Exiting 2014 with Pretty Bubbles in Pink and Gold

We celebrated the end of 2014 with a visit to Gloria Ferrer, one of my favorite sparkling wine producers in California. It was brisk in Sonoma but still warm enough to sit outside on the sunny patio.

What better way to toast an exciting year than with pretty pink bubbly! The 2010 Brut Rose's toasty nose with rose flowers led to a palate of crisp red berries in this Pinor Noir-dominated wine.

Next we had my favorite Gloria Ferrer wine, the Royal Cuvee from 2006, which smells of butterscotch and tastes like lemon merengue pie. This wine is a blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, aged for 5 years on the lees.

Happy New Year! Cheers to more empty bottles in 2015.

It's the Most Bubbly Time of the Year

Ahh, Champagne. Around the holidays Americans always drink more bubbly – it’s a festive time of year, and people view Champagne (or any sparkling wine) as a celebratory drink. Personally, my favorite kind of wine is the kind that bubbles, and I find any excuse I can to drink it.  Mauro Cirilli, instructor for SF Wine Center's recent Holiday Champagne Master Class, said he needs to have a glass of Champagne every day, and he suggests you do too. Don’t have to tell me twice.

Why is Champagne so special? It’s the magical second fermentation in the bottle that produces the bubbles, but it’s also the harsh growing conditions in the region of Champagne, France, that contribute to the high acidity of these wines. Champagne only averages about 1650 hours of sunlight per year, versus over 2000 for Bordeaux. This results in very acidic and unripe grapes. Through the Champagne method of winemaking, that acidity combined with extended aging on the yeast cells and just the right amount of added sugar result in complex, bright, toasty, creamy flavors that delicately dance on the tongue.

The class featured non-vintage (blends from different years to produce a consistent style) and vintage (from a single year) wines from grower houses and well-known luxury brands. Champagne can range in price from $40 to $400, and we tried a full range. Unfortunately, 2 bottles of Dom Perignon were faulty so I can’t say my first Dom experience was life changing. But among the rest there was beauty all around and I had a hard time choosing a favorite. The Gaston Chiquet was gorgeous with creamy almond/marzipan and a jasmine floral quality; I think I have a bottle of this in my cellar so I look forward to opening that in the future. The Sally had lovely lemon curd flavor and a persistent finish - Salon is always/only a vintage wine and needs to age for 10 years before drinking due to its exceptionally high acid profile. I'm a sucker for pink wine so I also enjoyed the Billecart-Salmon Rosé, with it's perfumed floral nose and pretty fruit. 

Champagne List:

1. Doyard Cuvée Vendémiaire Brut NV ($40)
2. Vilmart Cuvée Grand Cellier NV ($75)
3. Larmandier-Bernier Vieilles Vignes de Cramant Grand Cru Extra Brut 2007 ($75)
4. Gaston Chiquet Brut Cart d'Or 2002 ($70)
5. Salon Brut Blanc de Blancs Le Mesnil 1999 ($275)
6. Pol Roger Cuvée Winston Churchhill 1999 ($195)
7. Dom Perignon 1999 ($165)
8. Billecart-Salmon Brut Rosé NV ($70)

For comparison, we also tried sparkling wines from Spain and California. These were very elegant and enjoyable, and for $20-30 you could easily justify opening one of these any night of the week and any month of the year.

Not Champagne:

1. Raventos i Blanc de Nit Rosé 2011 ($22)
2. Schramsberg Blanc de Blancs 2006 ($30)

What kind of bubbly are you drinking this holiday season? Or tonight?

Happy Mumm Day

I celebrated my recent birthday with a trip to Mumm Napa for my favorite wine - the kind that sparkles. I received a tip to try their limited edition 2011 Sparkling Pinot Meunier, which was peachy, flowery and very pretty, having spent 18 months on its lees before disgorgement. This traditional Champagne blending grape is aptly named for the flour-like dusty white down on the underside of its leaves. Though unknown to many, Pinot Meunier is the most widely planted Champagne grape and is favored because it buds later and ripens more reliably than the finicky Pinot Noir. In the final wine it contributes fruity flavors and aromatics.

