Wednesday’s Meritage – Wine Quiz Answer, WTSO Cheapskate Marathon, #MWWC9 Vote, Algeria Wine and French AOC
Meritage time!
Let’s start with the answer to the wine quiz #101, Grape Trivia – Blends, Part 5.
For the long time, the grape trivia series was focused on the single grapes. But now we are stirring things up, so all the questions in the quiz are about blends (well, even if it is a blend of one ), as most of the wines in the world are actually blends. As usual, there were 5 questions in the quiz.
Here are the questions, now with the answers:
Q1: White wines of this region are considered to be some of the best white wines in the world, and they are made out of the blend of Marsanne and Roussanne grapes. Do you know what region is that?
A1: Hermitage. A region in Northern Rhone, which produces magnificent, long living white wines from Marsanne and Roussanne grapes.
Q2: These wines, made out of primarily Grenache and Cinsault, sometimes with the addition of Syrah and Mourvedre, can be only made as Rosé. Can you name these wines?
A2: Tavel. Of course when thinking about classic Rosé, Provence probably comes to mind first. But Provence allows production of not only Rosé, but also of both white and red wines. Tavel, on the other hand, while much lesser known to the majority of the wine-consuming public, is one of the oldest AOCs and solely dedicated to the production of only Rosé wines (no other wines are allowed).
Q3: Can you continue this sequence? Explain your answer:
Amarone, Vin de Paille, Vin Santo, ?
A3: This was somewhat of a difficult question. The point of the matter is that all the wines mentioned are made out of grapes which are dried out after the harvest, for at least 3-4 month. So the next wine which can be added here is Valtellina Sfursat, which is a dry wine from Norther Italy, made out of Nebbiolo grape which is dried out before pressing for at least 3-4 month.
Q4: This famous Spanish wine is always made out of the Monastrell and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes. The primary wine typically has 70% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Monastrell, and the second label has the blend proportions reversed. Can you name both wines?
A4: El Nido and Clio. El Nido ifs the flagship wine of Bodegas El Nido in Jumilla, which is traditionally made with 70% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Monastrell. The second wine from Bodegas El Nido, Clio, is made out of 70% Monastrell and 30% Cabernet Sauvignon.
Q5: What is common between Château d’Yquem and Vega-Sicilia, outside of the fact that both make some of the world’s most famous wines?
A5: Both wineries only produce their flagship wines (Chateau d’Yquem and Vega-Sicilia Unico) in the best years – both have a number of years when the top wines were simply not produced.
When it comes to the results, the participation was a bit less than a few last times. Nobody was able all five questions correctly, so we don’t have a winner. Oh well, there is always the next time…
Now, to the interesting stuff around the vine and the web!
Only a few weeks ago, WTSO glued thousands of people to their computer screens for the day with the Magnum Marathon activities. And now they are doing it again. Tuesday, May 13th, starting at 6 AM Eastern, new wines will be offered at the $7.99 to $18.99 range, every 15 minutes or sooner if the previous wine will sold out. All the new wines will be announced only on Twitter. Free some space in your cellar and make sure your credit card has some spending room too. Happy [value wine] Hunting!
The Monthly Wine Writing Challenge #9 has concluded, and now it is the time to vote. The theme of the challenge was “Fear”, so you can find 25 fearless entries at this link. Once you done reading them, you can vote here. The voting is open from now until Monday, May 12th. The winner will be announced on May 13th.
Ever had or even heard of Algerian wine? Me too. But it turns out that only 50 years ago, Algeria was the … number one exporter of the wine in the world! Just to give you an idea for how well they were doing, Algeria was exporting twice (!) as much as France, Italy and Spain combined! While this was quite unexpected to me, it was still not the most interesting fact related to the Algerian wine industry. What is even more fascinating in my mind, that the French AOC system was largely created to protect the wine consumers in France and around the world from the flood of French-associated wine, which was actually not made in France. I don’t want to recite the whole article, so here are the sources for you where you can learn more. The original article appeared in the Journal of Wine Economics, and then W. Blake Gray provided an excellent “Cliff notes” narration for the same where you can learn all the basic facts – both definitely worth your time.
And we are done here. The glass is empty – but the refill is on its way! Cheers!
Following Wines Til Sold Out – Magnum Marathon, April 2014
15 hours. 
13,317 bottles. About 70 different wine offers. 3,215 thirsty people logged into the web site at 5 PM. These are some of the statistics of WTSO Magnum Marathon which took place on Tuesday, April 22nd. Another day of lost productivity for many businesses – oops, did I say it out loud? I meant the day of great deals for all wine lovers out there – I’m sure everybody were super productive at their desks.
As this was the Magnum Marathon, most of the wines offered were of 1.5L size, with few exceptions at 3L. Lots of great producers – Ladera, Tablas Creek, Ciabot Berton, Paolo Scavino, even Cristal and Joseph Phelps, and many many more.
Without further ado, I will leave you on with the data. Yes, my collection was somewhat lacking this time, so you will see some missing data as to the pricing and source of ratings – oh well, I hope you will still find it interesting. Note that unless the bottle size is noted as 3.0L, it is the standard magnum size of 1.5L.
