Wine & Spirits' Grand Tasting

Last month my friend Oskar visited from the Finger Lakes and invited me to join him at the Wine & Spirits Top 100 Tasting, honoring the San Francisco-based magazine's chosen top 100 wineries of the year. Hermann J. Wiemer Vineyard was honored for the 3rd year in a row, and I got to accompany Oskar as a representative of the winery. Going to industry tastings is always more fun with 2 people - you can share the responsibility of pouring the wine while having the chance to walk around and taste the other wines.

The best part was the Champagne and oysters section on the veranda of City View at METREON in downtown/SoMa San Francisco - great views and delicious indulgences. I tried Dom Perignon for the first time (it was ok; I've had better for cheaper) and sampled some other great names like Louis Roederer.

In the Riesling family, in addition to Wiemer's 2010 Gewurztraminer and 2009 Late Harvest Riesling, wines that I proudly helped produce, I enjoyed Joh. Jos. Prum's 2009 Mosel Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Spatlese (Germany), a similar style to our Late Harvest Riesling, and Loimer's 2009 Kamptal Reserve Langenlois Steinmassl Riesling and 2010 Kamptal Gruner Veltliner (Austria). I love this simple green label:

Again I sampled R. Lopez de Heredia's 1993 Rioja Reserva Vina Tondonia Blanco, the white Rioja I first had at San Francisco Wine Center over the summer; this is such an interesting wine. I also had their 2001 Rioja Reserva Vina Tondonia Tinto, the red version. Delicious Spanish wines.

Other notable reds included Leonetti Cellar's 2008 Walla Walla Valley Cabernet Sauvignon and 2009 Walla Walla Valley Merlot. I've had older Leonetti vintages and they have been divine, so it was nice to try the current releases and see what the wine is like in its youth. I also enjoyed Achaval-Ferrer's 2008 La Consulta Uco Valley Finca Altamira Malbec. I visited this winery during my trip to Mendoza last year but I hadn't tried this single vineyard Malbec.

I had fun bumping into Mary Burnham and Jordan Mackay, wine writers and instructors at SFWC wine school.

And as always, it was great pouring Wiemer to adoring fans from around the country.

Other coverage:
http://www.vinography.com/archives/2011/10/whats_your_best_wine_tasting_t.html

The Stars of Champagne @ SFWC

The stars aligned last night @ San Francisco Wine Center as we gathered with Mary Burnham, freelance food and wine writer and author of Food & Wine Magazine’s 2012 Guide to Wine. Mary taught us about the prized region of Champagne, France, and why the soil, grapes, and climate are so important in making Champagne. We learned about how Champagne is made, why the second fermentation is so important, and what effect the dead yeast cells, or lees, have on the taste of Champagne. During the tasting, we enjoyed a broad range of large house Champagnes and special grower Champagnes. Most of the large houses in Champagne buy grapes from different sources in the area and then blend for a consistent style every year. Grower Champagnes are made from producers who grow their own grapes and might sell some to the large houses and use some for their own production. These wines were really special, and everyone enjoyed the lineup. It was amazing to taste the different styles, compare vintage and non-vintage, and experience different vintages. Hats off to Brian for creating an exceptional tasting!

The wines:

1.            Pierre Peters Brut Cuvee Reserve Grand Cru 

2.            Laurent Perrier Brut 1996

3.            Hubert Paulet Brut Premier Cru 1999

4.            Chartogne-Taillet Brut VV 2002 

5.            Gaston Chiquet Brut Cart d’Or 2002 

6.            Vilmart Cuvee Grand Cellier d’Or 2005 

7.            Ayala Rose Majeur

8.            Krug Brut Rose 

The Krug Brut Rose was a very special bottle, and I am a sucker for pink bubbly so I loved it. My favorite though was the Chartogne-Taillet, which was toasty and creamy with great complexity and bright acidity. 

Thanks to Mary for a fantastic education in all things bubbly!

