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  Saturday, March 30, 2002
California Wines. I went to a wine tasting Thursday on California wines and some of them were pretty good. Here are the results, based on the same 0-20 scale that wine club uses:
1. 1999 Cabernet Sauvignon, Coppola Director's Reserve. rating, 17. The tasting was rather heavy on Coppola wines, which was weird, and this one is one of the more expensive ones at more than $50 a bottle. That being said, it was great, very smooth, perfect by itself and probably would have been even better with food. Grapes come from the same vineyard that Dominus uses - it's called the "Rutherford Bench," according to the cute wine geek who led the tasting. 2. 1999 Bogle Old Vine Zinfandel, Clarksburg, CA. rating, 16. This is only $10.99 in New Jersey, and if they have it in New Orleans, I'd suggest buying a few bottles. Had a pow first taste, and then became sweet and jammy with a lingering finish. I'm stocking up on this one. 3. 1998 Coppola Edizone Pennino Zinfandel. rating, 14. $45 to $48. Nice and peppery, but not worth the money. 4. 1999 ZD Chardonnay, Napa. rating, 14. around $26. Another one I'd buy. Somewhat steely, didn't taste at all like a typical chardonnay, mainly because it's barrel-fermented and doesn't have that overpowering butter taste. Smelled like apricots. 5. 1999 Chaddsford Cabernet Franc. rating, 12. $12. The tasting was held at the Chaddsford winery store in Manayunk, and I guess they always put one of their own in a blind test. I thought it tasted like cherry cake. 6. 1998 Coppola Black Label Claret. rating, 11. Came on strong, but then totally faded. 7. 2001 Spring Wine, Chaddsford. rating, 10. Very sweet, like a riesling. 8. 1998 Coyote Creek Chardonnay, Paso Robles. rating, 9. $14. This was yucky, smelled like soft bananas.
Ravenswood redux. Had dinner with my parents last night at a restaurant called Friday Saturday Sunday that advertises its wine list at $10 over cost (not such a big deal in a city with a ton of BYOBs, but still). Anyway, we had a bottle of the Ravenswood Lodi zinfindel. Often Ravenswood wines don't do so well when we compare them with others, but this one was really nice - even earned raves from my mom, who rarely ventures past Chardonnay. It was listed at $22, which means it probably runs around $12. (and yep, I'm a hyperlinking geek, guilty as charged).
Thursday, March 28, 2002
Nerd. This is going to sound nerdy, but I was really happy to see that Chris hyperlinked two items in her post about Bonny Doon.
Buddakan. It really broke my heart that I didn't get a chance to eat at Buddakan. It was right around the corner from Saborrrr!, this Dominican place where I did eat. Which was tasty enough, but it didn't have the vertical entrees, foofy wine list, ultrahip waiters and giant statue of Buddha.
Wednesday, March 27, 2002
More praise for Bonny Doon Just shared a bottle of 1999 Eurodoon Syrah at Buddakan (yes, Dante, it's a fabulous restaurant, one of my favorites up here) and really enjoyed it. Much lighter than an Australian shiraz, almost more like a Sangiovese. Anyway, it went well with salmon teriyaki and sushi rolls....
G. and I both watched that special raptly, though I think we both felt guilty the whole time. My question -- the name "Cardinal Zin" aside -- is whether Monica Lewinsky (the person or the scandal) is really a Zinfandel. She strikes me more as an overwrought Chardonnay: self-involved, absurdly buttery and kind of annoying after any extended exposure.
For our recent screening of HBO's "Monica in Black and White," John, Delia and I opened a bottle of Bonny Doon's 2000 Cardinal Zin (seemed appropriate). "Big, full-bodied and persuasive", says the Sommelier Society of America, which claims to be the nation’s oldest wine teaching organization. John got notes of cranberry. Big yum, and a fine companion to our mostly-veggie Foodie's spread. (Also recommended: Boony Doon's Viognier, the one with the Pinocchio label, which is made from a white Rhone varietal) We followed up with a Renwood Barbera -- very smooth and enjoyable.
Tuesday, March 26, 2002
A subtle nose, with notes of anthrax and E. coli. Good news: If you believe this article in Wine Spectator, the California wine industry is largely immune to bioterror. Apparently the alcohol kills the spores, and the wineries are fussy enough that they'd notice the difference. But the sky isn't cloudless. The article warns of "threats of property sabotage by radical environmental groups opposed to extensive vineyard plantings."