Here is the guide to the rating abbreviations (this list is ever inclusive – not all of them are used below): WS – Wine Spectator, WA – Wine Advocate, ST – Steven Tanzer, WE – Wine Enthusiast, WRO – Wine Review Online, W&S – Wine and Spirits, JS – James Suckling, RP – Robert Parker, JHN – Jonathan H. Newman, D – Decanter Magazine, rating goes in stars ( 5 stars is max), JH – James Halliday, TRR – The Rhone Report, BH – Burghound, IWR – International Wine Report, TLC – The Library Collection, PR – Pinot Report, TWN – The Wine News, LM – Luca Maroni, Sn – Snooth.com.
| Time | Wine | Rating | Min. Qty | MSRP | Price | %off |
| 12:00a 04/23 | Mockingbird Hill Reserve Chardonnay Russian River Valley 2012 (750) | JHN91 | 4 | $32.00 | $14.99 | 53% |
| 12:00a | Our Magnum Marathon is officially over! | – | ||||
| 11:31p | Elena Fucci ‘Titolo’ 2010 Aglianico del Vulture | JS91 | 1 | $160.00 | $69.99 | 56% |
| 11:21p | Chateau de Macard Bordeaux Superieur 2010 | IWR90 | 2 | $55.00 | $28.99 | 47% |
| 11:06p | Vellum Napa Valley Cabernet 2011 | – | 1 | $200.00 | $99.99 | 50% |
| 10:44p | Bodegas Penafiel Miros Reserva 2007 | – | 2 | $175.00 | $39.99 | 77% |
| 10:36p | Brut Champagne NV Piper-Heidsieck | WS93 | 2 | $100.00 | $64.99 | 35% |
| 10:15p | Firriato Harmonium Nero d’Avola Sicilia IGT 2010 | LM97 | 2 | $115.00 | $59.99 | 48% |
| 10:10p | San Rustico Amarone Classico 2008 | WA92 | 1 | $130.00 | $64.99 | 50% |
| 9:52p | Rocca Family Estate Collinetta Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2009 | WE93 | 1 | $210.00 | $149.99 | 43% |
| 9:32p | Cantina Valenti ‘I Puritani’ Etna Rosso Nerello 2009 | JS92 | 2 | $90.00 | $49.99 | 44% |
| 9:06p | Ribera Del Duero Reserva 2001 Bodegas Balbas | WS93 | 2 | $130.00 | $49.99 | 62% |
| 8:50p | Tenuta dei Setti Cieli ‘Indaco’ 2005 | WA90 | 1 | $100.00 | $59.99 | 40% |
| 8:28p | St. Supery Dollarhide Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 | TWN93 | 1 | $200.00 | $149.99 | 25% |
| 8:10p | Bodegas Resalte de Penafiel Reserva 2005 | WS90 | 1 | $160.00 | $69.99 | 56% |
| 7:50p | Domaine de Fond Croze ‘Cuvée Shyrus’ Cotes du Rhone 2009 | WE91 | 2 | $75.00 | $39.99 | 47% |
| 7:31p | Diadema Super Tuscan Rosso IGT 2009 Swarovski Bottle | WE93 | 1 | $250.00 | $94.99 | 62% |
| 7:12p | Bodegas Tabula Gran Tabula Ribera del Duero 2009 | WS92 | 1 | $200.00 | $89.99 | 55% |
| 7:08p | I Balzini Black Label 2006 Double Magnum (3.0L) | 92 | 51% | |||
| 6:45p | Eagles Trace ‘Latitude 38’ Conn Valley Bordeaux Style Blend 2006 | – | 1 | $175.00 | $99.99 | 43% |
| 6:34p | Ciabot Berton Barolo DOCG 2008 | ST92 | 1 | $190.00 | $79.99 | 58% |
| 6:21p | Rocca Family Vineyards Grigsby Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 | WA90 | 1 | $210.00 | $124.99 | 40% |
| 6:09p | Red Bordeaux Castillon Cote de Bordeaux Chateau Hyot 2010 | WS90 | 2 | $45.00 | $24.99 | 44% |
| 6:04p | Scavino Carobric Barolo 2008 | WA94 | 1 | $250.00 | $159.99 | 36% |
| 5:40p | Eagles Trace Conn Valley Napa Cabernet 2006 | – | 1 | $150.00 | $89.99 | 40% |
| 5:11p | Millet-Roger Sancerre 2013 | IWR92 | 2 | $95.00 | $44.99 | 53% |
| 5:03p | I Balzini Black/White 2000 2-Pack | WE91 | 1 | $250.00 | $99.99 | 60% |
| 4:45p | Resalte Pena Roble Reserva 2004 | WS92 | 2 | $120.00 | $49.99 | 58% |
| 4:40p | Michel-Schlumberger ‘La Cime’ 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon | – | 2 | $80.00 | $39.99 | 50% |
| 4:15p | I Giusti & Zanza Belcore 2009 | JS92 | 2 | $80.00 | $49.99 | 38% |
| 4:09p | Bodegas Tabula Gran Tabula Ribera del Duero 2007 | WA94 | 1 | $200.00 | $89.99 | 55% |
| 4:00p | Canalicchio 2004 Brunello di Montalcino | WA93 | 1 | $225.00 | $99.99 | 56% |
| 3:34p | Champagne Philippe Prie Brut Tradition NV | WS91 | 2 | $125.00 | $49.99 | 60% |