Gewurz and Go-Wiemer

A couple of weeks ago we went back up to the Finger Lakes to visit our friends at Wiemer Vineyard. As guests, we were given the royal treatment and put up on the 3rd floor of the winery barn, which doubles as Maressa's jewelry studio and a guest room. It was amazing to sleep in the winery, enveloped in that combination of smells that I love so much - wine, fermentation, wood. It was also really strange to wake up to Fred giving instructions to the German interns for the day's events. I felt like I was late for work and should be down there getting my assignment. Same time as last year, they are in the middle of bottling. It has been an amazing year so far at Wiemer, and many of the 2009 wines are already sold out. As happy I am for their success and for all those who are drinking those wines, this made me sad to hear since I was so involved in that vintage and it is almost gone now. But the 2010's hold a lot of promise too, and I got to try the Gewurztraminer, which was just released. The Gewurz was the hardest sort of the 2010 vintage because of the pesky grape berry moth that invaded the vineyards and pecked away at the grapes. We spent hours upon hours sorting these pink grapes, making sure none of the bad ones made it into the press.

The result: 2010 Gewurz is beautifully scented, concentrated and full on the palate, and downright delicious. Our hard work paid off!

We took a stroll through the vineyards and saw all the work that had been done over the spring. The tree lines were moved back to help control pests entering the vineyard, and unused land is being prepared for new plantings.

On the Magdalena Vineyard, the warmest Wiemer site, veraison has begun. This is when the color of the grapes starts to change from green to red or green to golden (for whites). It's an exciting time because it means the grapes are heading toward maturity and will soon be harvested. The bunches look really cool at this stage - this is Pinot Noir:

It is hard to believe harvest is coming and I won't be at Wiemer. But I know the able team is prepared for all the fruits of their labor. Thanks again to Team Wiemer for a great visit. Happy Harvest!

Passion Unleashed @ SFWC

Passion was unleashed yesterday at SFWC, with Jordan Mackay, James Beard-award winning author, leading our Passion for Pinot tasting class. Jordan explained the beauty and challenges of Pinot Noir as a grape and a wine, from its thin skin and light tannin to its complex flavors of berries, cherries, earth and spice. We learned about the differences Pinot can show when made in different parts of the world and why Burgundy is so coveted. Because of the long winemaking tradition in France, Burgundy is the standard for Pinot Noir. The notion of terroir is very important in Burgundy, where small vineyard plots have cult status. In a region where the only red grape allowed is Pinot Noir, the wines are distinguished by the area in which they were grown, sometimes down to a row in a vineyard, based on the soil and growing conditions of each place. Burgundy is a cold region, so getting grapes ripe can be challenging and yields can sometimes suffer, making Burgundy expensive and sometimes difficult to procure.  Stylistically, a Pinot Noir from South Africa can taste similar to a Pinot Noir from Burgundy, because of the characteristics of the grape, but the differences will be profound based on the soil and other environmental factors. It was a fascinating tour of Pinot Noir from around the world. Unfortunately one of the wines was corked, a Grand Cru Burgundy from 1999, but this ended up being a helpful exercise since many students had not smelled a corked wine before. We replaced the bottle with another, which ended up being the favorite of the tasting. It was a Premier Cru Burgundy from 1990 at its peak, meaning it was a pleasure to drink but it probably wouldn’t get any better with additional aging.

The wines:

1.  Paul Cluver Elgin Estate Pinot Noir 2008 – South Africa

2.  Matua Central Otago Estate Pinot Noir 2008 – New Zealand

3.  Domaine Jean & Giles Lafourge Auxey-Duresses La Chapelle 1er Cru 2005

4.  Domaine Taupenot-Merme Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru 1999 (corked and replaced with Domaine Jacques Prieur Volnay-Santenots 1er Cru 1990)

5.  Penner-Ash Willamette Valley Pinot Noir 2009 – Oregon

6.  Sokol Blosser Big Tree Block Dundee Hills Pinot Noir 2008 – Oregon

7.  Walter Hansel South Slope Vineyard Russian River Valley Pinot Noir 2003

8.  Au Bon Climat Knox Alexander Santa Maria Valley Pinot Noir 2008

Thanks to Jordan for a wonderful tour of Pinot Noir!

