Source: http://www.winespectator.com/webfeature/show/id/44887
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Saturday, April 30, 2011
Wineries Give Back to Mother Nature on Earth Day (Wine Spectator)
The wine industry pitches in to keep planet earth green
Julien Sunier Morgon 2009: a serious expression of Beaujolais
I really like this. It’s a Morgon from Julien Sunier, who has been making his own wines only since 2008. He farms three hectares in Morgon, Regnie and Fleurie, working organically. Winemaking is traditional.
This wine still tastes absolutely delicious two days after opening, so I reckon it has the potential to develop for a few [...]
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A Private-Label Red for Spago (Wine Spectator)
Brewer-Clifton Pinot Noir Sta. Rita Hills Meliora 2009
Source: http://www.winespectator.com/wwdn/show/id/44759
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Green Party gains halt the Mosel bridge project
These prime vineyard sites in the Middle Mosel were to get this $500 million bridge: But now it will remain like this… …thanks to Green Party gains at the recent state elections. Read more. Raise a glass of Kabinett! images
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/GuSC/~3/ZsxkrA0i2RE/
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The Suckling chronicles
James Suckling, a critic for two decades at Wine Spectator, left the publication last year to start his own website of video reviews. Suckling wanders top vineyards of the world, bestowing scores on wines saying “I’m 90 points on that,” “I’m 94 points on that” all the way up to 100. Points are awarded in [...]
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/GuSC/~3/5E8KjRPLg2g/
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Friday, April 29, 2011
MASI TUPUNGATO Malbec-Corvina Tupungato Passo Doble 2009 $17 (Wine Spectator)
NEIL ELLIS Sauvignon Blanc Groenekloof 2009 $18 (Wine Spectator)
A mouthwatering, food-friendly Sauvignon Blanc
Source: http://www.winespectator.com/dailypicks/show/date/2011-04-29/dwpid/7968
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Don't Steal Mommy's Wine
My daughter gets a kick out of smelling what's in our glasses when we're drinking with dinner, but she knows better than to steal mommy's wine.
Apparently, though, not everyone else is as careful. A number of people just landed in court over Mommy's wine.
The wine world is notorious for its highly aggressive, even draconian, protection of brand names. Who knew that one of those brand names was "Mommy?"
"MommyJuice" and "Mommy's Time Out" are apparently in a death match to determine which has the right to Mommy's name.
Careful kids, don't make me separate you! Don't you know I love you equally?
If I made any of the wines named: Mama's, Big Mama, Mama Mia, Mountain Mama Madness, Sugar Mama, Sweet Mama Rosa, Mama Cina, Red Hot Mama, Mama's Vineyard, or the lovable Mama's Bear Hug White, I guess I'd be a little nervous (yes, those are all real wines). Perhaps there was some prescience in the folks that named their wine Don't Tell Mama.
Don't you know Mommy doesn't like being sued? That calls for a glass of Mama's Boy, for sure.
Can't we all just get along?
Read the full story.
Source: http://www.vinography.com/archives/2011/04/dont_steal_mommys_wine.html
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Thursday, April 28, 2011
Foley Sets His Sights on Australia (Wine Spectator)
U.S. wine magnate buys minority share of Australian wine company Wineinc
Source: http://www.winespectator.com/webfeature/show/id/44915
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The Wiseman ?Study? ? cheap versus expensive wine
Much has been written about a scientific ?study? by psychologist Richard Wiseman which showed that people can?t tell the difference between cheap and expensive wine. (See, for example, this report this report in The Guardian and this report in the Telegaph.)
But, in this world of soundbyte news reporting, it?s just the headline message that is [...]
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California Chardonnay, Hold the Oak (Wine Spectator)
Williams Selyem Chardonnay Russian River Valley Unoaked 2009
Source: http://www.winespectator.com/wwdn/show/id/44827
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Shanken News Daily Launches to Serve Wine and Spirits Industry (Wine Spectator)
Daily email newsletter delivers breaking news, research and analysis, free from M. Shanken Communications
Source: http://www.winespectator.com/webfeature/show/id/44903
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Wednesday, April 27, 2011
2010 Sauternes & Barsac (Wine Spectator)
Tasting notes and scores of the renowned sweet wines of Bordeaux
Source: http://www.winespectator.com/webfeature/show/id/44730
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LUCA Malbec Uco Valley 2009 $32 (Wine Spectator)
This flashy Mendoza red has tobacco and fig notes
Source: http://www.winespectator.com/dailypicks/show/date/2011-04-22/dwpid/7951
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Exciting new releases from Douro producer Conceito
Very impressed by these new releases from Rita Ferreira’s Conceito. They’re all really good. The Branco and Bastardo are probably my favourites, though. And the label design is just wonderfully eccentric.
Conceito Branco 2009 Douro 13.5% alcohol. Distinctively packaged. Taut and intense nose with fresh citrus and grapefruit pith notes, as well as some white peach [...]
