Source: http://thecaveman.blogspot.com/2009/02/scallop-entree-jasnieres-2004.html
Thursday, 31 May 2012
A “Zinful” Experience
Last Saturday I was lucky to be able to attend the Zinfandel Festival at Fort Mason in San Francisco. ZAP, The Association of Zinfandel Advocates & Producers celebrates Zinfandel America’s Heritage Grape and is dedicated to preserving the history of Zinfandel through the Heritage Vineyard at UC Davis. It is the largest single varietal tasting [...]
Follow My Wine Reviews on Pinterest
When I first got started on Twitter I had high hopes of posting frequent reviews there but it never really worked out. It was partially due to the 140 character limit but the transient nature of the medium ultimately kept me only reviewing wines there as part of an organized Twitter live tasting. But with [...]
Follow My Wine Reviews on Pinterest originally appeared on Winecast. Licensed under Creative Commons.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Winecast/~3/8_sv68XT8FU/
Marchesi de’ Frescobaldi Nipozzano Riserva 2008
The Marchesi de’ Frescobaldi is one of the most famous wine producers in Italy. Located in Tuscany and comprised of nine estates, the Frescobaldi family has been making wine for over 700 years, spanning 30 generations. They operate 1,000 hectares of vineyards which are divided into nine properties throughout the Chianti region of Tuscany. The [...]
Marchesi de’ Frescobaldi Nipozzano Riserva 2008 was originally posted on Wine Peeps. Wine Peeps - Your link to great QPR wines from Washington State and beyond.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/WinePeeps/~3/wL0VKuvo7R0/
Tasting notes - Berlin Tasting
Here follows my tasting notes from The Berlin Tasting in Copenhagen.
No. 1 - 2005 Chateau Mouton-Rothschild (Bordeaux)
Dark colour with intense smell of pencil, cigar, currant and spicy wood. It’s full-bodied, rich and concentrated but also with an upfront softness. 96/100.
No. 2 - 2004 Sassicaia (Tuscany)
Not so intense in the nose - a little cherry. The [...]
No. 1 - 2005 Chateau Mouton-Rothschild (Bordeaux)
Dark colour with intense smell of pencil, cigar, currant and spicy wood. It’s full-bodied, rich and concentrated but also with an upfront softness. 96/100.
No. 2 - 2004 Sassicaia (Tuscany)
Not so intense in the nose - a little cherry. The [...]
Source: http://www.wine4freaks.com/40/tasting-notes-berlin-tasting/
Spring 2012 WWP Wine Index: Who's Hot? Who's Cold?
HOT
- Kosta Browne
- Schrader
- Rhys
- Rochioli
- Dehlinger
- Saxum
- Carlisle
- Littorai
- Thomas Rivers Brown
- Bedrock
- Sojourn
- Rosé
- Radio-Coteau
- Kutch
- 2010 French Reds
- Peyrassol Rosé
- Scarecrow
- Pontet-Canet
- Ridge
- Moscato
- Rivers Marie
- Fontsainte Rosé
- 2009 Chateauneuf-du-Pape Deals
- Pépière Muscadet Briords
- Sea Smoke
- US Postal Service Shipping Wine
- Cru Beaujolais
- 2010 Calera Central Coast Pinot Noir
- 2009 Burgundy
- Honig
COLD
- Bordeaux
- Chardonnay
- 2008-2011 Napa Cabs
- 2010 California Zinfandel
- Sea Smoke
- Scarecrow
- Rhys
- 2009 Chateauneuf-du-Pape
- Carlisle
- Malbec
A retweet I read the other day by @nvwineandcigar brought back some terrific memories of collecting baseball cards when I was a kid:
"1984 I immediately went up to our attic and got out two medium-sized boxes of baseball cards and other memorabilia that represented the best five percent I collected from 1988-1991. It's unfortunate my interest coincided with a time when a glut of cards flooded the market and the early days of the steroid scandal. These cards could have been worth something otherwise!#Reds rookie Eric Davis makes his #MLB debut and must wear a numberless jersey when Cincinnati forgets to pack an extra road uniforms."
Nevertheless we had a great time pouring over the cards.
The piece of memorabilia that brought back the most pleasant memories -- quite unexpectedly -- was an old issue of Beckett Baseball Card monthly. It was the one with the black and white photo of Bo Jackson on the cover in shoulder pads with a baseball bat over his shoulders. I saved that issue, I guess, because it was going to be valuable.
Leafing through the magazine, I was reminded of the many similarities between baseball cards and wine exploration. The price guide, as if anyone could fetch the prices they quoted, reminds me of the numerical ratings at the back of Spectator. The interest in catching cards from rising stars before they became too expensive is similar to discovering hot new producers before their mailing lists are full. The cards are produced each year, like vintages of wine. The list goes on and on.
But the single best page in the magazine, that I'd completely forgotten about, was the Weather Report. A completely arbitrary list of who and what was Hot and Cold. A combination of rising stars, reliable veterans, collectible sets, and disappointing players.