Another favorite from this tasting was the DVX 2006, a 50/50 blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, which spent 5 years on its lees, so it was nice and toasty.

After this second visit to the beautiful Mumm terrace my favorite remains their Reserve Brut, a 60/40 blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay that is consistently bright, creamy, fruity and toasty. We wanted to buy another Magnum but they were sold out. Next time!

Thanks again to Lauren and James for a wonderful tasting.

Grenache Groupie

I've become something of a Rhone Rangers Groupie, following this winemaker collective around Northern California, pouring or tasting their wines whenever I can.  Earlier this month I attended the Rhone Rangers annual Bay Area wine tasting in Richmond, CA. Before helping to pour wines for Two Shepherds, I geeked out with a couple of morning panel tastings moderated by Luke Sykora, senior editor of Wine & Spirits Magazine.

The first panel, "The Rise of the Rhone Garagiste," featured a passionate group of tiny production winemakers and the unique wines they make, including varietals like Picpoul Blanc, Roussanne, Viognier, Carignan, Syrah and various colors of Grenache. William Allen, winemaker and owner of Two Shepherds, shared his 2013 Grenache Gris Rose, a funky mutation of Grenache found in the Languedoc region of France. William found a 100 year old vineyard in Hopland, CA, up in Mendocino county, with head trained Grenache Gris, for his first commercially made pink wine. 7 days of skin contact and a few months of fermentation on native yeast yielded a bright and citrusy (think grapefruit) pink wine with great texture, weight and balanced acidity; a perfect food wine or Sunday sipper (for $24, limited quantities).

Grenache Gris, like Pinot Gris and Gewurztraminer, is a pink grape!
Photo Credit

The second panel, "Grenache: The World's Most Widely Planted Rhone Grape Variety," showcased west coast Grenache, from Oregon to Paso Robles. Grenache, like Pinot Noir, is a thin-skinned grape prone to mutation. But, unlike Pinot Noir, it ripens easily and can yield high alcohol levels. When I first started drinking Grenache I thought I didn't like it, because I found the alcohol dominated the flavor and it tasted like cherry medicine. I don't recall what I was drinking at the time, but in the last couple years I've found many a Grenache to like, including Garnacha from Spain, Cannonau di Sardinia, and local Grenache from the Rhone Rangers (Two Shepherds, Campovida). And of course there are the Grenache-led blends in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, France, and new world "GSM" blends of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre. On the scale of red wines, Grenache is on the lighter side, but without lacking complexity or substance. I enjoy the spicy, herbal, berry notes of this wine. White pepper is a quality that often comes to mind with Grenache, joined by roses on the nose and berries on the palate. My favorite Grenache of the panel actually smelled like gardenias with black tea on the palate - this was McCay Cellars 2011 Grenache from Lodi, CA (retail $32). My other favorite from Mounts Family Winery in Healdsburg, CA, also had roses on the nose (2011 Estate Grenache, retail $30).

The Grenache panel left me wondering: could Grenache be the new Pinot? As a Pinot Noir lover, this is a difficult claim to make.  Pinot Noir is a finicky grape, thin-skinned and difficult to ripen, and it can be wonderfully complex and beautiful or it can taste like cherry jam. The best Pinot (from Burgundy, France) is expensive. Even in Oregon, where Pinot is their devotion, it's difficult to find a good one for under $40. Grenache is approachable, light with soft tannin but complex, and affordable in many cases. I'm not giving up on Pinot, but I am paying more attention to Grenache. Call me a Grenache Groupie, if you must.

Rioja en Rioja

On a recent trip to Spain I spent 3 days in the famous wine region of Rioja, touring the vineyards and enjoying the wines. In the past I've described Rioja as my go-to wine. Drinkable, interesting, ageable, and versatile with a lot of foods, it is perhaps most importantly affordable.