| 3:27p | Vieux Telegraphe La Crau Chateauneuf-du-Pape 2011 | W&S96 | 1 | $190.00 | $139.99 | 26% |
| 3:13p | Ladera Vineyards Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 | W&S92 | 1 | $250.00 | $149.99 | 40% |
| 2:59p | Barolo Riserva 2004 ‘Roggeri’ Ciabot Berton | WE91 | 1 | $250.00 | $109.99 | 56% |
| 2:37p | Boekenhoutskloof ‘The Chocolate Block’ 2011 | ST90 | 1 | $100.00 | $69.99 | 30% |
| 2:22p | Cotes du Rhone 2011 Domaine de Dionysos ‘La Deveze’ | IWR90 | 2 | $65.00 | $24.99 | 62% |
| 2:09p | Vellum Napa Valley Cabernet 2010 | – | 1 | $200.00 | $99.99 | 50% |
| 1:48p | Bodegas Penafiel Miros Reserva 2007 | – | 2 | $175.00 | $39.99 | 77% |
| 1:42p | Tenuta dei Setti Cieli ‘Indaco’ 2007 | WA92 | 1 | $100.00 | $59.99 | 40% |
| 1:22p | Brut Champagne NV Piper-Heidsieck | WS93 | 2 | $100.00 | $64.99 | 35% |
| 1:19p | Trefethen Oak Knoll Cabernet 2007 | 92 | 40% | |||
| 1:12p | Altesino Brunello di Montalcino Montosoli 2006 | JS96 | 1 | $249.99 | $149.99 | 40% |
| 12:48p | Ribera Del Duero Reserva 2001 Bodegas Balbas | WS93 | 2 | $130.00 | $49.99 | 62% |
| 12:44p | I Balzini White Label 2006 Double Magnum (3.0L) | WS93 | 1 | $225.00 | $109.99 | 51% |
| 12:24p | St. Supery Dollarhide Cabernet 2003 | – | 1 | $200.00 | $149.99 | 25% |
| 12:07p | Fontanafredda Barolo Riserva ‘Tilson’ 1997 Limited Edition | – | 1 | $450.00 | $119.99 | 73% |
| 11:42a | 92 Pt. Chateau Haut Gravet Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 2010 | JS92 | 2 | $105.00 | $49.99 | 52% |
| 11:38a | Canalicchio Brunello 2007 | 93 | 56% | |||
| 11:17a | Essenciel de Paradis Coteaux D’Aix En Provence Rose 2013 | IWR90 | 2 | $60.00 | $24.99 | 58% |
| 11:03a | I Balzini White Label 1997 | JS92 | 1 | $125.00 | $54.99 | 56% |
| 10:43a | Maroon Cabernet Signature Reserve Napa Valley 2012 | – | 1 | $90.00 | $44.99 | 50% |
| 10:40a | Paolo Scavino Bric del Fiasc Barolo 2008 | ST96 | 1 | $350.00 | $199.99 | 43% |
| 10:22a | Bodegas Resalte Ribera Del Duero Gran Resalte 2001 | W&S95 | 1 | $250.00 | $89.99 | 64% |
| 10:09a | Rocca Family Estate Grigsby Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2008 | WS93 | 1 | $210.00 | $129.99 | 38% |
| 10:00a | Mario Giribaldi Barbaresco 2006 | WS93 | 2 | $125.00 | $44.99 | 64% |
| 9:48a | Roger & Didier Raimbault-Sancerre 2012 Les Belles Cotes | WE90 | 2 | $95.00 | $49.99 | 47% |
| 9:35a | Champagne Louis Roederer Cristal Brut 2005 | WE97 | 1 | $750.00 | $499.99 | 33% |
| 9:30a | Mastrojanni Brunello di Montalcino DOCG 2008 | JS94 | 1 | $190.00 | $99.99 | 47% |
| 9:12a | Champagne Charles de Cazanove Brut NV | WS92 | 1 | $125.00 | $56.99 | 54% |
| 9:00a | Ladera Napa Cabernet 2008 | WA89 | 1 | $175.00 | $89.99 | 49% |
| 8:46a | Tablas Creek Vineyard Esprit de Tablas Paso Robles 2011 | WA93 | 1 | $250.00 | $99.99 | 60% |
| 8:39a | Vignavecchia Chianti Classico Riserva Odoardo Beccari 2008 (3.0L) | WA92 | 1 | $225.00 | $149.99 | 33% |
| 8:22a | St. Supery Napa Valley Estate Cabernet 2006 | Sn91 | 2 | $75.00 | $49.99 | 33% |
| 8:03a | I Balzini Black/White 2002 2-Pack | 91 | 60% | |||
| 7:52a | Mont-Redon Rouge 2009 Chateauneuf-du-Pape | 92 | 56% | |||
| 7:39a | Sullivan Napa Valley Cabernet 2007 | 92 | 62% | |||
| 7:34a | Tenuta dei Setti Cieli ‘Indaco’ 2004 | 91 | 40% | |||
| 7:14a | Chateau de Macard Bordeaux Superieur 2010 | 90 | 47% | |||
| 7:07a | Ciabot Berton Barolo 2000 | 93 | 45% | |||
| 7:05a | Phelps Vineyards Insignia 2009 | 96 | 30% | |||
| 7:00a | Paolo Scavino Bric del Fiasc Barolo 2007 | 96 | 43% | |||
| 12:00a | Champagne Philippe Prie Brut Tradition NV (1.5L) | WS91 | 2 | $125.00 | $49.99 | 60% |
That’s all I have for you for today, folks. Did you get anything during the Magnum marathon? What do you think of the deals?