Readers loved to read and react to the list as it was updated each month. You were so savvy to have caught a player before he debuted on the list with a "NR" (not previously ranked). And you were indignant when your favorites fell from glory.
Like it or not, the list seemed to have its finger on the pulse of the hobby. So I thought it would be fun to create the same sort of list for wine.
Should outs to @AndyA3 @MoralBeast @wineduggery and @jmfran1 for sharing their thoughts already.
Methodology
My intent with this list is to capture wine producers/categories/regions/stories that are surging in popularity -or- falling out of favor for one reason or another. Wineries with mailing lists that are hard to crack. Winemakers who seem to have the magic touch. Categories that people are talking about this season. Reliable producers who never seem to fall out of fashion. Wineries who, if their wines were offered by a retailer, would cause you to stop what you're doing and take note. Wines you hardly ever see at retail.
Categories that are being ignored because they present a hard-to-like style or their value equation doesn't add up. Wineries that are popular with many but risk falling from their lofty perches if they can't continue to deliver.
The Bottom Line
I'll acknowledge: This list is biased towards my preferences and the categories I pay attention to. But I tried to include entries I hear people talking about that I don't care for myself.
Next time I update the list I'll provide commentary on the actual picks rather than taking a stroll down memory lane. I hope you enjoy this installment.
What do you think? What wines are hot lately? Which are cold?
Leave a comment or drop me an e-mail: wellesleywinepress@gmail.com
I'd love to hear from you.
Review of the 3Divas White Wine Blend from Montemaggiore winery
3Divas, Montemaggiore Appellation: Russian River Valley Price: $25 Haydn gives it: 92pts You can buy this wine: at montemaggiore.com Montemaggiore continues to defy conventional varietals when it comes to its location in Dry Creek. Their red wine portfolio is missing … Continue reading
Source: http://www.beyondnapavalley.com/blog/review-of-the-3divas-white-blend-from-montemaggiore-winery/
55” PrestigeHD television from Stuart Hughes at $2.26 million
For the wealthy section of the society, Stuart Hughes is not a new brand which is always there to enhance the opulence of a home with its creativity and exclusivity. This time, this brand has revealed its creativity and exclusivity through a very common household item and that is a television. It has designed this [...]
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/vagablond/ysSN/~3/pg7Ba_B64Ug/
Tease your taste buds with Luxury Wines
Are you looking forward to relax this weekend and enjoying some of the world’s finest wines? You can consider pampering yourself with a range of expensive wines that may be costlier than your car. Some of the most expensive wines that you can think of tasting are 1996 Latour. Labeled as one of the finest [...]
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/vagablond/ysSN/~3/ebB_J3iszPE/
Wednesday, 30 May 2012
WBW 73: My Wine Spark
I first found out about Wine Blogging Wednesday in late February of 2005 when Andrew from Spittoon sent me an email inviting me to participate in WBW 7. Back then the wine blogging world was a small group of sites and we frequently commented on each others posts and traded emails. I was intrigued with [...]
WBW 73: My Wine Spark originally appeared on Winecast. Licensed under Creative Commons.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Winecast/~3/RGHKERhK5fM/
2007 St. Emilion Premier Grand Cru Classé
In this post you'll find an overview of the ratings of the 2007 Medoc 2. Grand Cru Classé. We have gathered all ratings from Robert Parker, Decanter and Wine Spectator.
Source: http://www.wine4freaks.com/35/2007-st-emilion-premier-grand-cru-classe/
Bachelorettes, locavores and quality wine in America
The other day, I was speaking with someone who relayed a conversation that he had with a vintner in Temecula, an area with over 1,000 acres vineyards about an hour and a half from LA and San Diego. The guy asked the vintner why he didn’t try to make better wines. The vintner replied that [...]
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/GuSC/~3/UB3Nc9-MhLQ/
Two from Mr. Ridge
I got a message recently from our good friend Christina Donley, Midwest Regional Sales Representative for Ridge Vineyards, telling me that she was in the neighborhood, wanted to check out Gomez at St. Andrews Hall in Detroit, and asking if I’d like to join her. I’ve been aware of this Brit band for some years, [...]
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/gangofpour/uncZ/~3/QZzo7s5Pp7U/two-from-mr-ridge
A re-telling of a wine fairytale
This story has been put together in a sustainable way from recycled & organic tales collected from around the world, and its morals are entirely a product of indigenous references. Consume in moderation — Once upon a time, there was an old man who had been a respected winemaker, but his intended bride had pricked [...]
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheWineConversation/~3/I35VD0OwrAg/
Tuesday, 29 May 2012
Littorai Wine Dinner at Legal Harborside Boston
Legal Harborside in Boston is offering a paired dinner featuring Littorai Wines. Owner Ted Lemon (featured in the video above) is scheduled to be on hand to present his wines.
