Labels: Best Bites, France, Provence, tasting notes
----- -------- AUTHOR: Dave McIntyre TITLE: The Enticing Aromatics of Omrah .... DATE: 8/05/2007 10:51:00 PM ----- BODY: Most of our sense of taste is actually in our nose. You’ve probably heard that before, but if you want proof, check out the red wines of the Omrah line produced by Plantagenet Wines in Western Australia. These display beguiling aromas of cologne (Old Spice!), orange peel and tropical fruit aromas, with a remarkable consistency across grape varieties. Most enticing for me was the Omrah Pinot Noir 2006 ($18), from a cool vintage that made the wine lighter than it could have been, while emphasizing its aromas. This is neither an earthy Burgundy nor a California fruit bomb, yet it is unmistakably pinot – a pinot potpourri, of sorts. The Omrah Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 and Shiraz 2004 (both $18) are from a stronger vintage, and while they display the finesse and brawn of their varieties, they also offer the same aromatic profile of the Pinot Noir. These are delicious wines that will have you sticking your nose further and further into your glass as you try to identify each flavor. Great values, too. Omrah is the middle of three tiers produced by Plantagenet; I like it better than the slightly more expensive Plantagenet Estate wines, which tend toward overripe, compote flavors in the reds. (Fans of Aussie Riesling should seek out the $20 Plantagenet 2006 Great Southern.) The Hazard Hill line retails for $14, and is quite fine, especially a crisp, refreshing white made from Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc. Plantagenet Wines are imported by Robert Whale Selections, Inc., of Washington, DC, and distributed in DC and Virginia by the Henry Wine Group.Labels: Australia, Best Bites, tasting notes
----- -------- AUTHOR: Dave McIntyre TITLE: Oh, Canada, Where Are Your Wines? DATE: 7/20/2007 11:51:00 AM ----- BODY: Spending a few days recently in Montreal and Ottawa, I was excited at the chance to taste some Canadian wines. Ontario and British Columbia are known in this country for their sweet, dessert ice wines, but they also produce some dynamite dry wines that are not widely available south of the border. Unfortunately, Canadian restaurants – at least the ones my wife and I were able to patronize with a picky-eater 7-year-old – are not very enthusiastic about the local product. My difficulty in finding top Canadian wines in Canada reminded me of the blind eye DC-area restaurants turn toward the increasingly good wines from Virginia. More’s the pity. We did, however, enjoy two nice Canadian wines. We found the Mission Hill Five Vineyards Pinot Blanc 2006 from British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley region at a state-run store outside Montreal for about $17, then took it to a BYO restaurant nearby. It was a delightful wine, fist-thumping good, lush with stone-fruit flavors of apricot and peach, maybe even a tropical note of mango, with great acidity and wonderful balance. It would do well in any market at that price. At Stella, a trendy Italian osteria near Ottawa’s Byward Market (think Dupont Circle meets Eastern Market) we enjoyed a grilled sirloin steak with a Henry of Pelham Pinot Noir 2005 from Niagara-on-the-Lake in Ontario. This wine was light and lean, not as lush and exciting as other Pinot Noir I’ve tasted from Niagara, but with the steak it flashed some bright cherry and spice flavor. While I may have shrugged it off in a quick blind tasting, we enjoyed it more with every sip, the hallmark of a successful wine. Alas, Canadian wines are not widely available here in the DC market, thanks to economics (they sell rather well at the wineries, even if not in the restaurants I found) and regulation (it is costly and laborious to import wines to the various U.S. states). That’s too bad, because I believe they would do well here if the economics were favorable – their quality is outstanding. One other note that struck me: At that BYO near Montreal, I asked the waiter if we would be allowed to walk out with any unfinished wine we had brought. He looked startled at the very question and said, “It’s your wine!” Then he thought an instant and added, “But I’m sure we could figure out something to do with it if you don’t want to take it.” We had a nice nightcap that night in our hotel, without cracking the minibar.Labels: Best Bites, Canada, tasting notes
----- COMMENT: AUTHOR: Marcus
DATE:7/20/2007 01:36:00 PM
Hey Dave, Dave McIntyre
DATE:8/05/2007 10:50:00 PM
It was called L'Academie, in the Laval neighborhood up near the new end of the subway line. A nice restaurant, a happening scene - very popular with the locals, especially the young and hip crowd - good service, merely OK food.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Daniel Speck
DATE:1/02/2008 02:46:00 PM
Hi Dave Dave McIntyre
DATE:1/05/2008 11:44:00 AM
That's good news about the increased availability of Henry of Pelham wines in the US! I hope more Niagara and Okananagan Valley wineries follow suit - I believe they will do well in the US market once people learn about them.Labels: Michigan, tasting notes, WineLine
----- -------- AUTHOR: Dave McIntyre TITLE: A Tale of Two Rieslings DATE: 2/08/2007 10:37:00 PM ----- BODY: It’s always fun to compare wines of the same grape but from different countries or regions. Tonight for dinner (smoked pork chops from the Amish market, sautéed with onions and mushrooms) we opened two Rieslings, just for fun. We probably drank them in the wrong order, but oh well.