Cheers!
Month in Wines – April 2014
April was a good month for the good wines, with some of the gems worthy of Top Dozen consideration. Syrah and Pinot Noir were probably the biggest stars, but not the only stars. I already wrote about some of the wines before, so I will not inundate you with the repetitive details, and instead will simply give you the reference to the prior post. All the wines are rated on the 10 points scale, with + and – adjustments. These summary posts only include the wines with the ratings of 8- and higher – in the very very rare cases, I might include 7+ wines if I feel that the wine was simply unique.
Let’s go!
2010 Lenné Estate Pinot Noir Yamhill-Carlton AVA, Oregon (14% ABV, $45) – dark and delicious, and will age well for the next 10-12 years. 8+
2010 Renieri Invetro Rosso Toscano IGT (14% ABV) – delicious Super-Tuscan, powerful, round, a pure joy. 8+
2011 Michel Chapoutier Tournon Mathilda Shiraz Victoria, Australia (13% ABV, $14.99) – simply spectacular. A clear pepper profile on the nose and the palate. A stunning beauty. 9
2003 J.L. Chave Offerus Saint-Joseph, France (13.5% ABV) – Barnyard, touch of spice (pepper), dark and delicious. 8
2005 Domaine Philippe Bornard Arbois Pupillin La Chamade Ploussard (12.8% ABV) – beautiful, powerful, multi-layred. Pleasure in every sip. 8+
2012 J Wrigley Estate Pinot Noir Proposal Block McMinnville AVA (14% ABV, aged 10 Month in French oak, 250 cases produced. $45 SRP) – chocolate, mocha, a bit of mushrooms. Nice and balanced, and will age well. 8-
2010 Joel Gott Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley (SRP: $47.99) – perfect Claret, if you will. This wine would rival many top California Cabernet Sauvignon wines, which would also cost at least 2-3 times as much. 8
2007 La Rioja Alta Vina Alberdi Rioja Riserva, Spain (SRP: $19.99) – Perfect balance of fruit, structure, power and earthiness which only Rioja possess. Beautifully round and delicious. 8+
2001 La Rioja Alta 904 Rioja Gran Riserva, Spain (SRP: $47.99) – Mature and delicious, with lots of subtle nuances. A thought provoking wine. 8+
2009 Shiloh Legend Judean Hills, Israel (14.2% ABV, 45% Shiraz, 40% Petite Sirah, 9% Petite Verdot, 6% Merlot, each grape vinified and oak-cask aged separately for 8 month, then blended and aged for another 8 month) – round, velvety, delicious, with dark fruit core and firm structure. Perfect balance of power and concentration. 8
2012 Tousey Chardonnay Estate, Hudson River, New York (12% ABV) – a Chablis on Hudson would be a good way to define this wine. Chablis style minerality and hint of gunflint on the nose, creamy and round on the palate, with subtle apple and vanilla notes. Delicious Chardonnay. 8-
2012 M. Chapoutier Les Vignes des Bila-Haut White Côtes-du-Roussillon (13% ABV, $13.99, blend of Grenache Blanc, Grenache Gris and Macabeu) – in a word, delicious. Bright white fruit on the nose, fresh lemon, some earthiness. Perfect balance on the palate, each sip makes you crave for another. 8+
2004 Bodegas Ondarre Rioja Reserva Rioja DOC (13% ABV) – dark fruit on the nose, with the hint of eucalyptus and cigar box. Palate full of dark fruit with earthy profile, supple tannins and bright acidity, very balanced. 8-
2010 Chapelle-St-Arnoux Côtes du Rhône AOC (13.5 % ABV, $10.99) – nose of inviting dark fruit, the same on the palate with addition of dark chocolate notes and rounding acidity. Very dense and well structured for Côtes du Rhône. A steal for the price (sorry, it was some sort of closeout). 8
2010 Les Trois Chemins Côtes du Rhône AOP (13% ABV, $8.99) – fresh red fruit on the nose, blackberries and cherries, more of the same on the palate, coupled with bright acidity. Simple and elegant, and beyond steal at the price (again, a closeout of sorts). 8-
That concludes my report on the April wine highlights. Did you taste any of these wines? What were your best wine experiences of the month? Cheers!
Weekly Wine Quiz #101: Grape Trivia – Blends, Part 5
The Wine Quiz series is not meant to intimidate. The whole idea here is to have fun and learn something new. When answering the questions, it is fully encouraged to use all available sources of information, including Google or any other search engine. There are no embarrassing answers – the most embarrassing thing is not giving it a try…
Welcome to the weekend and your new wine quiz!
We are continuing our grape trivia series, focusing on the blends, even if it is a blend of 1. White, Red, Rosé, Sparkling, Still, Fortified and Dessert – all goes. Oh yes, and we will blend in some regions and even wineries as well, just to make it more fun.
And now, to the quiz!