In Rioja, wine laws dictate the aging and labeling of the wines, with the reds always being made from majority Tempranillo. Sometimes other grapes (Graciano, Mazuelo, Garnacha (Garnacha is the same grape as Grenache in France)) are included in small percentages (less than 15% of the wine). Minimum aging for a Rioja wine labeled Rioja Crianza is 2 years in the winery, of which 1 year must be in barrel. Rioja Reserva wines must be aged for at least 3 years in the winery, with 1 year being in barrel, and Rioja Gran Reserva must be aged for 5 years in the winery, with at least 2 of those years in barrel. This aging makes the wines both ready to drink and worthy of cellar time. The funny thing about these aging rules is that most wineries age their wines for longer, so either their Crianza ages for longer than required but still shorter than their Reserva, or they just don't make a Crianza.

White Rioja is generally made with a combination of Viura, Malvasia, and Garnacha Blanca, though Viura is by far the dominant grape. It is also known as Macabeo and stars prominently in Cava sparkling wine, Spain's version of Champagne, made in the Cava region. White Rioja is largely unknown in most of the world, but the Spaniards drink it up, and it's easy to see why. Some crisp and refreshing, others deep and complex, it was fun experiencing this wine as well.

When we planned to go to Rioja we had a vision in our heads that everything would be old, given the tradition of winemaking has been going on in Europe for way longer than the United States. But, the first winery we went to looked like this:

Very cool, but not old. Bodegas Ysios opened in 2001, setting a trend in avante-garde winery style. The name Ysios pays "homage to Isis and Osiris, two Egyptian gods closely related to the world of wine." Ysios produces only Rioja Reserva made only from Tempranillo, aged for 14 months in oak and a total of 3 years in the winery. 

Another super-modern winery that we visited, called Bodegas Baigorri, does a great tour and lunch tasting. The main tasting room is enclosed in a glass cube visible from the road, and the winery and restaurant reside in 7 floors below, built into the hill, with the winery operating by gravity-flow. Building underground provides for natural temperature and humidity control in the winery; concrete helps too. 

Lunch was delicious, and I particularly enjoyed the white and pink wines.

I like how they infused their wines in certain dishes... especially the dessert:

While modern in both their facilities and practices, these wineries uphold the traditions of the land. Not a bad way to start our visit in Rioja. 

More to come...  Salud!

Champagne bar atop Paris

Recently I made a quick work trip to Paris. I didn't have much time but I did make it to the top of the Eiffel Tower - at night. I went in search of a Champagne bar that sits at the very top. The elevator ride up was the scariest part - once I got to the top it just felt magical. It was freezing, but I made my way around the back, to the side that didn't face the major sights of Paris, and found this:

I ordered a glass of the Henriot rose and sipped it (quickly) while I enjoyed the (chilly) view.

Sante!

Bubble Lounge, SF

Right down the street from my office on Montgomery Street is The Bubble Lounge. I'd been to the New York location so I was primed to like this one. The focus is, of course, on sparkling wines, so what's not to like? Unsurprisingly, the SF location is bigger, and I could envision having a private party there. I didn't hesitate for a second in choosing the Champagne flight, since Champagne is one of my most favorite beverages. Pink or white, it puts a smile on my face every time. Recall that Champagne must actually be grown in the Champagne region of France, and it can only be made from 3 grapes - Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier. While many places around the world make sparkling wine in a similar method as Champagne, there is nothing quite like the original Champagne, and this is an example of terroir's influence on wine. The soil, the grapes, the climate - all have an effect on wine and contribute to regional differences in wine. The winemaking conditions also have an effect, and Champagne is known for its limestone caves where the wine is made and aged in naturally cool conditions.

From left to right: Henri Billiot Brut Reserve, Laurent Perrier Brut Rose, 

Gaston Chicquet Blanc de Blancs

The Henri Billiot is a traditional Champagne blend; the Rose is mostly Pinot Noir with a touch of Chardonnay, and the Blanc de Blancs is 100% Chardonnay, as the name requires. While I love the color and red fruit character of Rose, and I enjoy the minerality and citrus of Blanc de Blanc, the Henri Billiot won in my book for the ultimate balance, creaminess, and complexity of blended Champagne.

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!

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!

Bubbles, bubbles everywhere, but not a drop to drink... yet!