WHAT: On May 9th, Legal Harborside will team up with Ted Lemon, owner of Littorai Wines, for an exclusive four-course wine dinner. A vineyard known for producing world class chardonnay and pinot noir, Littorai Wines was founded in 1993 on the north coast of California between Sebastopol and Freestone in western Sonoma County.
This menu will be presented as follows on Legal Harborside’s scenic second level overlooking Boston Harbor:
HORS D’ OEUVRES
Gnocchi with Lobster, English Peas and Maitake Mushrooms
Littorai “Charles Heintz Vineyard” Chardonnay, Sonoma Coast, 2008
FIRST COURSE
Pan-Seared Loch Duart Salmon
lavender-scented honey, preserved lemon and fennel
Littorai “Les Larmes” Pinot Noir, Anderson Valley, 2007
SECOND COURSE
Braised Veal Cheek
grilled asparagus and spring onion
Littorai “Cerise Vineyard” Pinot Noir, Anderson Valley, 2007
CHEESE COURSE
Saint-Marcellin
cardamom preserved cherries
Littorai “Savoy Vineyard” Pinot Noir, Anderson Valley, 2007
WHERE: Legal Harborside at Liberty Wharf
270 Northern Avenue, Boston
WHEN: Wednesday, May 9th at 6:30pm
COST: $125 per person (excludes tax & gratuity)
HOW: Reservations may be made by contacting 617.530.9470 or visiting www.legalseafoods.com
Video Credit: A visit to Littorai from WinoBrothers on Vimeo.
Video Credit: A visit to Littorai from WinoBrothers on Vimeo.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/WellesleyWinePress/~3/r1csLW4AwlQ/littorai-wine-dinner-at-legal.html
The Art & Craft of Natural Wine
“… if you will make a man of the working creature, you cannot make a tool. Let him but begin to imagine, to think, to try to do anything worth doing: and the engine-turned precision is lost at once. Out comes all his roughness, all dullness, all his incapability; shame upon shame, failure upon failure; [...]
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheWineConversation/~3/UnY5bHBIPGk/
Rex Pickett’s “Life on Spec”
I have written quite a bit here about Sideways, a rare film that somehow combines wine, humor and middle age crisis into an Academy Award winning package. But until recently I had no idea how close Sideways came from never being made. In a series of posts by author Rex Pickett over at the Stage [...]
Rex Pickett’s “Life on Spec” originally appeared on Winecast. Licensed under Creative Commons.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Winecast/~3/kRHhDIDHvtM/
The electricity of creativity
“I’m like a great big dark cloud, floating over the land, discharging my creativity in a sudden burst, like a lightning storm. If I were on twitter, facebook, etc. I feel I would waste the energy in lots of small bursts. I do not want to do that. You won’t find me on social networks. [...]
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheWineConversation/~3/N1R5bPrgFQw/
Wine of the Month
The idea of a wine of the month has different meanings to different people. For my dad, that’s probably whatever box wine Costco has on sale. That’s fine, but not really my cup of tea if you know what I mean, no matter how much I like Bronco Wine Company or Franzia. For my wife [...]
Wine Gifts
If you’re starting to think of holiday gifts, which many people are already here in September, why not consider giving wine gifts this holiday season? Wine gifts give you two big advantages. To start, they are among the most luxurious gifts which can be given. Secondly, even if you don’t know wine well yourself, you [...]
Monday, 28 May 2012
Rue La La: $20 for $40 at Wine.com (ends this morning!)
Deal site Rue La La is running a $20 for $40 for Wine.com but you've got to act fast. The sale ends at 11:00 am EDT today (Sunday, May 13th 2012).
The usual restrictions apply to this offer - most meaningfully that the voucher can't be applied to the price of shipping.
If you're not yet a member of Rue La La sign up and get $10 off your first order, bringing the price down to $10:
http://ruelala.com/invite/winepress
Then head over to Wine.com to use your voucher. Check out the 2010 Belle Glos Meiomi Pinot Noir- always enjoyable and for my money the best $20 Pinot Noir on the market today.
Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there!
Field Notes from a Wine Life – Media Edition
Odds and ends from a life lived through the prism of the wine glass…
Rex Pickett
If you’re not reading Rex Pickett’s (author of Sideways and Vertical) blog, you are officially remiss.
Pickett is a gifted writer who cranks out perfectly incubated long-form posts with turns of phrase that are both wry and rich, offering insight into the machinations of publishing, film and stage that few culture vultures grasp.
Pickett recently wrote an extensive (3900 word) post on the reasons why a film sequel to Sideways (directed by Alexander Payne) would not be made from Vertical, Pickett’s book sequel. In doing so, Pickett offered a discursive meditation on Payne’s artistic pathos and the factors that may be playing into Vertical’s stall on the way to celluloid.
Unfortunately, Pickett removed the post after re-publishing a second version that deleted much of the armchair psychologist rumination he originally channeled from Payne’s psyche. An email inquiry to Pickett on why he removed the post (in either iteration) has gone unanswered.