First up was Lemelson Vineyards Adria Vineyard Dry Riesling 2003, from Oregon’s Willamette Valley, a producer better known for its rich, fleshy Pinot Noir. We’d tasted this wine two years ago when it was young and crisp; now the acid has softened and the stone-fruit flavors have broadened – fattened even, in a good way. There was delicious peach, apricot, papaya and still a hint of tropical mango, with good minerality – not the “petrol” character of Riesling so much, but wet stones after a cleansing spring rain. Lovely wine.
We followed this with Craggy Range Fletcher Family Vineyard 2005 from Marlborough in New Zealand. A year-and-a-half younger than the Lemelson, this still had its bracing, refreshing acidity that dominated but could not conceal a core of apricot and citrus flavors. Tight, focused, mineral and young. That’s four words (not counting the conjunction). In a single word, delicious. (Imported by Kobrand Corp., New York, NY.)
Now, if I’d been less lazy about washing wine glasses, I’d have tasted them side-by-side and had even more fun comparing. But I’m still going to sleep happily tonight.
No matter how cold it is outside (and tonight is bitterly cold here in DC), I just love Riesling …Labels: New Zealand, Oregon, tasting notes
----- -------- AUTHOR: Dave McIntyre TITLE: Some New Wines from Chile DATE: 2/03/2007 04:29:00 PM ----- BODY: Chilean Ambassador Mariano Fernández hosted a “Chilean Farm Market” at his residence recently, showcasing meats, cheeses, produce and wine from his country. Chilean fruits and vegetables are no strangers in these parts, of course, having been winter staples for years. But I hope we begin seeing some of these meats – chewy, rich beef tenderloin that bore little resemblance to the corn-fed beef we’re used to, and dense rack of lamb that tasted of the grasslands of the Andes foothills. (Here’s my new food fantasy: Icelandic lamb from September through November, then Chilean lamb from February through April. Why can’t meat be seasonal?) he wines on display featured two producers, Montes and Haras, with whom I was familiar, but also some others that were new to this market. Here are some wines to look for: Ventisquero, a winery in the Casablanca Valley northwest of Santiago, had two wines for tasting – a Sauvignon Blanc Reserve 2006 with nice mango and red currant flavors and crisp acidity; and a Pinot Noir Reserve 2005, light and aromatic with lovely strawberry fruit. Both should retail for about $13 and represent good values, especially the Pinot Noir. As Pinot Noir is rare in Chile, this was a personal favorite in the tasting. Casas del Bosque, also in Casablanca Valley, poured a nice 2005 Chardonnay and a 2004 Merlot Reserve that was Bordelais in character, with a hint of green flavors and the familiar Chilean flint. There was a little too much oak for my taste, but I suspect that will integrate in another year. Falernia, from Elqui Valley, a small wine region south of Casablanca. The 2006 Sauvignon Blanc was soft and fleshy, looking more to California as a model than New Zealand. The 2004 Syrah Reserva was big, with smoky Northern Rhone flavors of bacon and blueberry matched with California body and ripe sweetness.True Rhone snobs might find it a bit cloying, but if you like the California style, look for this one. Echererria, in the Central Valley, offered a 2003 Limited Edition blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Carmenère. It was well-balanced, with good acidity and fruit. Haras, from Maipo Valley just south of Santiago, was pouring a 2005 Chardonnay that at the $10 level represents a nice value. The 2002 Elegance Cabernet Sauvignon, at $35, was big, rich and soft in the new international style. It was a bit cloying for my taste.
Montes offered its Leyda Vineyard 2006 Sauvignon Blanc, which was crisp, lean, refreshing and bracing, with grapefruit and mango flavors, and, at $12, a bargain if you can find it. The 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon Apalta, from the winery’s premier vineyard in the Colchagua Valley, is also a terrific bargain at $20, rich, with soft, spicy mocha and blackberry fruit.