Champagne was on tap this week at San Francisco Wine Center, where our class highlighted the awesomeness of Champagne with some very special bubblies. We had a great sampling of vintage and non-vintage plus a trio of pinks. There is no prettier wine than a glass of pink Champagne. I loved the Billecart-Salmon Cuvee Elisabeth, the first "prestige" Champagne I've ever had. This retails for around $150-$200 per bottle. My pics are blurry still but I think I may have solved the problem so I hope next time is better. For now, these will have to suffice. Think of it as looking at Champagne through bubble-filled glasses.

Billecart-Salmon Cuvee Elisabeth Salmon Brut Rose 1998

Check out the SFWC blog for the full list of Champagnes!

Do you remember?

Just as harvest was beginning we went back to bottling - just the wine for sparkling was left for this bottling cycle.  We had added the sugar back in August (remember this is a crucial step in sparkling winemaking because the yeast need something to eat in order for the second bubble-producing fermentation to occur) and were waiting for the yeast. Once we added the yeast, we inoculated by adding a bit of wine to the right amount of yeast to get things going. We let it sit overnight and then for another full day before we added it to the tank and mixed it into the wine. Then we were ready to bottle - first the Chardonnay for Blanc de Blanc, and then the Pinot Noir for Brut Rose. This time bottling was a little different since instead of using corks we use metal caps. This closure ensures a tight seal so the wine can undergo the second fermentation in the bottle without losing any of the carbon dioxide (or exploding/leaking). A team of 5 of us carefully ran the bottles through the line and the capper, and then arranged the bottles in horizontal stacks in wooden bins. The bottles will stay like this for about 2 and a half years. The actual fermentation will only take a couple of weeks, but then the wine will sit on the dead yeast cells, or lees, for an extended period of time. (In French this position is called en tirage.) The contact with the lees actually contributes to the classic Champagne-like flavors that are so desired in a sparkling wine - toasty, biscuity, brioche characteristics.

The Chardonnay Blanc de Blanc is in the classic green Champagne bottle:

The Pinot Noir Brut Rose looks so pretty in its clear bottle:

Pink Pinot

We had a nice summer-like spell here in the FLX about a week ago and it reminded me that people like to drink pink when it gets warmer. I enjoyed a bottle of Wiemer's Pinot Noir Rose from 2006. This is a Pinot lover's pink wine - a rosey nose with bright strawberry fruit and nice body. I had it with pizza and again with broiled salmon and it paired well both times. At $11.50/btl it's a serious steal.

Pink Wine

This post is dedicated to my mom, lover of White Zinfandel, in celebration of her birthday this month.

Note: I am no longer referring to pink wines as "rose" wines, since this is a French word and not all wines are French. So these types of wines will from now on be labeled "pink."



During my travels in Argentina and Chile I learned about how some pink wines are made. To further concentrate red wines, some of the free run juice is bled off the skins after a short amount of contact, resulting in a pink by-product wine that is usually vinified dry. The remaining red wine has a higher ratio of skins to juice, resulting in more concentrated flavor, color and structural components.

This method is not new. In fact, when Bob Trinchero of Sutter Home Winery in California released the first White Zinfandel in 1973, he had made it for the same reason. It was a by-product of his red Zin that he wanted to get more concentrated. He fermented the pink stuff dry and sold it as White Zinfandel. A few years later, while making this wine, the fermentation got stuck and not all of the sugar was converted to alcohol. Bob tried it, liked it, and decided to bottle it that way. The sweet White Zin was a hit with Americans who thought they didn't like wine. And now you know the rest of the story.

Like it or not, and even though my mom prefers Beringer to Sutter Home, we still owe thanks to Sutter Home for starting the White Zin craze and getting more Americans to drink wine. I am happy to report that my mom's evolving palate now enjoys many Rieslings and sometimes a Gewurztraminer :) Happy Birthday, Mom!

Argentina, Chile, Uruguay: My Wine Awards

I drank a lot of wine in South America! So I thought I'd wrap up the trip with a recap of my favorites. It can be tough for me to choose favorites since I believe wine-drinking is very circumstantial, but I tried my hardest to find my top picks. I've paid homage to the signature grapes of each country plus my other favorites in the major color categories. And I've rated my best food pairings and wine experiences in each country.