Mumm's the word

Friday we went up to Napa to escape the fog of San Francisco and enjoy some wine tasting before the weekend rush. We went to Mumm Napa, sister sparkling wine producer to G. H. Mumm in Champagne, France (both are owned by Pernod Ricard). Most of the wines are made from a base of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, two of the classic Champagne grapes. We had a relaxed patio tasting overlooking the vineyards and mountains, hosted by Claudia, who gave us suggestions for what flights to try. She also let us compare sparkling wine in a regular champagne bottle to that in a magnum - twice the size. Their magnums go through extended lees aging (when the bottles age on the dead yeast cells before disgorgement), so they have more toastiness and complexity to the taste - 7 years aging versus 3 years, as an example. I love these characteristics in Champagne and sparkling wine so it was really exciting to taste the differences. We did this comparison for both the Brut Rose and Brut Reserve. The regular bottles were great but I loved the magnums even more. I love dry pink sparkling wine in general, I think it is the prettiest and most exciting wine to drink, and I've rarely met one I didn't like. The Brut Rose Magnum was so delicious. And the Brut Reserve Magnum was magnumificent!

We also liked their DVX line of wines, which go through some neutral barrel aging and partial malolactic fermentation before bottling for the second fermentation. Traditionally, still wine designated for sparkling wine is stainless steel fermented and extremely acidic, which helps its longevity and age-ability going into the second fermentation. DVX is softened a bit before the second fermentation, but the acidity still remains in the finished wine, so it had this amazing creaminess and crispness in an interesting balance. (Malolactic fermentation is a process whereby the natural malic acid present in the grape juice/wine is converted to lactic acid, a softer acid found in milk. This fermentation happens naturally at the right temperature, and most red wines go through it. Some winemakers allow white wines like Chardonnay to go through ML, but for other wines they usually avoid it by cold-stabilizing the white wine.) 

Champagne bottles in various sizes - as they get bigger they have funny names like Jeroboam, Methusalem, Salmanzar, Balthazar, and Nebuchadnezzar.

Thanks to Claudia for a fantastic experience at Mumm Napa!

Great Whites of Burgundy @ SFWC

As the fog rolled in yesterday evening at the San Francisco Wine Center we sat down for some white Burgundy with Jordan Mackay, James Beard Award-winning author, in Wine School. First, a flight of 2009′s from different areas of Burgundy whet our appetites for the more complex wines in the second half of the tasting. From razor sharp to lightly toasted, these wines were pretty classic in their representation. Chablis was mouthwatering and minerally, Poully Fuisse was citrusy with a bit more body, and Beaune was toasty yet still crisp. 

Then we moved on to a few wines with some age on them and a bit more weight and complexity. The Mersault was really interesting with a mix of anise and ash on the nose and palate. Unfortunately the 2002′s were showing a bit of “premox,” or premature oxidation, a problem in Burgundian whites from vintages between 1995 and 2005. The exact source of the problem hasn’t been pinpointed, but possibilities include lowered sulphur dioxide treatments, cork seal failure, shape of bottle neck, and other theories. The result is wines showing oxidation before their time. The grand finale of the tasting was the real treat – Domaine Faiveley Bienvenues Batard-Montrachet Grand Cru 2009. It was creamy, crisp, complex, and long.

Jordan’s explanation of Burgundy’s regions, the differences in soil types and locations, and the classification system of the vineyards was really helpful.

The wines:

1. Domaine William Fevre Chablis 2009
2. Joseph Drouhin Saint-Veran 2009
3. Vincent Giradin Pouilly-Fuisse VV 2009
4. Domaine Bouchard Pere & Fils Beaune du Chateau 1er Cru 2009
5. Chateau Laboure-Roi Meursault Clos des Bouches Cheres 1er Cru 2004
6. Domaine de la Vougeraie Vougeot Clos de Prieure Monopole 2002
7. Boyer-Martenot Puligny-Montrachet Le Cailleret 1er Cru 2002
8. Domaine Faiveley Bienvenues Batard-Montrachet Grand Cru 2009

Thanks for the education on Burgundian Chardonnay, Jordan!

More Rioja!

I guess Rioja is my wine of the month, if I had one! Yesterday came the sad news of the passing of Enrique Forner, founder of Marques de Caceres, the iconic Spanish Rioja brand. This is my go-to value wine, with the Crianza priced around $10. It is consistent and always tasty. I actually have a bottle at home right now.