Monday, March 25, 2002
When I was doing research for cheap wine night, I found a reference to Renwood's Sierra Series Zinfandel as the perfect cheeseburger wine. I think it would also go well with a french fry po-boy (note that the best ones are smothered in beef gravy). I'd be willing to check it out, anyway.
What would you serve? Somebody asked the other day which wine you'd serve with a french fry po-boy. Maybe you could match it with the 2000 Weingut Bründlmayer Gruner Veltliner (aka "Schwarzenegger") that we tried the other night -- you know, the one that almost everyone hated. French fry po-boys aren't really wine food, but that wine tastes more like light beer. The crispness of the wine would contrast well with the grease in the sandwich. And since a french fry po-boy is not nasty, it would be nicely balanced out by the nastiness of Schwarzenegger.
Anyway, it'd be nice to find a use for that wine. Whenever we try something kinda bad, the optimists always say, "This would taste much better with food." Sunday, March 24, 2002
Anyone up for April in Paris? Technically, it's April in Metairie, but if we drink enough wine maybe we won't notice. This is an annual Martin's tasting, with lots of French food and wine. It costs $30, which includes $5 off a purchase that night, and it's on Thursday, April 18 at 6:30 at the Metairie store. Tickets are on sale now....
Old tastings. If you've got any information from previous wine club tastings lurking on your hard drive, please let me know. I'm building an archive of old tastings. You can follow this link to see what's already on hand.
Saturday, March 23, 2002
Results from Thursday night. Here they are. Many thanks to John for hosting and to Delia and Terri for buying.
1) "Lederhosen." 1999 Lingenfelder Ganymed Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir), Pfalz, Germany. $24.99. Average 14; range 12-16. Since few of us had tried many German wines before, many of these tasted unusual to us. This one, though, edged into familiar Pinot Noir territory. Some detected notes of frenchiness, even sausage. The praise was not universal, though. "I'll call ya," said Eliot. 2) "Heidi." 2000 Pierre Sparr Pinot Gris Reserve, Alsace. $12.99. Average 13.6; range 12-18. This was a pleasant with notes of perfume and apple Jolly Rancher in the nose. Lots of sugar, but balanced by a grapefruit flavor -- a combo that was popular in our group. If it hadn't been the first wine of the tasting, it might have scored first. 3) "Gustav." 1996 Pöckl Cabernet Franc, Austria. $12.99. Average 13; range 5-17. Charcoal, mushroom, raisins, impending rot (maybe in a good way). 4-tie) "The Id." 1997 Domaines Schlumberger blend, Alsace. $12.99. Average 12.7; range 7-16. Powdered doughnuts, french toast in the nose; lots of fruit, but still tart on the tongue. 4-tie) "Audi." 1999 Sparr Prestige Pinot Noir, Alsace. $16.99. Average 12.7; range 8-19. Terrific nose, some said, with hints of cinnamon stick. Light fruit, but still tannic. Odd, but some tasters were quite fond of this, as the high scores show. 6) "Einstein." 1999 Domaine Weinbach Gewürztraminer, Alsace. $33.99. Average 10.7; range 5-16. Fans cited apple juice and even kerosene in the nose. Others said it tasted like cough syrup. 7) "Schwarzenegger." 2000 Weingut Bründlmayer Gruner Veltliner, Austria. $15.99. Average 10.4; range 6-15. The few who liked this one said they found it crisp and clean, with notes of anisette and Cointreau. Others found it skunky and thought it smelled like urine during asparagus season. Pam asked, "Where's the beer?" 8) "Schadenfreude." 2000 Willi Haag Brauneberger Juffer Riesling-Spätlese, Germany. $13.99. Average 9.6; range 2-12. One of the rare wines that scores below 10. Likened to flat champagne, rotten fruits. Notes of Dawn, as in "takes grease out of your way." Really, it was quite bad.
Shoo-fly pie has a gooey molasses bottom and crumbs mixed with brown sugar on top - tastes a lot like graham crackers. It's the signature Amish dessert, although I never understood why - it's not all that good.
Friday, March 22, 2002
mmm....French fry po'boys. Natalie and I tried one at Elizabeth's for the first time over Mardi Gras. I have to say I was skeptical when it arrived - starch upon starch covered in gravy - but it was delicious.