ARGENTINA
Fave Malbec: Colome Malbec Estate 2007
Fave Torrontes: Miraflor 2009
Fave other Red: Los Vencejos Aleteo 2006 (Tempranillo)
Fave Rose: Melipal Malbec Rose 2009
Fave Dessert wine: San Pedro de Yacochuya Late Harvest Torrontes 2007
Fave wine/food pairing: O. Fournier Urban Uco Sauvignon Blanc 2009 with steak tartar
Fave overall wine experience: Barrel sampling at Los Vencejos

CHILE
Fave Carmenere: J. Bouchon Carmenere Reserva Especial 2007
Fave other Red: Casa Marin Pinot Noir Lo Abarca Vineyard 2006
Fave Rose: J. Bouchon Cabernet Sauvignon Rose 2009
Fave White: Casa Marin Gewurztraminer 2009
Fave Dessert wine: Errazuriz Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc 2007
Fave wine/food pairing: Errazuriz Merlot 2007 with pastel de choclo
Fave overall wine experience: J. Bouchon Winery and Mingre Lodge excursion

URUGUAY
Fave Tannat: Bouza Tannat A6 2007
Fave other Red: Alto de la Ballena Merlot-CabFranc-Tannat 2006
Fave Rose: Alto de la Ballena CabFranc-Tannat Rose 2008
Fave White: Stagnari Chardonnay 2009
Fave wine/food pairing: Bouza Chardonnay 2008 with creamy spinach ravioli

Fave overall wine experience: Wine tasting and barrel sampling at Alto de la Ballena

Thanks for following my journey! If anyone ever tries any of the wines I tried please feel free to leave a comment with your impressions.

The future of the Andes

Our last day in Cafayate, we visited a winery right in town called Porvenir de los Andes - the Future of the Andes. We toured and tasted with the winemaker, and while we are concerned that the intense heat and lack of water in the Salta area of Argentina makes the future of winemaking there slightly questionable, he does not anticipate a problem anytime soon. (He really believes in the winery's name!) Unfortunately I didn't take notes during this tasting, and I neglected to write my impressions down afterwards, so I can't be too specific but I do recall that I liked all the wines. The Torrontes was classic and the reds were intense, flavorful, and smooth. I do remember that their spittoons were unlike any I'd seen before - instead of being empty they were filled with oak shavings, so you didn't make a mess when using them, and the scent of the oak was a nice palate refresher in between wines. Also, we confirmed an interesting practice in the making of rose, and I think it probably holds true for other parts of Argentina and Chile as well: many wineries "bleed" off a percentage of their fermenting red grape juice to allow the remaining juice to have maximum contact with the skins during fermentation, resulting in a more intense extraction of color, flavor, and structural components; we suspect that many roses originate from this bleed, or sangria.

Another ridiculously good looking lunch

The Park Hyatt Mendoza looks like it should be a fancy government building, and it has a great terrace overlooking the main town square. Peter and I had lunch there when we got back from BA and it was another ridiculously good looking lunch. We got the 12-sampler tasting menu with a glass of wine each; Peter got the Alta Vista Torrontes 2009 and I got the Melipal Malbec Rose 2009.

The Torrontes was classic with musk and orange blossom. The producer has property right behind Peter in La Consulta, but the Torrontes comes from Salta. We've been trying to figure out why Torrontes isn't more popular and I thought maybe it is difficult to match with food. But it went well with many of the dishes we had, including sweetbreads, blue cheese w. honey, parmesan w. paprika, and fried calamari.

The Malbec rose had a smoky nose of cured meat and red berry. It was more fuller bodied and deeper in color than most roses I've had. It had good acidity and went with a lot of the dishes, most notably the grilled shrimp, salmon carpaccio and beef carpaccio.

Another day in Mendoza, another slothful lunch... or so I don't feel so guilty about it... another exercise in wine and food pairing.

The Maule Moment

It just so happened that I saved my best winery experience in Chile for last. I made an excursion to the J. Bouchon Winery and Mingre Lodge this week in the Maule Valley, 3 hours south of Santiago. Hosted by Julio Bouchon, I learned about the history of the family, the wine, and the land. Maule Valley is the largest wine-producing region geographically, but it is only just beginning to receive recognition for the terroir and the quality wines that result - hence, the Maule moment. In terms of hectares, Bouchon is medium-sized for Chile with 370 hectares planted and 1.8 million liters of wine produced annually. All the grapes from their 3 vineyard sites are hand-picked and sorted at the winery.