For more on Chilean wines, click here.
The photo shows the Apalta vineyard and the Montes winery in the distance at the right, in March 2005.Labels: Chile, tasting notes
----- -------- AUTHOR: Dave McIntyre TITLE: TN: Conte Brandolini Treanni, $19 DATE: 1/30/2007 09:44:00 PM ----- BODY:
Labels: Italy, tasting notes
----- COMMENT: AUTHOR: Marcus
DATE:1/31/2007 10:25:00 AM
Interesting to hear about something from these guys other than the Vistorta, which I have tried and love -- the only wine I've considered a revelation uncorking it. Dave McIntyre
DATE:2/03/2007 04:38:00 PM
Indeed, the labels are nearly as classy as the wines! Count Brandolini also owns a wine bar in Venice called Naranzaria, not far from the Rialto bridge. It's on my list if I ever get to Venice!
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AUTHOR: Dave McIntyre
TITLE: TN: Post Scriptum de Chryseia 2004, Douro, $23
DATE: 1/21/2007 11:55:00 AM
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BODY:
Labels: Portugal, tasting notes
----- -------- AUTHOR: Dave McIntyre TITLE: TN: Martha Clara Riesling 2004, North Fork of Long Island DATE: 1/15/2007 02:26:00 PM ----- BODY:
Labels: tasting notes
----- -------- AUTHOR: Dave McIntyre TITLE: Castello delle Regine: Stylish Wines from Umbria DATE: 1/06/2007 11:28:00 AM ----- BODY:
Labels: tasting notes
----- -------- AUTHOR: Dave McIntyre TITLE: Wine Camp 2006 DATE: 12/28/2006 10:22:00 PM ----- BODY: Last year I wrote about my family's Christmas ritual, which we call "Wine Camp" - a Stump the Chumps bacchanalia of blind tasting wines from all over the world, especially inexpensive stunners and outré offerings from unusual areas. I always look forward to spending time with Dave Johnson, my sister's husband's sister's husband, who always has some good wines to share. This year's bargain from Dave was Fauna 2006 Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand $8, a crisp beauty that avoided going over the top with the ol' grassy-herbals. Not complex by any means, but a great value at the price and good for parties or even as a house white. My ringer this year was Tiger Mountain Vineyards Tannat 2002, from Georgia. No, not "former Soviet" Georgia, our Georgia. Nobody pinpointed the grape or the region, but everyone was impressed by its light, fruity taste and food-friendly body - after enjoying it, we put the rest aside to finish with the Christmas ham! The Tiger Mountain actually was part of an accidental theme this year, as we had more East Coast wines than usual. We enjoyed a Wölffer Pinot Gris 2005 from Long Island ($24), though it was crisp and fruity enough to suggest Italian Pinot Grigio than an Alsatian version. We also had a Pindar 2001 Merlot from Long Island's North Fork, which was a bit heavy with black pepper aromas and flavor, but featured good color, body and just enough fruit to carry it off. Everyone was wowed with the Barboursville Octagon 2004 from Virginia ($40), a Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc blend. After an unsettling whiff of barnyard blew off (we were not decanting or airing these wines as we should have to do them justice), this developed beautifully and showed what I thought were Bordeaux characteristics. Everyone else stayed in the New World, guessing California or Washington. Both of those states were represented though - with Chateau Ste. Michelle Estate Reserve 1989, from the Columbia Valley, another Cab-Merlot blend that was probably better five years ago but was still showing well; and the Pax Syrah Cuvée Catherine from Sonoma County. This huge, inky blockbuster cemented my conclusion from 2006 (which actually began with last year's Wine Camp and my first taste of Pax, courtesy of Dave Johnson) that Sonoma County is heaven for Syrah. More on that theme in 2007! Cheers, and Happy New Year! Dave McIntyreLabels: New Zealand, Sonoma, tasting notes, Virginia
