Pre-Thanksgiving dinner

Last night at my boyfriend's parents' house we had a decadent pre-Thanksgiving dinner, featuring rack of veal and 2 cellar treasures. Both wines were twenty years old and the corks were a bit soft. So, after they crumbled under the corkscrew we ran the wines through a coffee filter and into a decanter (and vase, as the case was for the second bottle!). I don't know if there is a gizmo out there to filter out disintegrated cork but if not maybe this is an invention waiting to happen. The filtering and decanting exercise was actually great for aerating the wines. Older wines tend to need a little time to open up so this was perfect.

The 1990 Ridge Monte Bello from California was a mix of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Petit Verdot. It was expressive and fruity with a little spice and really smooth oak. The 1989 Lynch-Bages from Bordeaux was more complex and richer, with deeper tobacco and coffee nuances layered over the dark fruit.

Both wines went great with the rack of veal.

Happy pre-Thanksgiving!

Second Harvest

When I hear Second Harvest I think of the Wiemer Nursery, which we harvest in early to mid November after all the grapes have been pressed to tanks and the reds are fermenting in bins. But for wine, some consider the harvesting of botritysed fruit or fruit left on the vine for another reason to be the second harvest. Seneca Lake's Bloomer Creek vineyard, located on the 'other' side of the lake (the east side) makes a dry second harvest wine from botrytised Riesling. Where we would make dessert wine from this fruit, they let it ferment dry instead of stopping the fermentation and leaving the high residual sugar that makes some of the best dessert wines. I tried this wine at Stella's, a bar and restaurant in Cornell's collegetown. It smells typical of a late harvest wine, with apricot, honey, and some botrytis spice. But then on the palate it is dry, with rich flavors that are not quite in balance with the crisp acidity and high alcohol for a Riesling. Interesting - but I think this fruit is better suited to the dessert wines so cherished in Germany, Sauternes, and at Hermann J. Wiemer.

Wiemer vs. old and new - a wine dinner

This week some friends of Wiemer winery hosted a dinner for us featuring our wine. It was meant to be a comparison of old world versus new world for 3 varieties that we make: Riesling, Cabernet Franc, and Pinot Noir. We started with a tank sample of our HJW Single Vineyard Riesling, in the early stages of fermentation. Wine at this stage is called Federweiser in German. It is sweet and effervescent and very exciting at this stage.  With the traditional German onion tart, it was a delightful way to begin the evening.

The food was all delicious, and the pairings were excellent. Now for the wines...

The first course presented our 2005 Riesling next to one from Alsace, France (old world) and one from Oregon (new world).  Hands down, I enjoyed our Riesling the most, with its vibrant acidity and impeccable balance - a great compliment to the smoked rainbow trout. The Alsatian Riesling fell a bit flat, and the Oregon Riesling was a bit too rubbery for me.

The Cabernet Franc comparison was great, with our Reserve standing up quite well to the classic home of Cabernet Franc - Chinon, France. The California Cab Franc was very fruit forward but lacked the complexity of the other two. I'd say we tied with France in this comparison.

The last course was interesting and the results surprised me. Having taken a trip to Oregon a few years ago to explore their Pinot Noir, I had high hopes for the Benton Lane. However, I was taken with the German Spatburgunder (their name for Pinot Noir) from Baden. This was my favorite wine of the evening. Earthy, luxurious, balanced - it was a pleasure to drink. I believe this is the style we are going for with our Pinot Noir, and our 2008 is showing great promise. The Benton Lane tasted over extracted and thin, which was disappointing.

I've always known that I prefer old world wines - they tend to be refined, balanced, comfortable. This exercise reinforced the fact that we are going for this style at Hermann J. Wiemer, and I think we are heading in the right direction.

Thanks again to Ross and Heide for hosting such a delicious and educational dinner!