If I were a muckraker, I would publish the post because Pickett’s deletion of the post from his site did not delete the post from RSS feed readers like Bloglines or Google Reader. But, I’m not a muckraker…
Hopefully, Pickett will revisit the topic in a manner that is less confessional and more elucidation because it was worth the extended read time. Until then you can read the other posts on his site and gain tremendous insight into the vicissitudes of the publishing process, what the afterglow is like after capturing the cultural zeitgeist and how he’s helping bring Sideways to the theatre with a stage version.
It’s definitely recommended reading.
A Discovery of Witches
While we’re on the topic of books and authors (and with Halloween around the corner), a reinforcing mention goes to Deb Harkness of Good Wine Under $20. Earlier this year a little book she wrote called, “A Discovery of Witches” was published and immediately shot up the best sellers lists. The movie rights were acquired this summer by Warner Bros, likely securing Harkness’ financial future in the process.
While I read fiction infrequently (the last fiction book being Vertical by Rex Pickett), those that I know who can tell the difference between kindling and a classic call A Discovery of Witches “mad genius.”
Any conversation about a wine blogger doing good should begin with Deb Harkness who is now dabbling in rarified air. Pick up her book if you haven’t yet.
Bargain Wine Books
There’s little doubt, in the prolonged US economic malaise we’re experiencing, that “value wine” and “bargain wine” are hot topics. Heck, an entire channel of business has been defined with “Flash” wine sale sites. Given that, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that a couple of wine books would be published with this specific focus.
What is a surprise is that the books are authored by wine writers with real chops engaged in offering a deeper narrative than the slapdash compendiums of wine lists that has passed muster in years gone by.
Just in time for the holidays, Natalie MacLean has Unquenchable: A Tipsy Quest for the World’s Best Bargain Wines publishing on November 1st and George Taber, a wine writer on a tear with his fourth book in six years, has A Toast to Bargain Wines: How Innovators, Iconoclasts, and Winemaking Revolutionaries Are Changing the Way the World Drinks publishing on November 15th.
An Idea worth Duplicating?
Celebrity deaths come in threes and new wine ideas come in twos.
We’ve seen this duplicative market entry in recent years with winery reservation systems CellarPass and VinoVisit and now we’re seeing it with quasi-wine search engines.
WineMatch and VinoMatch are both in the early stages of launch purporting to help a consumer match their likes with wines they might enjoy.
Meh. The problem with these sites isn’t that consumers don’t need help finding a wine they like, the problem is that most wine consumers don’t understand what kind of wine they like. Yes, it’s the tannins that dry the back of the mouth and its residual sugar that makes that K-J so delectable…
By the time consumers figure out their likes and dislikes graduating beyond the “go-to,” they don’t care about having somebody help them “match” their wines to their tastes because they’re on their own adventure.
It’s just my opinion, but these sites face looooong odds of finding consumer success and short of the slick willy seduction that happens with some wineries who haven’t been bitten and as such aren’t twice shy, they won’t find *any* success. But, I’ve been wrong before, at least once.
Pictures and Pithiness
While we’re on the topic of online wine services, I’m not sure whether I should be happy or aghast that I’ve been a habitué of the online wine scene for long enough to see a derivative – it’s like watching a remake of the movie Footloose when I was saw the original in the theatre.
There’s a new wine site called TasteJive that takes the concept of a wine blog called Chateau Petrogasm, popular in 2007 and 2008, to new heights.
Around the premise that a picture is worth a thousand words even if that picture has nothing to do with wine, they have created a site that provides nothing but visual metaphors with a 140 character description for finding wines you might like.
I loved the idea of Chateau Petrogasm, I like the idea of a perfectly crafted 140 character slug, but I’m very uncertain about the community aspect of TasteJive—the users who control the uploading of pictures and descriptions.
As noted mid-20th century photographer Diane Arbus said, “A photograph is a secret about a secret. The more it tells you the less you know.”
Not exactly a recipe for success in bumping into a wine.
Source: http://goodgrape.com/index.php/site/field_notes_from_a_wine_life_media_edition/
Golf in Napa
You could spend your entire trip to Napa Valley doing nothing but eating and drinking. It's a good plan. The food is tasty here and the wine delicious and copious. And we make it easy for you to do nothing...
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/FermentationTheDailyWineBlog/~3/pq5rHe1LAUE/golf-in-napa.html
Social vs Traditional Media in Wine Marketing
I was told something the other day that shocked me. Listening to a prospective client, they VP in the room said: "We want to start to tell our story and deliver our messaging primarily through the media, through wine writers,...
Rue La La: $20 for $40 at Wine.com (ends this morning!)
Deal site Rue La La is running a $20 for $40 for Wine.com but you've got to act fast. The sale ends at 11:00 am EDT today (Sunday, May 13th 2012).