----- -------- AUTHOR: Dave McIntyre TITLE: White Wine Season Over? Bah, Humbug! DATE: 11/19/2006 01:16:00 PM ----- BODY: If you’ve read much of my wine rantings over the years, you know that I don’t buy into the crapola about white wines going out of style once the leaves turn color. White wine will always have a place on my table (even if it is followed by a red) in any season, and here are two that I’ve enjoyed recently while wearing a sweater: Esporão Reserva 2004, Alentejo, Reguengos D.O.C., Portugal. I was first served this wine at lunch at the Fonseca port headquarters in Vila Nova de Gaia in September, a setting where anything was bound to taste good. But I was just as thrilled with it when I found it at Potomac Wines and Spirits in Georgetown for $11. Made with Portuguese grape varieties Roupeiro, Arinto and Antão Vaz (didn’t he have a bit part in The Legend of Zorro?), the wine is rich and creamy in texture (from American oak) with loads of stone fruit flavor. A great bargain, imported by Aidil Wines & Liquors in New Jersey. Konrad Sauvignon Blanc 2004, Marlborough, New Zealand. I bought this beauty a year or more ago at Schneiders of Capitol Hill on the recommendation of co-owner Jon Genderson. Then I forgot about it. Noticing the vintage recently, I figured I should drink it up before it lost too much of that acidity that makes New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc so delicious and develops the stewed asparagus flavor they can get after a few years. I needn’t have worried. This wine still packs plenty of zest and that grapefruit flavor we’ve come to love, along with more of what wine geeks call “minerality” than I’ve ever tasted in a Sauvignon Blanc produced outside the Loire. This wine was still a puppy, and a downright bargain at $16. No doubt the 2004 has given way to the ’05 or even the ’06 on retail shelves, but I will look for this one, buy several bottles, and do my best to forget about it again! Imported by Southern Starz Inc., Huntington Beach, Calif.Labels: New Zealand, Portugal, tasting notes
----- -------- AUTHOR: Dave McIntyre TITLE: Rosé of Distinction from Virginia DATE: 11/01/2006 09:51:00 PM ----- BODY:I’ve judged many
Perhaps it’s a sign of the maturity of the
Paler in color and more delicate in flavor, the Barboursville Rosé 2005 is winemaker Luca Paschina’s first effort at a pink wine. Paschina hails from Piemonte, and his rosé reminds this Francophile of the Provencal style just across the border, packing much more flavor than the color might suggest. Crisp and refreshing, this wine is made from Nebbiolo, Sangiovese and Cabernet Franc, and I do not mind saying that it is among the best rosés I’ve ever tasted.
With the Fall weather turning cool, you’re probably in a red-wine frame of mind. But I urge you to keep rosé in mind – and these two in particular if you happen to be near
Cheers!
Dave McLabels: rose, tasting notes, Virginia
----- -------- AUTHOR: Dave McIntyre TITLE: Cousino-Macul Celebrates a Landmark Anniversary DATE: 9/16/2006 03:37:00 PM ----- BODY: Cousino-Macul, the oldest family-owned winery in Chile, is celebrating its sesquecentennial this year. Since its founding in 1856, the winery has emphasized Bordeaux varietals and European style. And, impressively, value pricing. The Finis Terrae, a Cabernet Sauvignon-Merlot blend, is an annual bargain at $20, easily the match of many a more expensive wine. And those of jaded by nondescript $15 California appellation Cabs treasure our bottles of Cousino-Macul Antiguas Reservas. Arturo Cousino, the sixth generation to head the winery, came to the United States recently to mark the anniversary. He brought with him a new wine, Lota, which will now become the winery's flagship, the family's first entry into Chile's high-priced wine sweepstakes. (It should sell for about $60.) Named for the seaside mining town where the Cousino family made its fortune in the 1850s, Lota is 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Merlot. About 40% of the grapes come from the winery's historic vineyard in Santiago, with the rest coming from the new estate in Buin, further south in the Maipo Valley. The disappointing thing about Lota is that only a little more than 700 six packs were produced. The wine offers stunning Bordeaux aromas of cigar, currant and blackberry, with some woodspice mixed in
. The palate is full and long, and the flavors linger like a favored friend at a dinner party. Crafted by winemaker Matias Rivera with French consultant Pascal Marty, Lota is the grandest expression yet of the Cousino-Macul style: European elegance matched with New World ripeness.
For the past two decades, Cousino-Macul wines have been imported into the United States by Billington Imports, the company created by Alfredo Bartholomaus, who has been credited by no less than Robert Parker with popularizing the wines of Chile and Argentina here in the States. My profile of Alfredo in DC magazine can be found here.