Q1: White wines of this region are considered to be some of the best white wines in the world, and they are made out of the blend of Marsanne and Roussanne grapes. Do you know what region is that?
Q2: These wines, made out of primarily Grenache and Cinsault, sometimes with the addition of Syrah and Mourvedre, can be only made as Rosé. Can you name these wines?
Q3: Can you continue this sequence? Explain your answer:
Amarone, Vin de Paille, Vin Santo, ?
Q4: This famous Spanish wine is always made out of the Monastrell and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes. The primary wine typically has 70% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Monastrell, and the second label has the blend proportions reversed. Can you name both wines?
Q5: What is common between Château d’Yquem and Vega-Sicilia, outside of the fact that both make some of the world’s most famous wines?
Good luck, enjoy the quiz and your weekend! Cheers!
J Wrigley #WineChat – Continuing Oregon Pinot Noir Deep Immersion
Last Wednesday, April 23, the virtual tasting room opened its #winechat doors to discuss for the third time in the row the endless subject of Oregon Pinot Noir. Presiding over in the hot seat was John Wrigley, the grape grower and winemaker at the J Wrigley Estate in McMinnville AVA in Oregon.
Let me start from the conclusion and tell you what I learned. The terroir, the soil, the elevation, and the winemaker are all matter. Duh, you wanna say? Well, yes, this sounds very pedestrian for the oenophile, like teaching an alphabet to the fifth-grader. However, when you drink the wine made with the soul, when you drink a thought-provoking wine, and when you also get a chance to discuss that thought-provoking wine with the someone who actually made it, and the group of like-minded people, the concept of soil and terroir stops being abstract, and rather becomes something you can…put in your mouth and taste!
We learned a lot during this #winechat. Once again we heard about the peavine soils, which make vines work really hard. We also heard about volcanic rocks and marine sediment soils. You can learn about the soils too – here is the link to the very interesting article about J Wrigley wines, which also includes the video of John Wrigley talking … dirt (not as a matter of speech, but as a substance).
We learned about something called Van Duzer effect. Ever heard of it? A narrow stretch of open land, called Van Duzer corridor, connects Willamette valley to the ocean. Every evening, the cold ocean air runs through that open space to cool off everything in the valley, especially all the grapes growing on elevations. The temperature drop can be in the range of 20°-30°, making grapes to ripen slowly, to retain acidity and concentrate sugars, which in turn means … better wines for us! Here is an article where you can read about Van Duzer effect in far more details.
We also learned about very interesting experiment, called the Cube Project. 3 wineries, 3 winemakers, 9 wines. 3 wineries – Anne Amie from Oregon, Bouchaine from Carneros and Lincourt from Sta. Rita Hills, each took their best Pinot Noir plots, capable of producing at least 6 tons of grapes each, and divided it into 3 equal parcels. Each winemaker had an opportunity to make wines from all three parcels, thus producing 9 different wines. When the wines were tasted by the group of professionals, it was concluded that winemaker style prevails over the terroir – the wines from different plots made by the same winemakers tasted closer than the wines made within the same parcels. I would really love to try all those wines by myself, or at least learn more about how the tasting was conducted – were the wines tasted blind, how many people tasted the wines and the number of other factors would all matter to me. But – as I can’t report first hand, here is a link to the article which explains the experiment in lots of details.
J Wrigley Pinot Noir and tools of the trade
Yes, we learned a lot, but how was the wine, you are probably wondering? This time around, I didn’t play with the temperature, I only measured it once – it was at 22.3°C/72°F. I played a bit with rapid decanting using VersoVino. This 2012 J Wrigley Estate Pinot Noir Proposal Block McMinnville AVA (14% ABV, aged 10 Month in French oak, 250 cases produced. $45 SRP) was very supportive of our conversation. Oh, by the way, can you guess where the name “Proposal Block” comes from? There is a good chance that you guessed it – this was the very first Pinot Noir planted vineyard at the estate, where John Wrigley proposed to his wife (wine and romantics – unbeatable!).
Now, here are some notes regarding the wine:
Color: Garnet
Nose: Fresh, ripe raspberries, floral notes, chocolate, mocha. Smokiness showed up later on.
Palate: Soft, round, good acidity. nice earhiness, dark fruit, very balanced. After a while, smokiness showed up in the back, and the the roasted notes.
Verdict: powerful and balanced Pinot Noir. Will drink well by itself, and can be well paired with food. For the full enjoyment, about one hour decanting is recommended. Will also age well for the next 10-12 years (or may be more, my crystal ball is broken, so I can’t be more precise). Drinkability: 8-
That conclude my report about J Wrigley #winechat and it also concludes the overall Oregon Pinot Noir series – definitely was learning, fun and entertaining experience for me. Don’t be shy – you should really try the #winechat for yourself (every Wednesday, at 9 PM Eastern/6PM Pacific) . Until then – cheers!
Wednesday’s Meritage – Wine Quiz Answer, Wine Blog Awards!, 2013 Bordeaux and Rioja, #winechat tonight
Meritage time!
Let’s start with the answer to the wine quiz #100, Grape Trivia – Blends, Part 4.
For the long time, the grape trivia series was focused on the single grapes. But now we are stirring things up, so all the questions in the quiz are about blends (well, even if it is a blend of one ), as most of the wines in the world are actually blends. As usual, there were 5 questions in the quiz.