In between mountain biking and horseback riding I tasted the complete lineup of wines - 3 whites, 1 rose, and 8 reds. In general the wines are fresh and fruity, with the reds showing a balanced use of French oak, sometimes new and sometimes old. Since I liked them all I have to mention them each briefly:

* Sauvignon Blanc 2009: easy-going, floral, citrusy, light.
* Chardonnay 2009: unoaked so crisp and fruity.
* Las Mercedes Sauvignon Blanc 2007: complex, oaked SB that maintains tropical fruit and acidity.
* Cabernet Sauvignon Rose 2009: strawberry, cherry, light and dry.
* Merlot Reserva 2008: strawberry with a black tea finish.
* Carmenere-Syrah Reserva 2008: interesting and unique blend with green pepper, black fruit, some chocolate.
* Cabernet Sauvignon Reserva 2008: red and black fruits, very juicy with smooth tannins.

The Reserva Especial line is made from the oldest vines - some as old as 80 years!
* Malbec Reserva Especial 2007: strawberry and vanilla with firm tannin.
* Carmenere Reserva Especial 2007: fresh bell pepper nose and red fruit with some spice.
* Cabernet Sauvignon Reserva Especial 2007: black fruit, cassis, eucalyptus; very juicy and approachable.

The Blends
* Las Mercedes Ensamblaje 2006: 45%Cab Sauv, 40%Syrah, 15%Malbec. Complex with black fruits, cassis, mint, eucalyptus, raspberry.
* Mingre 2006: 45%Cab Sauv; 15% each Carmenere, Malbec, Syrah; 10%Merlot. Similar to Las Mercedes but with brighter red fruit.

I talked a lot about the Carmenere in Chile, but I should mention that Cabernet Sauvignon is really the main grape and wine in Chile, making up 50% of wine production in Chile. Cab Sauv is not one of my favorite varieties (it is often too heavy and tannic for me) so I don't often focus on it. But, the Cab Sauvs at J. Bouchon were the best I had in Chile and some of the most enjoyable I've had to date. 

Beautiful scenery, outdoor activities, and great wine - a fantastic way to end my stay in Chile.

A whale of a day at Alto de la Ballena

I spent the day at this young winery in Punta Ballena, Uruguay, with the owner Paula and winemaker Carla. Alto de la Ballena is beautiful - set in the hills not far from the ocean and overlooking a lake. Paula gave me the history and showed me the Tannat, explaining what a vigorous vine it is; they often have to do leaf- and bunch- thinning a couple times in the spring to maximize the ripening potential of the grapes. They actually focus more on Merlot than Tannat, and their Tannat is blended with Viognier to get a softer wine. Way up in the highest hills of the property they grow Syrah, which Carla explained gets this spot because the elevation and soil allow it the best conditions for ripening.

Alto de la Ballena's tasting area is a covered deck overlooking the vineyards. The 3 of us sampled some wines and cheeses and exchanged our impressions. I particularly liked their Syrah, Tannat-Viognier and Merlot-CabFranc-Tannat.

After the tasting Carla showed me the winery and we did some barrel sampling of the '08 and '09 vintages of Cab Franc, Syrah, and Tannat. It was great to be able to taste the latest vintage and get a sense for how it develops in the barrel.

It was a beautiful day and Paula and Carla were amazing to spend so much time with me. Alto de la Ballena might be the dream vineyard - rocky soil, rolling sierras (hills), proximity to the ocean, and delicious wines. Muchas gracias, Señoras!

North Fork Wineries heart Pups

Over the weekend my parents' puppy escorted us to the North Fork of Long Island for some wine tasting. All the wineries we visited were very dog friendly, and Shea just loved running round the vineyards.