(The photo shows, from left to right, winemaker Matias Rivera, Arturo Cousino and Alfredo Bartholomaus. Photographed at Cousino-Macul estate in Santiago, March 2005.)Labels: Chile, tasting notes
----- -------- AUTHOR: Dave McIntyre TITLE: Gems from Dry Creek Valley DATE: 9/04/2006 09:51:00 PM ----- BODY: Dry Creek Valley has always been one of my favorite appellations in Sonoma County. I love the intensity and variety of the Sauvignon Blancs and the juicy, chewy depths of its Zinfandels. Last month I had the opportunity to explore Dry Creek Valley and meet with several grape growers and winemakers. Tasting their wines, I made a few discoveries and got reacquainted with some old friends. Here are some labels to look for: RUED: Fifth-generation growers, the Rued family took the plunge into winemaking a few years ago when the “grape glut” pushed prices low. They now boast a spanking new winery on Dry Creek Road just in time for the harvest and of course to welcome visitors. Their 2005 Sauvignon Blanc is fantastic - just grassy enough to show the varietal’s character, with apricot and passion fruit flavors, great body and a long finish. Classic Dry Creek Valley Sauvignon Blanc. Their 2003 Zinfandel is almost as good - creamy in texture and flavor, low on the spice - think raspberry gratin in a glass. Fill in your own pun here, but you will not rue the day you purchase these wines. DUTCHER CROSSING: The 2005 Sauvignon Blanc from this new winery a little further up the road could not be more different than the Rued. Blended with 10% Semillon, 8% Viognier and 2% Roussanne, this version bursts with tropical fruit flavors and aromas. Think of it as a “new California” style. The 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon Proprietor’s Reserve, which is 25% Syrah, features soft berry flavors, vanillin, and cassis on a medium finish. UNTI VINEYARDS: This young winery is making a serious stab at the leadership mantle of California’s Rhone Rangers. The 2004 Grenache had me thinking of the best of the Southern Rhone, empowered by California exuberance. Then I tasted the 2003 Syrah and my imagination soared to the Northern Rhone. These are not knockoffs of Chateauneuf-du-Pape and Hermitage, for they have the California emphasis on fruit flavors, with terroir secondary. (Oooh, I’m gonna get it for that ...) These are California expressions of two wonderful grapes, and they make delicious wines. [Note to readers in the D.C. area - these Unti wines are available at The Vineyard in McLean, Va., for about $29 each.] ALDERBROOK/TERLATO FAMILY VINEYARDS: This winery began in the early 1980s as a specialist in white wines. Within the last few years, however, a majority share was purchased by the Terlato family of Paterno Imports fame. They have steered the winery toward red wines from its property near Healdsburg, at the confluence of the Dry Creek Valley, Alexander Valley, and Russian River Valley appellations. The 2003 Dry Creek Valley Syrah is surprisingly elegant for the grape, and for the grape in California. It features bright, high-toned blueberry and coffee notes, with soft tannins and a surprisingly long, fruity finish that does not want to quit. I would normally say this is the type of wine that will stand out at dinner but not in a group tasting against bigger, brawnier wines, except that it won a Gold Medal at the Orange County fair. So there are some good judges out there ... Future vintages may be under the Terlato name but will still be made in the same way by winemaker Brian Parker; either way, keep it in mind, this is a delicious wine.Labels: Sonoma, tasting notes
----- -------- AUTHOR: Dave McIntyre TITLE: My Family Label DATE: 8/20/2006 09:50:00 PM ----- BODY:
At the Monterey Winemakers' Celebration in Monterey, CA, on Aug 12, I made a beeline for one booth in particular. I had heard of Steve McIntyre but knew little about him, except that we probably weren't related except in some distant, existentialist sense. (This was confirmed when I saw him - he's too tall and handsome to be from my side of the family. See for yourself, that's him with his wife, Kim.)
Steve is a leading winegrower and vineyard manager in Monterey County, tending vines for 22 wineries including San Saba, Estancia and Bonny Doon. He also runs a custom crush facility where, it turns out, one of my favorite wines is produced - Bonny Doon's Big House Red. (Steve will have it for one more vintage until the recent sale of the brand takes full effect.)
Steve also makes his own wine, in small quantities that unfortunately don't really make it out of Monterey County. At the fair, he was pouring a delightful 2000 Pinot Noir that at $18 retail still tastes fresh and shows what Monterey County can do with that grape in its cool coastal climate. His Chardonnay was also excellent, as was the 2001 Kimberly Vineyard Merlot - soft, supple, plummy fruit with a dusting of cocoa.
I wish I could make these my house wines!Labels: Monterey, tasting notes
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