Here are the questions, now with the answers:
Q1: True or False: Even if the bottle of wine states the vintage and is made out of 100% of the same grape, there is a very good chance that the wine is still a blend. Explain your answer.
A1: True. Now, this proved to be a very difficult question. Not the “true or false” part of it, of course – but practically nobody (with one exception) managed to provide a satisfactory explanation as to why even if the wine is made out of 100% of the same grape, it is very likely to be still a blend. If wine technical data says that it is made from 100% of Chardonnay, for example, there is no way that any other grapes where blended in. However, have you seen the words “30% malolactic fermentation” or “aged in 15% new French oak barrels”? For the most part, the wine you get in the bottle is the blend – the blend of wines from the different barrels, the blend of wines fermented with different yeasts, or somehow else differently processed. Also (as it was correctly noted in one of the answers), the wine can be made from exact same grape, but be a blend of different vintages (up to 15% allowed in US wines).
Q2: This white grape is known to produce beautiful, delicately perfumed wines. In some appellations in France, it is also the only white grape allowed to be blended into the red wines. Do you know what grape it is?
A2: Viognier. While it makes great wines on its own, it can be blended with Syrah in Northern Rhone or Shiraz in Australia to change the bouquet of the resulting wine.
Q3: What is common between Cabernet Franc, Riesling and Vidal?
A3: All three varietals are used to produce Icewine in Canada.
Q4: Which one is missing?
Rondinella, Corvina, Molinara, ?, Croatina, Negrara, Oseletta
A4: My intended answer was Corvinone, as the grapes listed above are all used in production of Amarone wines. However, I learned quite a bit myself from the answers, and I understand that in Amarone, similar to all other regions in the world, there is an effort to bring back to life many indigenous varieties, thus Forsellina, Pelara and Rossignola would be also all correct answers.
Q5: I’m drinking a delicious French white dry wine, made out of Clairette and Roussane. What AOC designation this wine most likely has?
A5: Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Some of the best white wines in Châteauneuf-du-Pape are made exactly out of the combination of these two grapes. It is possible that such wine would be produced in just a Côtes du Rhône appellation, however, it would be rather expected to see Marsanne as part of the blend, which is a lot easier to produce than Roussanne. However, Marsanne is not allowed in the Châteauneuf-du-Pape wines.
When it comes to the results, I’m very happy with participation in the quiz. However, there was only one full answer for the question #1, which is proven to be most difficult. Thus we don’t have the grand winner(s) this time around, but I would like to definitely acknowledge Gene Castellino (no web site), Julian of vinoinlove and Jennifer (no web site) who all correctly answered 4 questions out of 5. I also would like to acknowledge Steve of Caspernick blog, who provided a good explanation for the question #1. Thank you all for playing, well done!
Now, to the interesting stuff around the vine and the web!
Once again it is the time for Wine Blog Award nominations! This is an 8th annual Blog Awards round, where the best wine blogs are getting their peer recognition. There are 9 different categories for the Wine Blog Awards, so there are plenty of opportunities to get your favorite blogs acknowledged. Here is your link for the Blog Award nominations. And if you like what you read in this blog, I would greatly appreciate your nominations! Note – there are less than 3 days left – nominations are closed on May 2nd, so hurry!
Looks like 2013 vintage didn’t fair too well in some parts of the Europe. Here is an article for you, explaining why 2013 Bordeaux are better be avoided (in a few simple words, it is all about price/performance). Also, 2013 Rioja doesn’t seem to be the vintage to really look forward to – it was rated as “Good” by the Rioja DOC counsel, which is behind “very good” and “excellent” ratings which were given to most of the recent vintages. Of course the things can be worse – there are possible “satisfactory” and “average” ratings, which are even lower than “good”, but those are assigned very rarely. Well, as usual in the average vintages, you need to look for the better producers – as an example, La Rioja Alta Vina Alberdi from 2003 vintage (also rated “good”), was an outstanding wine. Here is the link for the Decanter article where you can read more on the subject of 2013 Rioja.
Last, but not least – new #winechat tonight! This time the subject is the Rhone and Zins of Cline Cellars. I think everybody know Cline Cellars from California as a Zinfandel producer, but looks like we are in for some interesting surprises tonight (Mourvedre, anyone? Marsanne/Roussanne?). To join the #winechat, just click this link at 9 PM Eastern time/ 6 PM Pacific, and you are in! For more information about past and future #winechat events, please use this link for the #winechat FaceBook page. Talk to you tonight!
And we are done here. The glass is empty – but the refill is on its way! Cheers!
Passion For Jura – The Wines
In the previous “Passion for Jura” post, we talked about the region – history, terroir, grapes and types of wines – but we didn’t talk about the wines themselves. “Passion for Jura” was the name of the seminar and tasting which I recently attended in New York city, where I had an opportunity for the first time to really immerse into the fascinating world of one of the oldest wine producing regions, which is really unknown in US.
During the seminar, 6 wines were presented by the winemakers themselves. The idea was to let us experience the full range of the Jura wines (for some strange reason, Vin Jaune was not presented during the seminar). Here are the wines we tasted:
NV Domaine Jacques Tissot Cremant du Jura Blanc Brut (12% ABV) – 100% Chardonnay, refreshing grassy nose, very acidic, bubbles are present but somewhat muted in the glass. Creamy mouthfeel with toasted bread and apple on the nose. Overall, not bad, but lacking a bit an overall energy of the sparkling wine.
