheets lined-dried on a crisp, sunny fall day.  ($21 at Houston Wine Merchant).  Get this.

2008 Core GRENACHE Santa Barbara County -- Tasted like freshly crushed plum and raspberry juice.  Very unusual, but good.  After a couple of days an herbal side came out.

2008 Chono SYRAH (Elqui Valley, Chile) -- Previously reviewed here, this wine remains a fantastic value.  (Available at Houston Wine Merchant and at Central Market).

2009 August Kesseler SPATBURGUNDER (Pinot Noir) ROSE (Rheingau, Germany) -- Fragrant, with crisp, light cherry and floral fruit, and surprisingly large -framed for a German wine.  Unique and good.

2006 Ottimino ZINFANDEL "Von Weidlich Vineyard" (Russian River Valley, Cal.) -- Very elegant Zin, showing the classic profile of a Zin with some bottle age, which tends to mute the up-front fruit and bring out a brambly quality.  More depth than the previously reviewed "Ottimino Vineyard" bottling from this producer.

Mom & Dad's visit -- first few wines

Mom and Dad are down from New England for a visit, and that means breaking out some of the "non-value-oriented-stuff."  After all, they deserve it, and at their age, making the trip is pretty grueling.

2010 Cantina Terlan PINOT BIANCO (Alto Adige, Italy) -- I expected a leaner, more minerally expression of Pinot Bianco, given the climate and the vintage, but this was a bit fatter than I'm used to seeing in Italian whites, with very good, straightforward apple and slightly underripe peach fruit.

2008 Three Wine Company "OLD VINES FIELD BLEND" (Contra Costa County, Cal.) -- I previously reviewed and liked this very much, and it's still drinking really well.  Deep, soft, a little earthy, and with good weight and balance.

2009 Jakob Schneider NIEDERHAUSER HERMANNSHOHLE RIESLING SPATLESE (Nahe, Germany) -- A ridiculously pure, sweet, and crisp Riesling.  Unbelievable purity and intensity of fruit.  Sweeter and riper (seemed more like an Auslese) and would have served beautifully as a refreshing dessert wine.  As it an aperitif, which was how we drank it, it was maybe a tad too sweet for most tastes, but we all thought it was killer.

 2008 Poggio Antico ROSSO DI MONTALCINO (Tuscany, Italy) -- Very low-toned in the nose and flavors, with deep bass berry fruit buried under loads of minerally, schist-rich gravelly scents. Drinking very well now.

2009 Chateau La Tour Beraud COSTIERES DE NIMES (Southern Rhone, France)

Go to Spec's on Smith and get some of the value-priced, loaded-with-character gem!  This blend of Syrah, Grenache, Marselan (a grape that is a cross between Cabernet Sauvignon and Grenache), and Mourvedre was intensely-flavored, balanced, and very old school in style, with lots of earthy, iodiney notes augmenting the spicy fruit.

Dark black ruby with a bit of magenta-tinting.  Intense nose of tangy blackberry and boysenberry fruit, accented with quite a snootful of iodine-infused dark stony gravel scents.  Intensely clingy, dark flavors of deeply-roasted herbs, slightly bitter blackberry extract, and scorched, iodiney earth.  Full-bodied, but with good overall balance.  This is a muscular, old-fashioned style Southern Rhone with lots of oomph but in a slightly more civilized frame than you'd expect.  A-.  Was $13 and change at Spec's on Smith.  Imported by Rhone specialist J&R Selections.

2006 Ottimino ZINFANDEL "Ottimino Vineyard" (Russian River Valley, Sonoma County, Cal.)

Ottimino is a relatively small production Zinfandel specialist known for making structured, age-worthy, balanced Zins that have lower alcohol and less jamminess than many of Zin producers that get more press.  The Russian River Valley is a little cooler than most of the other regions where Zin is grown in Sonoma and Napa, so I imagine that makes it a bit easier to achieve this style there.  This wine, from one of the younger vineyards Ottimino bottles, was very good.  As the vines get older, I expect wines from this vineyard to add a little more depth to the mid-palate.

Surprisingly youthful (for a 5 year old Zin) dark ruby color.  Deep nose of ripe blackberry, smoky peat, and baker's chocolate (the latter probably from new oak).  In the mouth, an immediate rich presence of inky, chocolatey, plummy fruit coats the mouth, and there quite a bit of tannin too.  A little hollowness in the mid-palate then leads to a dark, smoky, chocolatey finish where the tannin coating the sides of your mouth is the last thing to leave.  Drink over the next 2 years.  B+.    I got this as part of a 6-bottle Ottimino sampler from Wineaccess.com, at a price that worked out to about $22 per bottle.