The usual restrictions apply to this offer - most meaningfully that the voucher can't be applied to the price of shipping.
If you're not yet a member of Rue La La sign up and get $10 off your first order, bringing the price down to $10:
http://ruelala.com/invite/winepress
Then head over to Wine.com to use your voucher. Check out the 2010 Belle Glos Meiomi Pinot Noir- always enjoyable and for my money the best $20 Pinot Noir on the market today.
Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there!
Marchesi de’ Frescobaldi Nipozzano Riserva 2008
The Marchesi de’ Frescobaldi is one of the most famous wine producers in Italy. Located in Tuscany and comprised of nine estates, the Frescobaldi family has been making wine for over 700 years, spanning 30 generations. They operate 1,000 hectares of vineyards which are divided into nine properties throughout the Chianti region of Tuscany. The [...]
Marchesi de’ Frescobaldi Nipozzano Riserva 2008 was originally posted on Wine Peeps. Wine Peeps - Your link to great QPR wines from Washington State and beyond.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/WinePeeps/~3/wL0VKuvo7R0/
A New Alcohol Toy—And Why It Will Be Banned Quickly
"The advantages is to enjoy the drunk sensation with none of the harmful effects of alcohol on the body." This sounds a bit like a description of love. It's not. It is a description of a new product called "Wahh"created...
Sunday, 27 May 2012
May 23 – 2012 – Florida Jim Cowan’s 2012 Tasting Notes Archive
The 2012 archive is presented by date the notes were compiled and submitted. Prior year’s tasting notes may be found here. May 23, 2012 1999 Produttori del Barbaresco, Barbaresco: 13.5% alcohol; showing very young, good varietal character without artifice, somewhat disjointed; never really arrived at a point of integration over the span of about 4 [...]
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/gangofpour/uncZ/~3/nUQeMMr7YtY/jim-cowan%e2%80%99s-2012-tasting-notes
Monticello Vineyards experiments with wine flavored cheese
At a Wine & Cheese festival in Carlsbad, Monticello Vineyard’s Stephen Corley approached them and indicated the winery might be interested in combining the Monticello wines with their Gouda cheeses. Monticello sent a case of their wines containing three varietals: Estate grown Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Cabernet Sauvignon. Continue reading
Protected: The Zinfandel Festival 2012: A new AVA to be reckoned with
There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.
Source: http://www.beyondnapavalley.com/blog/the-zinfandel-festival-2012-a-new-ava-to-be-reckoned-with/
Wine Event Announces Winners
The winners of the Los Angeles International Wine & Spirits Competition were announced June 10 at a media roll-out in Los Angeles. Find the winners here.
$25 for $50 at Daily Wine Deal site Lot18
Deal site Fab.com is offering $25 for $50 at daily wine deal site Lot18.com. Buy through the link below and get $10 off your first Fab.com purchase bringing the price down to $15 for $50 of Lot18 credits:
http://fab.com/cqei73
Fab.com sign up required.
Lot18 runs free shipping offers quite frequently, and they're shipping more wines to MA than they used to. Check it out!
http://fab.com/cqei73
Fab.com sign up required.
Lot18 runs free shipping offers quite frequently, and they're shipping more wines to MA than they used to. Check it out!
Wine Word of the Week: Phylloxera
This week’s Wine Word of the Week is phylloxera. Official definition from Jancis Robinson’s The Oxford Companion to Wine: Phylloxera. This small yellow root-feeding aphid has probably had a more damaging impact on wine production than any other vine pest, or any vine disease. It attacks only grapevines, and kills vines by attacking their roots. [...]
Wine Word of the Week: Phylloxera was originally posted on Wine Peeps. Wine Peeps - Your link to great QPR wines from Washington State and beyond.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/WinePeeps/~3/ua6LM-yotCk/
A Little Competition Never Hurts!
That’s right – it’s time. The Los Angeles International Wine & Spirits Competition begins tomorrow. Nearly 100 international judges, more than 3,000 international wines. Who will take the gold? Keep coming back to find out more information about the 3-day event and watch for judges to be blogging and twittering in between judging!
Haydn’s take on the Lake Chelan AVA
Question: What do you get if you combine the Rhone region of France, with Spain, Germany and the California regions of Dry Creek & Paso Robles? Answer: I have no idea. And that’s the case with Lake Chelan’s wines. It’s … Continue reading
Source: http://www.beyondnapavalley.com/blog/haydns-take-on-the-lake-chelan-ava/
The Seductive Powers of Antalya, Turkey’s Mediterranean Paradise
With its two thousand years of history and the uniqueness of its natural beauties, Antalya offers to its visitors a sophisticated environment ready to satisfy even the most demanding tourist. The city hosted Greeks, Romans, Byzantines and finally Turks and the very different civilizations who ruled over the city left a sign of their dominance [...]