At Bedell Cellars my dad and I liked everything we tasted, including their newly-released First Crush White and First Crush Red. The white is 82% Chard and 18% Viognier, fermented in stainless steel (no oak). The red is 72% Merlot and 28% Cab Franc, mostly fermented in stainless steel as well. Both were young and fresh - very pleasant on the hot day. My dad bought a bottle of the 2007 Chardonnay, which had a really nice balance of crisp apple/pear with a rounded character thanks to 6 months in French oak and battonage, which is the practice of stirring the wine with the leftover yeast deposits from fermentation, called lees, to impart a baked influence. IMO, this wine is an excellent example of well-integrated oak in Chardonnay. Possibly the best part of this tasting was seeing my dad recognize body in white wine and the distinctive smell of Merlot.

At Shinn Estate Vineyards I continued my Rose obsession, thoroughly enjoying their new 2008 dry Rose. Shinn uses sustainable farming practices, which means they use methods that have minimal impact on the farm. They point this out in a little card attached to their wine bags. Shinn also has a really nice Bed & Breakfast attached to it, one of the only such establishments attached to a winery on the North Fork. It reminded me of a place I stayed in the Willamette Valley - The Black Walnut Inn & Vineyard in Dundee, OR. This could very well be my dream situation - a sustainable vineyard with a winery and B&B on the North Fork of LI. Wonder how much $$$ it would go for...

Pellegrini is one of my favorite North Fork wineries. They have a beautiful outdoor area and I always enjoy their Cabernet Franc. I love using it as an example of how well Long Island does Cab Franc. I actually featured their 2005 in my old company's 10th Anniversary 'I heart NY Wines and Cheeses' party last year. But the big coup here was that my mom found another wine to like - Pellegrini's 2008 Gewurztraminer. She is generally solely loyal to Beringer White Zinfandel and Manischevitz Cream White Concord, with the occasional liking to a semi dry Riesling or a dessert wine, and I have been trying very hard for years to expand her palate to include dry white wines. From the Pellegrini Gewurz we got gardenia on the nose and grapefruit on the palate - one of her favorite flowers and one of her favorite fruits. How cool is that?! I was psyched that she bought a bottle, especially given the price tag ($29.99; her regulars usually cost under $10 for double bottles, so this is kind of a big deal).

Overall - it was a fun day for all. Mom and Dad found wines they liked, Shea had a few good runs through the grape vines, and I found the property I want to buy. Ok, let's not get too crazy - I found a great $15 Rose to cap off the end of summer.

Hamptons Wine Trail

Today I set out on the Hamptons Wine Trail to sample the South Fork of Long Island's 3 wineries. This area is most suited to growing Chardonnay and Bordeaux reds - Merlot, Cab Franc and Cab Sauvignon - but Pinot Gris/Grigio and Sauvignon Blanc also do well here. I stopped at Wolffer Estate first after loving their 2008 Rose last night with oysters and striped bass at Fresno in East Hampton. It's a blend of Merlot, Cab Franc, Cab Sauv, and Chardonnay. Wolffer is gorgeous and you can do your tasting outside on the patio overlooking their many rows of Chardonnay grapes (pictured). I liked their 2007 Chard, which saw some oak but was still fruity and crisp. They also had a nice 2008 Pinot Gris, with mineral peach and citrus.

Next I went to Duck Walk, always charming with its art-deco labels and offering interesting wines at reasonable prices. It also holds a special place in my heart because when I first visited them in 2004 it was the first case of wine I ever got, the inspiration for my buying a wine fridge, and the impetus for my signing up for the Intermediate class at WSET. Duck Walk is the only producer around of 100% Pinot Meunier, a grape that is often blended with Pinot Noir in the Burgundy and Champagne regions of France. I LOVE solo PM, and the 2007 vintage did not disappoint with its elegant texture and flavors of black fruits and bell pepper. Their 2007 Cab Sauv was also great, with fresh black cherry and a luscious chocolate finish.

The last stop was Channing Daughters, where I really liked their 2008 Sauvignon Blanc and 2008 Rose made from 100% Merlot. The Rose had a yummy watermelon flavor that reminded me of the fresh watermelon limeade I had the day before at La Fondita. Finally, their Rosso Fresco 2007 was amazing - a delicious, light summer red blend that would be great for BBQ's.

If you're out in the Hamptons this summer and the sweet life is a little too sweet for you, check out these 3 wineries and relax with their dry wines! Then let me know what you liked best.