2011 Domaine de la Pinte Jura Arbois Polsard de L’Ami Karl (11.5% ABV) – light, refreshing, cranberries with the touch of barnyard, herbs (sage), light but with the nice tannins. Very interesting and very enjoyable.
2011 Benoit Badoz Vermiel (13.5% ABV, 70% Trosseau, 30% Pinot Noir) – fresh grapey nose – not a pronounced as Beaujolais Nouveau, but still quite explicit. Cherries and blackberries show up next. Beautiful, smokey notes on the palate, a bit sharp, but fresh. Clean acidity, long pleasant finish. Somewhat similar to Oregon Pinot Noir, but more round. Also has a noticeable green component.
Compare the colors of the two red wines in the tasting:
2011 Domaine Champ Divin Cotes du Jura (13% ABV, Chardonnay/Savagnin blend) – vanilla, minerality on the nose. Delicious. Acidity and minerality on the palate, fresh apples, very refreshing
2009 Fruitiére D’Arbois Savagnin Arbois AOC (14% ABV, 100% Savagnin) – oxidation is very much pronounced, pretty much like with Sherry, both on the nose and the palate. This wine is typically made as Vin Jaune, but it requires lesser aging time. After the wine breathes, it becomes much less aggressive and comes through as clean, despite the oxidation.
2009 Domaine Pierre Richard Vin de Paille (15% ABV) – delicious nose. Palate is beautiful, with refreshing acidity, touch of bitterness, and full of fresh juicy apricots. Wow!
And here is the list of some of the wines I tasted during the walk around tasting. The place was small, and got very crowded after a while, so I didn’t taste the wines from all 20 producers. As usual for the trade tasting, I’m using the “+” sign system. The wines mentioned below were my favorites, for the most cases with “+++” ratings with some exceptions (of course), such as “++-|” and “++++”.
2010 Domaine Jacques Tissot Arbois Chardonnay (12.5% ABV) – +++, beautiful!
2012 Domaine Jacques Tissot Arbois Chardonnay La Mailloche (12.5% ABV) – +++-|, butter and balance! perfect.
2009 Domaine Jacques Tissot Arbois Savagnin (13% ABV) – +++, very elegant
2006 Domaine Jacques Tissot Arbois Vin Jaune (14.5% ABV) – +++, mushrooms and forest floor! should be amazing with savory dishes. Vin Jaune can last for 6 month after being opened.
2010 Domaine Jacques Tissot Arbois Trousseau (12.5% ABV) – ++-|, clean, elegant, light – red which more feels like white
NV Domaine Jacques Tissot Macvin du Jura (17% ABV) – very unusual palate, with raspberries, almost taste like Framboise, very nice. Can last for 6 month in the fridge.
2010 Domaine Jacques Tissot Cotes du Jura Pinot Noir (12% ABV) – ++-|, very interesting and unusual for a Pinot Noir
2012 Domaine Désire Petit Ploussard (12.5% ABV) – +++, smokey nose!
2012 Domaine Désire Petit Trousseau (12.5% ABV) – ++-|, dry, clean, nice
2012 Domaine Désire Petit Chardonnay (12.5% ABV) – ++-|, clean, classic, minerality!
2012 Domaine Désire Petit Savagnin Ouillé (13% ABV) – +++, 6 month in oak, very complex wine
2011 Domaine Désire Petit Tradition (12.5% ABV, 25% Savagnin) – +++, perfect acidity
2008 Domaine Désire Petit Savagnin(13% ABV) – ++-|, delicate, elegant
2007 Domaine Désire Petit Vin de Paille (14.5% ABV) – +++, prunes on the nose! perfect balance
2012 Domaine Berthet-Bondet Cotes du Jura Chardonnay (12.5% ABV) – ++-|, light, round
2012 Domaine Berthet-Bondet Cotes du Jura Naturé (13% ABV) -+++, good fruit
2012 Domaine Berthet-Bondet Cotes du Jura Tradition (13% ABV) -+++, delicious
2005 Domaine Philippe Bornard Ploussard La Chamade – Best of tasting!
2005 Domaine Philippe Bornard Arbois Pupillin La Chamade Ploussard (12.8% ABV) – ++++, wow!
2011 Domaine Philippe Bornard Arbois Pupillin La Chamade Ploussard (13.5% ABV) – +++, wow! delicious, sweet undertones
2011 Domaine Philippe Bornard Arbois Pupillin Trousseau Le Ginglet (12% ABV) – +++, delicious complexity in the back
2011 Domaine Philippe Bornard Arbois Pupillin Savagnin Ouille Les Chassagnes (13.5% ABV) – ++-|, complex
2011 Domaine Philippe Bornard Chardonnay Les Gaudrettes (12.5% ABV) – +++, complex, delicate!
2011 Domaine Philippe Bornard Arbois Pupillin L’Ivresse de Noé (14% ABV) – +++, late harvest Savagnin, a touch of sweetness, delicious complexity
I also tasted 4 different Vin Jaune wines from Domaine André & Mireille Tissot, all from 2007 vintage, all single vineyard, and all delicious, with the one from Chateau-Chalon being the best – unfortunately, as all those wines were not listed in the tasting brochure, I can’t give you their exact names – but look for Domaine André & Mireille Tissot Vin Jaune – they are well worth your attention.