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/vagablond/ysSN/~3/i3c9iTPsw8Q/
Visit and Tasting Report: Vaughn Duffy Wines
As I was looking at potential wineries to visit I was like a kid in a candy store. There are so many tremendous Pinot Noir producers to visit in Sonoma. Of all the wineries I visited, the one I'm most excited to write about is this one: Vaughn Duffy Wines
The name comes from a young couple that relocated to Sonoma from San Francisco: Matt Duffy & Sara Vaughn. I met with Matt at Vinify Wine Services - a custom crush facility for emerging winemakers where he works as a Cellar Master - to taste the two wines he produces: A Pinot Noir and a rosé,
I first heard of Vaughn Duffy from @tgutting on Twitter. He seems to always be drinking wines from California Pinot Noir producers I enjoy - like Siduri, Zepaltas, and Joseph Swan. I pinged him to ask what he thought were some up and coming producers I should check out. Vaughn Duffy was his recommendation.
The wines I tasted were just the second produced by Vaughn Duffy Wines so we're definitely getting in on the ground floor here.
Matt, as earnest and enthusiastic and kind as you can imagine, worked as an intern at Siduri so he follows a similar lineage as Ryan Zepaltas in that respect. While tasting his two current release wines - a 2010 Pinot Noir and a 2011 Rosé - I asked about his winemaking philosophy. Although he enjoys leaner Pinot Noir for personal consumption he wants to make wines his family and friends will enjoy. That they'll love.
And enjoy them I did.
The prior vintage of Vaughn Duffy rosé landed on the San Francisco Chronicle's Top 100 list of 2011. Quite an accomplishment for the first wines ever released under this label. Matt makes this wine from juice bled from premium Pinot Noir grapes from clients he works with at Vinify. To pay their generosity forward he donates $1 from every bottle sold to Sonoma charities. No two vintages are exactly the same - Matt says the 2011 vintage took longer for fermentation to begin - but many of the same crowd pleasing characteristics found in the 2010 rosé are also found in the 2011.
All of the winemakers I spoke with agreed that 2010 was a tough vintage for Pinot Noir. The growing season was extremely cool and grapes were slow to ripen. To assist ripening, leaves were removed late in the season. Then a rogue heat spike late in the season with temperatures well over 100F came along and fried exposed grapes.
When I hear that a vintage is "challenging" I tend to treat that as an indicator I should buy selectively. I asked each of the winemakers I spoke with about this and they said that good producers won't put out bad wines. If the grapes were truly fried they wouldn't have been picked. So what we'll see with 2010 Pinot Noir is reduced yields but good wines from good producers.
Although the 2010 Vaughn Duffy Pinot Noir is labeled "just" Russian River Valley, it could technically be labeled as a single vineyard wine. The grape source for the prior vintage was the Suacci vineyard (where Zepaltas and others have produced single vineyard Pinot Noirs in the past). However, in 2010 a fire near the Suacci vineyard imparted smoke taint on the Vaughn Duffy rows within the vineyard. As if the challenging overall weather conditions weren't enough!
So Matt sourced grapes from the Desmond vineyard which is Southwest of Windsor in the Russian River Valley. This is traditionally a warmer site so Matt thought the cooler growing season would be a good one for Pinot Noir. Based on what I tasted in the bottle, I think he was right.
Here are my notes on the wines:
2011 Vaughn Duffy Pinot Noir Rosé
14.1% Alcohol
$16
259 Cases Produced
The innocent light peach color did little to prepare me for how electric this wine is. Made using the Saignée method - juice bled from pressed Pinot Noir. Peaches, watermelon, and floral aromatics. Slight residual sugar is balanced wonderfully with sharp acidity. It's hard to imagine this bottle of wine at a deck party going unfinished. Terrific.
92/100 WWP: Outstanding
2010 Vaughn Duffy Pinot Noir
13.7% Alcohol
$39
99 Cases Produced
For my palate, this is a delicious wine. Ripe strawberries, cherries, and a round voluptuous personality. Fresh. Pure. Friendly. Hard to stop tasting. Just the second vintage from Vaughn Duffy. I like the style here.
92/100 WWP: Outstanding
Next Steps:
- Visit VaughnDuffyWines.com and sign up for their mailing list.
- If you're a New England friend and would like to go in on a mixed case with me drop me an email (wellesleywinepress@gmail.com) and let me know. I'd prefer to amortize shipping costs across a larger order.
Saturday, 26 May 2012
As my Riesling gently weeps
Riesling. It’s like the wine world in microcosm. Wine experts love it but cannot understand why consumers don’t go gaga over it, but ultimately this is our fault. Consumers have heard about it, and when it is poured in their glasses really do enjoy it, but feel confused by its many styles, provenances and the [...]
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheWineConversation/~3/spU8m9xDt3I/
Wine of the Month Club
Are you interested in wine? Do you find that wine stores are too stuffy and pretentious for you to have an enjoyable shopping experience? If so, finding a quality wine of the month club might be a good fit for you to not only learn about wine, but also to have some truly outstanding wine [...]