Source: http://www.wineanorak.com:/wineblog/portugal/exciting-new-releases-from-douro-producer-conceito
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Summer Arrives
The first real selection of heirloom tomatoes showed up at the Napa Farmer’s Market this morning. For me that means my mozzarella fresca budget is about to go through the roof. More-or-less daily now through the end of the tomato season an Insalata Caprese will be the first course at dinner in our house. To me it is a perfect dish.
There is nothing simpler or more delicious to make. All it requires is:
- perfect tomatoes
- fresh, creamy mozzarella
- fresh basil
- fresh, vibrant extra virgin olive oil (hopefully as fresh as the tomatoes, basil and mozzarella)
- salt and pepper
…and basta.
Learn to leave such a dish alone. Restaurants can’t seem to keep their hands off such perfection and add, add, add: ending up only subtracting and distracting. This is a lesson we winemakers should also learn. Sometimes leaving something alone requires more courage and attention to detail than doing more and more.
The problem with simplicity is there is nothing to hide behind.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/squarespace/CpLt/~3/ufr1jwxnnuU/summer-arrives.html
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Bollinger RD 1999
Easter Sunday treat. The latest release of Bollinger’s wonderful RD, which stands for ‘recently disgorged’. In this case, the wine had been on its lees until January this year. This helps the Champagne to develop in a really elegant way, and it’s instructive to try this wine alongside the Grande Annee 1999, which will have [...]
Source: http://www.wineanorak.com:/wineblog/champagne/bollinger-rd-1999
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Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Blue Nose, Blue Blood
This time it was Blue Nose. It was always something, but it was always something special. There are places to buy things and there are places where it’s an adventure to buy things. One of those places is Osprey Seafood in the town of Napa.
We brought home some fabulous Bluenose bass from New Zealand this time, but whatever we bring home from there is always delicious. Why? Why are some merchants so much better than others? The fish at Osprey is more-or-less the same price as Whole Foods just down the road, but it is always, always better. Certainly it is more expensive than the seafood offerings of Safeway, but food that is inedible is never cheap enough.
The “why” is simple. They care at Osprey. They care in a way you just don’t see behind the counter at a chain, even at the level of a Whole Foods. At the likes of Safeway it’s not an issue of excitement as they have little interest or knowledge in what they’re selling.
It’s always amazing at Osprey as, in spite of the fact they deal with fish day in and day out, they’re excited about today’s special arrivals. It’s that ability to be excited that makes them go out of their way to have something to be excited about.
What’s happened to that excitement in the wine industry? Cynical buyers, loaded with attitude, but with closed minds who have already decided what wines are the best by the time they’re twenty-five. Their counterpoints are ego driven, “lifestyle” wineries more interested in points than quality, which pump out over-oaked, high octane, insanely priced fruit bombs. All of the above driven by someone else’s pointed opinion instead of their own. True enough there’s a lot to be not excited about.
However, once a month, I get a package that reminds me that there still exists, in the increasingly corporate wine world, merchants filled with passion, excitement and energy that is all their own. That package is the monthly shipment I get from the Kermit Lynch Wine Club, one of the privileges of living in California.
Each package is a voyage of discovery. Not that I do not know some of the wines that arrive, but each shipment is an inside look at the mind of the Kermit Lynch company. The energy and commitment in that collective mind is clear in the quality and distinctive personality of each bottle that arrives.
For about $40 a month you get two bottles of interesting wine. While that should not be an unusual thing, it is, and the arrival of each package makes me think about the wines we make. As always, there is no greater compliment you can give a wine than it makes you think. Any wine that costs more than $10 a bottle should at the very least make you notice you are drinking it.
Kermit Lynch, Osprey and merchants like them are the blue bloods, the royalty of the merchant class. While it is said you get what you pay for, it is more than that. There are many places to get above average, but there are few places where you can travel together as excited explorers sharing the energy that discovery brings to those that share in the adventure together.
You’ll never get this experience at Cost Plus, Trader Joe’s, Costco or any chain operation. You’ll also not save any money by shopping at these chains unless you insist on buying overpriced, industrial wines that are only pretenders to the throne. Yes, if you want to buy Silver Oak these are your places. However, the Osprey’s and Kermit Lynch’s of the world are the ones offering true value.
There’s a sucker born every minute. Don’t be a sucker. Buying smart means not buying hype. It also means not buying on price alone. Smart buyers buy based on price and the energy and effort the merchant puts into bringing them the very best.
A Kermit Lynch selection with an Osprey selection makes not only for a wonderful dinner, but money well spent.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/squarespace/CpLt/~3/YwsDcsWYeys/blue-nose-blue-blood.html
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Shanken News Daily Launches to Serve Wine and Spirits Industry (Wine Spectator)
Daily email newsletter delivers breaking news, research and analysis, free from M. Shanken Communications
Source: http://www.winespectator.com/webfeature/show/id/44903
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Tosca, Ithzak and The Adams Family
They were uplifting. They challenged me and inspired me, each in their own way. A diverse range of musical performances I saw over the last two weeks made me think. Can you give a higher compliment to art? I don’t think anything engages every sense that makes us the complex beings we are more than music.