That concludes my report on the Passion for Jura tasting. Based on my experience, I can simply tell you – Jura makes delicious wines, and you need to experience them. Go to your wine merchant and ask for the Jura wines by name – and let me know how you will like them. Cheers!
Frank Pepe – Heavenly Pizza in New Haven
During our bloggers lunch at Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana in Fairfield, CT (here is the link for the fascinating story of the Frank Pepe family and many interesting pizza facts), I learned that charcoal pizza ovens are not created all the same – they need to be seasoned. For the most of the cases, similar to the aging of the wine, oven seasoning is a very gradual process. It simply requires millions of the pizzas to be made over the years in the same oven, over and over again. Pizza oven in New Haven, where Frank Pepe started, is rightly known to be producing very best Frank Pepe pizzas, so during the spring school break, I was determined to go experience Frank Pepe pizza at the source.
I like to see a line at the entrance to the restaurant. Well, kind of. It might suck to stand in line – but when you see the line, it means that the place worth it.
I also can’t really complain about our wait – it took us less than 10 minutes to be seated on Friday at 1 PM during the school break. I was told that over the weekend, the line can extend for the half of the street, but it still worth it.
We got to our table, figured out what we want to eat, ordered the food. While we were waiting for the food to arrive, I took an opportunity to snap a few pictures of the pizza in the process of making. I could probably stand there for an hour, watching well orchestrated, visual symphony of pizzas been assembled, put into the oven, moved inside the oven and coming outside of the oven and being placed on the tray to be delivered to the table. Pictures don’t do the justice to this performance, next time I have to record a video…
We ordered three pizzas. The Original Tomato Pie with Mozzarella, The Original Pie with Bacon and Mushrooms and of course the #1, White Clam Pizza. In a word, incredible. Yes, all three. In the White Clam pizza, the balance of garlic and herbs with the sweetness of fresh clams was just something incredible. The Original Pie – just enough of everything, just perfectly enough. With its seeming simplicity, it is so easy to make even the regular cheese pizza absolutely inedible – too much cheese, too oily, strangely tasting tomatoes, soggy, chewy, tasteless crust – the list of potential pizza flaws is very long. When you taste the Frank Pepe pizza, you taste a perfection. The crust, perfectly charred, perfectly fresh, airy, and sweet and crispy – absolutely a “wow”. I would gladly come back to Frank Pepe pizza to just to eat enough of that crust. The original pie with bacon and mushrooms? Yes, you got it again – perfectly delicious. Smokey bacon, cooked to the perfect consistency – just a fiery of flavor. Ahh, and that crust…
I can tell you – I had a proof that this was absolutely the best pizza when I heard my kids raving about it talking to their friends – our kids are discerning eaters ( yes, you can call them spoiled like that, okay) – so if they are raving about the food, it worth something. And another testament to that – when the friend asked my daughter if that pizza was worth an hour ride in the car, the answer was – absolutely.
Yes, Frank Pepe pizzeria worth a trip – whether you live close enough, or visiting – I highly recommend you will add Frank Pepe Pizzeria (in New Haven, if you can!) to the list of “must experience” attractions. You can thank me later. And by the way – drop me a note – I will be happy to join you. Cheers!
Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana
157 Wooster Street
New Haven, CT 06511
203-865-5762
http://www.pepespizzeria.com/
Weekly Wine Quiz #100: Grape Trivia – Blends, Part 4
The Wine Quiz series is not meant to intimidate. The whole idea here is to have fun and learn something new. When answering the questions, it is fully encouraged to use all available sources of information, including Google or any other search engine. There are no embarrassing answers – the most embarrassing thing is not giving it a try…
Welcome to the weekend and your new wine quiz!
We are continuing our grape trivia series, focusing on the blends, even if it is a blend of 1. White, Red, Rosé, Sparkling, Still, Fortified and Dessert – all goes. Oh yes, and we will blend in some regions as well.
And now, to the quiz!
Q1: True or False: Even if the bottle of wine states the vintage and is made out of 100% of the same grape, there is a very good chance that the wine is still a blend. Explain your answer.
Q2: This white grape is known to produce beautiful, delicately perfumed wines. In some appellations in France, it is also the only white grape allowed to be blended into the red wines. Do you know what grape it is?
Q3: Whats is common between Cabernet Franc, Riesling and Vidal?
Q4: Which one is missing?
Rondinella, Corvina, Molinara, ?, Croatina, Negrara, Oseletta
Q5: I’m drinking a delicious French white dry wine, made out of Clairette and Roussane. What AOC designation this wine most likely has?
Good luck, enjoy the quiz and your weekend! Cheers!
Fears of the Oenophile
It feels strange, may be even bad, to re-blog your own post, I know. So if you disapprove, lash away in the comments section. But it suddenly came to me, that I already had covered the theme of the Monthly Wine Writing Challenge #9, “Fear“. Re-reading that older post I thought – yes, even if I’m to write the new one, it would still be along the same lines. Thus, here is my #MWWC9 contribution:
Last Bottle Sign Up ($10 credit)
Talk-A-Vino 