My latest culinary exploits took place in Lancaster County this week. I attended a dinner in an Amish family's home, and I have to say it was the blandest meal I have ever eaten (and you know that's saying something coming from a Minnesotan!) Menu was roast chicken, hamloaf, green peas, buttered noodles, mashed potatoes, salad, bread w/ pear butter, caramel-iced chocolate cake, homemade ice cream and -- of course -- shoo-fly pie. No wine, of course.
Dottie and John. The highlight of my Friday mornings is reading the "Tastings" column in The Wall Street Journal. (Unfortunately you have to pay to see it online.) The authors, who are married to each other, are usually insightful. And they aren't snobby, exactly, but they're hilariously self-involved -- as are many of their readers. Last week's column about Open That Bottle Night, on which they urge readers to drink wine they've had around the house forever, was a keeper.
Sample passage: "Many couples used the opportunity to do something they don't often do: Dine alone, without the kids. 'Once it got dark, we drove our camper van up to a hill,' wrote Rosalie Sisson of Boise, Idaho, who had a date with her husband, Pete, putting together a plate of salads from a local grocery, a baguette and a selection of cheeses. 'We put on some sitar music and lit candles,' she wrote. 'Before we left, Pete had folded down the back seet and put lots of batik pillows in the back.' The wine they opened was a 1998 Niebaum-Coppola Cabernet Franc... "Last night was one of the few times we've enjoyed the camper as a twosome. I think we're going to bring it out on date night more often." Yikes. No such moments in today's column, unfortunately. It was about the disappearance of bad merlots, which I guess is a good trend.
Mark your calendars: Next wine club at my place, Thursday, April 25 (JazzFest eve). Wine courtesy of Kate, Wayne and Chloe. Details to come.
Thursday, March 21, 2002
Hi - I wanted to try out the blogger thing so I thought I'd post our first wine-ku (with a little Jazz Fest twist...note that Elizabeth's is not selling the f.f. po-boy's at the fest this year but will have it on the menu @ the restaurant during the fest):
"don't talk 'bout wine club" like wine with french fry po-boys rules should be broken d.
yay, I get to play too! Here's a note I sent Steph and Bill about a Rhone wine tasting I attended a few weeks ago. My sister and I are going to a California tasting next week, and I'll post those results too....
1989 J.L. Chave Hermitage (a syrah), retails about $100 a bottle. It was extremely dark - almost blood colored - and smelled very mushroom/earthy. The first mouthful was kinda tart, but it mellowed out and had nice legs - taste really lingered. It was overwhelming to drink it alone - really would have benefited from a steak. Some people in the class were raving about it, but I know I've had better wines. My favorite wine of the 11 Rhones we tried was a 1998 Coudelet Chateau de Beaucastel grenache that retails for about $22. I tried finding this in stores, with no luck, so I bought a 1999 instead. Guy who organized the tasting said it was as good as the 98.
America's Real Foodie Bible (It's Not What You Think) Testing out BlogThis! link. The article is also worth reading.
Hyperlink info. If you come across something you'd like the rest of us to see -- such as this guy's wine blog -- you can hyperlink to it within Blogger so the rest of us can get there in a click. You highlight some text with your mouse, click the hyperlink button and enter an URL. I guess I should put together a reference sheet for all this stuff. But once you use it a few times, it's pretty easy.
Blogging info. "Post" merely records your comments in Blogger for future publication. "Publish" actually puts your comments on the Web site right after you push the button. "Safe mode" is primarily for those who are typing HTML code into their posts; I gather that it protects you from screwing up your entire page by submitting bad code. I don't think any of us has to worry too much about that.
In Vegas, Delia and I tried the Chappellet Sangiovese from Napa. Great w/ pasta and red sauce, and they sell it at Martin's. So, anyone else buy tickets to Once Upon a Vine?
Wednesday, March 20, 2002
Corrections and clarifications. I should have hyperlinked Rob and Ellen. Incidentally, both of the wines with dinner were fine.
This latest iteration is the closest yet, or maybe it just seems that way after two glasses of wine. At dinner with Rob and Ellen I had a glass of the Danzante Pinot Grigio -- the same one Brian brought to wine club back in September -- and a Wynn's Shiraz.
Tuesday, March 19, 2002 Monday, March 18, 2002 |
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