Good Grape Goes on Hiatus
“Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans” said a very wise John Lennon and that’s exactly what has happened with me. My life has kept apace, even as I’ve made plans to be a respected wine writer.
By most standards, 2011 has been a very good year. I was a three-time finalist in the Wine Blog Awards, earning notice in the Best Overall Wine Blog, Best Industry Blog and Best Writing categories. I started contributing a wine column to Forbes.com. This site was named the 2nd most influential blog (and most influential wine blog) out of 4,000 blogs in a 2011 Wine, Beer and Spirits study by eCairn, a software company specializing in community and influencer marketing. I was a panelist at Vino2011 in New York City, I won a scholarship to the Wine Writer’s Symposium in Napa Valley, and I turned down enough worldwide wine trip offers to fill a two-month calendar.
Yet, wine writing has exacted a toll. I approach anything I do with a zeal and fervor that ensures me the success that I want and I’ve treated my wine writing as a full-time second job, to go alongside the job that I already have that requires 50 + hours a week.
Balance isn’t something that I’ve ever been very good at—possessed of an unassuming mien, a Midwestern work ethic, and a mental make-up whereby I cast myself as the underdog means that I am continually trying to prove something to myself, often times at the expense of real, true priorities.
Even more challenging is the fact that my standards for myself have been raised even as I’ve honed my writing chops. Instead of figuring out a system to find time shortcuts, the amount of time it takes for me to write has become more deliberate and expansive while my interest in writing has become more professional in nature – less blogging and more credible journalism requiring more work to exceed the bar that I’ve set for myself.
The net result of this, after full-time job plus wine writing, is the rest of my life has received scant attention for nearly seven years and I’ve created a nearly untenable situation for myself, a set of internal expectations that I can’t live up to, requiring a time commitment that I can’t manage.
However, most importantly, the expectations and time commitments that I have assigned to my wine writing isn’t fair to the other people in my life – notably, my incredibly supportive wife, Lindsay. She has been a saint the past six years, my blogging encompassing nearly the entire duration of our 6.5 year marriage. But, she is long overdue a husband that takes the trash out without prompting!
I’ll be around the Internets – commenting on wine blogs, doing the Twitter thing, staying connected on Facebook and I’ll probably start engaging more actively on CellarTracker and on the WineBerserkers message board, but I’m taking a hiatus from wine writing to recalibrate, shifting my time to the things that are the most important to me: Family and career.
Jeff
Source: http://goodgrape.com/index.php/site/good_grape_goes_on_hiatus/
Friday, 25 May 2012
Michael Mondavi really gets wine blogging
While searching for something else this week I came across this random video of an Italian blogger who did a short video interview with Michael Mondavi. Mr. Mondavi’s answer to a simple question about wine bloggers shows he really gets how we fit into the wine conversation. The best part is the last 10 seconds [...]
Michael Mondavi really gets wine blogging originally appeared on Winecast. Licensed under Creative Commons.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Winecast/~3/b6jgbhuqev0/
Uncomfortable Truths: The Wine Edition
Some truths are uncomfortable. The Experts Are the Best Sources of Wine Info and Recommendations The tendancy to disparage "wine experts" or "wine elite" grows as the role of social media and peer reviews grow. Yet the fact remains that...
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/FermentationTheDailyWineBlog/~3/D7AW4Ix6Vuk/s-1.html
Authentic American taste with an innovative twist at Bambara in Salt Lake City
Situated in the beautiful Salt Lake City of Utah, Bambara is a perfect gastronomic enclave to serve its diners in a homely atmosphere. This eating house excels in serving seasonal cuisine with a focus on seafood and meats. Its outstanding location with superb service and hospitality ensure guests return here repeatedly to savor its awesome [...]
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/vagablond/ysSN/~3/vuaub6ClezY/
Tasting Report: 2010 Kutch Pinot Noir
For me, I've been stuck on California Pinot Noir for a couple years. And it's unclear how long it will be before I come up for air.
Within California Pinot, there seems to be a battle between lean and ripe. Between producing nuanced wines that let the vineyards speak for themselves vs. aiming to produce blockbuster wines. Within this dichotomy, even after reading several articles, it was unclear to me where Kutch Wines fits in.
38 year old Jamie Kutch worked on Wall Street before cashing in and pursuing his dream of producing wine. After being impressed with wines from producers like Kosta Browne and A.P. Vin he reached out to them for guidance - and was welcomed with open arms. A far cry from the competitive financial world he left behind.
He got his start producing wines at Kosta Browne so you'd think his style would run towards ripeness. But you'd be wrong. After producing the 2005 vintage at KB he set out on his own and developed a minimalist philosophy which favors earlier picking. But like Michael Browne he prefers to keep racking -- the transfer of wine from one container to another to remove sediment -- to a minimum. The result can be a tremendous creamy, velvety mouthfeel. But only if you can still produce a wine with good clarity and avoid rotten egg aromas from dead yeast along the way.