Last week we had our Wines of Spain tasting class at SFWC, featuring 3 wines from Rioja, a white and 2 reds. This Lopez de Heredia Vina Tondonia White Rioja from 1993 was very unique, with an almost Sherry-like expression on the nose but a creaminess on the palate. Great acidity and dry with complex flavors of marzipan and meringue. Six years of aging so the oak was very well integrated. The wine is composed of estate grown Viura (90%) and Malvasía (10%), traditional Spanish white grapes in the region.

Viva Rioja!

Wines of Spain @ SFWC

This week in wine school Jordan Mackay, James Beard-award winning author, took us on a tour of Spain. We traveled to Cataluna – home of Cava; Rias Baixas – home of Albarino; Rueda – home of Verdejo; Navarra – home of Garnacha; Rioja – home of Tempranillo; Ribera del Duero – another Tempranillo hotspot; and Priorat – famed for Garnacha, Carignan, Cab Sauv, Merlot, and Syrah. From value wines to coveted classics and newcomers, Spain runs the gamut. The Cava, Albarino, and Verdejo were all refreshing, lively and costing around $20 or less. The 1993 White Rioja was super complex, with Sherry-like notes and a creaminess that was very unique.  One of our storage members, Shirley, brought a 2005 Rioja to share, and we compared this with the 2004 Muga in our lineup. Muga is a more traditional producer and they use mostly French oak, whereas the Remirez de Ganuza that Shirley brought was a more modern style, more fruit-forward with heavy American oak. The last two wines were very special, high-end wines from Ribera del Duero and Priorat. They had a complexity and finesse that was noticeable, and the class loved these wines. Personally the Bodegas Emilio Moro Malleolus Valderramiso 2007 from Ribera del Duero was my favorite!

The wines:

1. Segura Viudas Reserva Heredad Cava

2. Fillaboa Albariño 2009 – Rias Baixas

3.  Condesa Eylo Verdejo 2008 – Rueda

4.  R. Lopez de Heredia Vina Tondonia White Rioja 1993

5.  El Chaparral de Vega Sondoa Garnacha 2009 – Navarra

6.  Muga Prado Enea Gran Reserva Rioja 2004

Bonus: Remirez de Ganuza Rioja 2005

7.  Bodegas Emilio Moro Malleolus Valderramiso 2007 – Ribera del Duero

8.  Dits del Terra Priorat 2005 – Garnacha & Carignan

Salud!

Still a lot of life in this one

This past weekend my boyfriend's family visited and we celebrated his mom's 60th birthday with a bottle of Vina Real 1951 Rioja (actually 2 bottles). Incredible wine! Brick red color with just a bit of sediment. Lots of stewed fruit and warm spice on the nose and palate - very smooth yet lively. We had the first bottle with some cheeses from Cowgirl Creamery. The cork was a bit moldy on top under the foil capsule, so we were worried the wine wouldn't be good, and it crumbled as we tried to extract the half that just didn't want to come out, but underneath it all the wine was fantastic. The second bottle was decanted in a restaurant and had a chance to really open up, so it was even better than the first, especially with the lamb and duck dishes we had at Boulevard in San Francisco. What a treat!

Happy 60th Birthday, Nancy!

Roll out the barrel

Recently I visited a wine bar in San Francisco called Barrique, aptly named because they serve wine out of barrels. They vinify some of their own wine, either from purchased grapes or juice, or they acquire bulk wine and barrel age it and blend it themselves. They only make 60 gallons of any wine - enough to fill one barrel. They then serve it from these barrels behind the bar. Interesting business model. The barrique-to-glass system is patent-pending, so they couldn't tell us anything about the delivery system, but I imagine there must be some sort of airtight bag inside that keeps oxygen out as the wine level goes down.

The wine list features their own wines plus a couple of well known bubblies to get your palate ready for these big California wines. I recommend the Sommelier's flight of 3 wines to get a good sampling. I started with the J Russian River Valley Brut Rose sparkling wine and then tried some of the Barrique Selections. I thought the Cabs were the best of the bunch, but the offerings change frequently so there's always a reason to go back. The truffle popcorn was a fantastic accompaniment to the wines :)