This artistic immersion began at the top with a performance of Tosca at the incomparable Met in New York, followed by a Nathan Lane romp through The Adams Family on Broadway and completed by the inspired clarity of Itzhak Perlman in recital in San Francisco. As with most things that inspire me these performances made me think about wine.
Tosca gives you restrained, confident power and emotion. The slightly naughty vaudeville of The Adams Family is all fun and escape. The delicacy and transparency of the Perlman piano and violin duets challenges you to focus on pure art stripped to the bone. These experiences were enjoyable each in their own way and each has their own purpose. It would be pointless to compare them, but that’s exactly what is done with wine. The exactitude of the 100 point scale only denies the beauty of each vinous performance.
It was easy for me to see the wines I love in these three performances: Tosca would be something like Corison
Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon with its restrained yet powerful and balanced concentration; The Adams Family would be my daily pleasures Côtes du Rhône Villages and Beaujolais Villages from someone like Kermit Lynch; the delicate transparency (terroir) of the Perlman recital is Burgundy and Barolo/Barbaresco - right now I have Marcarini Barolo La Serra in mind. What is important about all of these wines is not how they rank against each other, but how they fit the moment, the meal and that they make you think. Think about the flavors, aromas and life. They are about pleasure, both mental and physical. Academic ranking makes them all sterile and lifeless.
I would no more think of ranking Tosca against The Adams Family than I would scoring La Tache against a Beaujolais Villages. Each has its place and time. It is simply boring and boorish to compare and contrast such wines. They are to be enjoyed in their moment and in their proper moment each is a 100 point wine.
There is no more important word in wine than transparency, the ability to see through each aspect of its character and personality. Opulence and power are wine’s pop music - Lady Gaga vs. Puccini. While Lady Gaga may win the popularity contest it does not make her great art. Religion too easily achieved is not very spiritual.
“Sometimes you just have to let art flow over you.”
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Blue Nose, Blue Blood
This time it was Blue Nose. It was always something, but it was always something special. There are places to buy things and there are places where it’s an adventure to buy things. One of those places is Osprey Seafood in the town of Napa.
We brought home some fabulous Bluenose bass from New Zealand this time, but whatever we bring home from there is always delicious. Why? Why are some merchants so much better than others? The fish at Osprey is more-or-less the same price as Whole Foods just down the road, but it is always, always better. Certainly it is more expensive than the seafood offerings of Safeway, but food that is inedible is never cheap enough.
The “why” is simple. They care at Osprey. They care in a way you just don’t see behind the counter at a chain, even at the level of a Whole Foods. At the likes of Safeway it’s not an issue of excitement as they have little interest or knowledge in what they’re selling.
It’s always amazing at Osprey as, in spite of the fact they deal with fish day in and day out, they’re excited about today’s special arrivals. It’s that ability to be excited that makes them go out of their way to have something to be excited about.
What’s happened to that excitement in the wine industry? Cynical buyers, loaded with attitude, but with closed minds who have already decided what wines are the best by the time they’re twenty-five. Their counterpoints are ego driven, “lifestyle” wineries more interested in points than quality, which pump out over-oaked, high octane, insanely priced fruit bombs. All of the above driven by someone else’s pointed opinion instead of their own. True enough there’s a lot to be not excited about.
However, once a month, I get a package that reminds me that there still exists, in the increasingly corporate wine world, merchants filled with passion, excitement and energy that is all their own. That package is the monthly shipment I get from the Kermit Lynch Wine Club, one of the privileges of living in California.
Each package is a voyage of discovery. Not that I do not know some of the wines that arrive, but each shipment is an inside look at the mind of the Kermit Lynch company. The energy and commitment in that collective mind is clear in the quality and distinctive personality of each bottle that arrives.
For about $40 a month you get two bottles of interesting wine. While that should not be an unusual thing, it is, and the arrival of each package makes me think about the wines we make. As always, there is no greater compliment you can give a wine than it makes you think. Any wine that costs more than $10 a bottle should at the very least make you notice you are drinking it.
Kermit Lynch, Osprey and merchants like them are the blue bloods, the royalty of the merchant class. While it is said you get what you pay for, it is more than that. There are many places to get above average, but there are few places where you can travel together as excited explorers sharing the energy that discovery brings to those that share in the adventure together.
You’ll never get this experience at Cost Plus, Trader Joe’s, Costco or any chain operation. You’ll also not save any money by shopping at these chains unless you insist on buying overpriced, industrial wines that are only pretenders to the throne. Yes, if you want to buy Silver Oak these are your places. However, the Osprey’s and Kermit Lynch’s of the world are the ones offering true value.
There’s a sucker born every minute. Don’t be a sucker. Buying smart means not buying hype. It also means not buying on price alone. Smart buyers buy based on price and the energy and effort the merchant puts into bringing them the very best.
A Kermit Lynch selection with an Osprey selection makes not only for a wonderful dinner, but money well spent.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/squarespace/CpLt/~3/YwsDcsWYeys/blue-nose-blue-blood.html
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