When I hear about California producers aiming for balance I sometimes fear they'll go too far. That the wines will be under-ripe and hard to enjoy. My favorite producers find that intersection between pure fruit flavors, the right amount of ripeness, and ultimately find a way to produce a delicious enjoyable glass of wine.
Kutch only produces Pinot Noir from Sonoma at this point. The appelation wines -- from the Sonoma Coast and Anderson Valley -- retail for $39. The single vineyard wines sell for $50. But good luck finding them at retail. Considering the modest production levels and the quality here I think these wines a good value.
The best way to buy them is by spending a couple years on their mailing list. I've on the list about a year so far. No dice. Thankfully a friend shared a couple bottles of his recent allocation. Here are my notes on one of their 2010s:
2010 Kutch Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast
13.9% Alcohol
240 Cases produced
$39
There's a purity of fruit and freshness here that's tremendously appealing. Light-medium bodied visually with perfectly ripe strawberries dominant and supporting tart cherry notes. It's subtle, but along with mild orange peel notes, supporting herabaceous aromatics and flavors add a perfect touch of earthy compleixty. Not an off note in the bottle. I like this. A lot. A tremendous introduction to the producer.
93/100 WWP: Outstanding
Further Reading:
- Check out this excellent article on Jamie Kutch's story in Enterpreneur
- This 2009 article on Vinography charts Kutch's rise from wine forum contributor to winemaker
Is the fog of fraud dampening fine wine prices?
The arrest of Rudy Kurniawan on March 8 coincided with the top in the fine wine market this year. Even though Kurniawan–whose guilt or innocence on wine counterfeiting charges remains to be tried in federal court–was apprehended, wine fraud remains an easy crime: combine sky-high prices with an old collectible whose authenticity may be difficult [...]
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/GuSC/~3/84xDP111nI4/
The Threat and Shame of Natural Wine
On the eve of two simultaneously scheduled wine fairs dedicated to the proposition that everything old is new again, it's hard not to admire the enthusiasm of those taken by "natural" wine. It's hard not to notice the excitement its...
Natural Wine, Golfer Wines and other Gimmicks
The wine industry is not overly prone to using gimmicks to sell stuff. Yet, it does conjure its share. The most infamous gimmick was the "critter wines", a trend in gimmickry that looks, thankfully, to be done with. Still, there...
Good Grape Goes on Hiatus
“Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans” said a very wise John Lennon and that’s exactly what has happened with me. My life has kept apace, even as I’ve made plans to be a respected wine writer.
By most standards, 2011 has been a very good year. I was a three-time finalist in the Wine Blog Awards, earning notice in the Best Overall Wine Blog, Best Industry Blog and Best Writing categories. I started contributing a wine column to Forbes.com. This site was named the 2nd most influential blog (and most influential wine blog) out of 4,000 blogs in a 2011 Wine, Beer and Spirits study by eCairn, a software company specializing in community and influencer marketing. I was a panelist at Vino2011 in New York City, I won a scholarship to the Wine Writer’s Symposium in Napa Valley, and I turned down enough worldwide wine trip offers to fill a two-month calendar.
Yet, wine writing has exacted a toll. I approach anything I do with a zeal and fervor that ensures me the success that I want and I’ve treated my wine writing as a full-time second job, to go alongside the job that I already have that requires 50 + hours a week.
Balance isn’t something that I’ve ever been very good at—possessed of an unassuming mien, a Midwestern work ethic, and a mental make-up whereby I cast myself as the underdog means that I am continually trying to prove something to myself, often times at the expense of real, true priorities.
Even more challenging is the fact that my standards for myself have been raised even as I’ve honed my writing chops. Instead of figuring out a system to find time shortcuts, the amount of time it takes for me to write has become more deliberate and expansive while my interest in writing has become more professional in nature – less blogging and more credible journalism requiring more work to exceed the bar that I’ve set for myself.
The net result of this, after full-time job plus wine writing, is the rest of my life has received scant attention for nearly seven years and I’ve created a nearly untenable situation for myself, a set of internal expectations that I can’t live up to, requiring a time commitment that I can’t manage.
However, most importantly, the expectations and time commitments that I have assigned to my wine writing isn’t fair to the other people in my life – notably, my incredibly supportive wife, Lindsay. She has been a saint the past six years, my blogging encompassing nearly the entire duration of our 6.5 year marriage. But, she is long overdue a husband that takes the trash out without prompting!
I’ll be around the Internets – commenting on wine blogs, doing the Twitter thing, staying connected on Facebook and I’ll probably start engaging more actively on CellarTracker and on the WineBerserkers message board, but I’m taking a hiatus from wine writing to recalibrate, shifting my time to the things that are the most important to me: Family and career.
Jeff
Source: http://goodgrape.com/index.php/site/good_grape_goes_on_hiatus/
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