How Nouveau destroyed Beaujolais. By Mike Steinberger in Slate: "Unlike the French, who know that Beaujolais is more than just Nouveau and for whom the wines have always been a favorite year-round tipple, Americans had little familiarity with Beaujolais prior to the Nouveau phenomenon. The frenzy led many consumers to assume that Beaujolais was meant only to be drunk in the late autumn; that Nouveau, the cheapest Beaujolais there is, was the only one worth drinking; and that Duboeuf was the only name that mattered. The truth—that Nouveau is the lowest wine in the Beaujolais hierarchy; that Beaujolais has 10 premier growths of far superior quality; and that the region boasts a number of artisanal winemakers crafting first-rate wines—never really seeped into the marketplace." Also worth checking out are the reader comments at the bottom of the page.
 :: posted by Dante Ramos at 4:44 PM
 :: Comments? []

Nov. 13 results. It's hard to draw conclusions from this small a sample (or generalize across two big states). But it's safe to say that these wines were lighter and more delicate than their Cali counterparts -- and much more so than the nuclear-powered reds that many of us favor. A lot of us associate the level of restraint some of these wines showed with the mustiness of some French wines, but that note was missing, too. Most of these were quite clean and bright, and the differences between the scores of five wines (the ones that finished in third through second-to-last place) were almost negligible.
     1) "Sound." 1999 Au Bon Climat Pinot Noir, Oregon. $32 at Martin Wine Cellar. Average 13.7; range 10-18. This wine, made in California with Oregon grapes, has a nose that your Webmaster pretentiously described as the Platonic form of how a Pinot Noir ought to smell. The fruit is subtle, and the wine also has notes of licorice and star anise. Goes down smooth and leaves a nice tingle on the tongue. This one had its detractors, though: Paul found it too alcoholic, and Steph thought it reminded her of an interesting but obsessive close-talker at a party.
     2) "Scream" 1999 Waterbrook Mélange, Columbia Valley; 41% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 14% Sangiovese, 13% Cabernet Franc. $16.12 at Bacchanal. Average 12.8; range 12-15. This Washington blend of Bordeaux and Italian grapes turned out to be the Transformer of wines. The first whiff is strong and a bit odd; people smelled peppers, blue cheese, mushrooms, sour cherries, even petroleum. As it opened up several of us thought it was smooth and well-balanced, although one person found it turned overly tannic and sour. The wine reminded John of homemade cranberry sauce before the addition of any sugar. It would stand up well to a variety of zesty foods -- Italian, Mexican, Thai and even Indian. Chip didn't care for it before tasting it with goat cheese and then really liked it after. This comment sent several people who'd dogged the wine over to the food table, and most of them said they probably should have scored the Mélange higher. If they had, this one could have won the evening.
     3-tie) "Spin." 1999 Columbia Crest Grand Estates Merlot, Columbia Valley. $10 at Martin Wine Cellar. Average 12.5; range 9-13. A decent, cheap Merlot -- this from a group that normally doesn't care for that varietal. Fruity and just a tiny bit funky at first, with some raspberry and cherry, though the fruit dissipates the more you have of it. Gary thought it watery, and we all were divided over how it ended: Somebody thought the finish was musty and tannic, and another thought it had no aftertaste whatsoever.
     3-tie) "Nerve*." 2000 Domaine Coteau Pinot Noir, Yamhill County, Oregon. $24.18 at Bacchanal. Average 12.5; range 8-16. This wine, the last in the tasting, had a much different flavor complexion from the other Oregon Pinot Noirs. While Steph found some familiar vanilla and cinnamon notes, others found it oddly (though not unpleasantly) tomatoey. And it reminded Chip of cherimoya, an impression few of us could confirm or dispute. On the downside, Becky thought it smelled like marijuana. Some people thought it tasted mechanical, like "fruit that's gone bad" or "like licking a battery."
     5) "Pearl." 1998 King Estate Pinot Noir, Oregon. $14 at Martin Wine Cellar. Average 12.45; range 9-16. Fans of this wine thought it was pleasantly raisiny, smooth and light, with a little bit of zip. Another person found it uneven and crass in comparison with the Au Bon Climat (which came before it in the tasting) but allowed that it might taste perfectly fine on its own.
     6-tie) "Ever." 2001 Henry Estate Pinot Noir, Umpqua Cuvée, $12 at Martin Wine Cellar. Average 12.3; range 10-13. This wine, the first Oregon Pinot Noir in the tasting, came right after the Mélange, which might have affected its scores. But our impressions were pretty consistent: A fairly delicate wine with a bit of cranberry, a slightly candied feel and a lightly tannic finish. Pleasant but a bit one-dimensional. One person said, "If I were dating this wine, I'd say it had a nice personality."
     6-tie) "Ho." 2000 Erath Vineyards Pinot Noir, Oregon. $12 at Whole Foods. Average 12.3; range 8-16. Some people found this wine subtle and attractive and thought it would go really well with salmon. Others had a hard time concentrating on it and didn't find much there. Paul (or was it Wayne or someone else?) summed it up thusly: "It doesn't make me stop and say, 'Whoa, what is this?' but it doesn't make me stop and say, 'Whoa, what is this?'"
     8) "Slate*." 1998 Hogue Genesis Merlot, Columbia Valley. $14.10 at Bacchanal. Average 11.1; range 10-13. Not much nose. Pretty explosive on the tongue at first, but some people thought it was overly tart and rough. One person found this wine "overly organic," and it reminded someone else of unripe bananas. Steph thought it aspired to be the kind of zin she doesn't like.
     In retrospect, it's clear that the order of the tasting was all wrong. (My bad.) The wine committee's fear was that the Washington wines would be slight, as well as a big comedown in quality after some of the Oregon Pinot Noirs. The latter may have suffered in the ratings because of their placement.
     One last note: The fake names refer to bands from the Pacific Northwest: the Spinanes, Sleater-Kinney (a.k.a. Slate), Screaming Trees, Everclear, Hole, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam and Nirvana (a.k.a. Nerve).
 :: posted by Dante Ramos at 5:42 PM
 :: Comments? []

New wine store. Say what you want about this guy or this issue, but at least one of HRI's projects is -- ahem -- bearing fruit here in Mid-City. A store called Cork & Bottle offering "fine wines and more" is supposed to open in the retail area of American Can in December, according to a sign I saw in the window when I drove by this afternoon.
 :: posted by Dante Ramos at 4:12 PM
 :: Comments? []

Washington/Oregon reading. I didn't bring any supplemental material the other night. But if you're interested in learning more about wines from Washington, check out this slick site from the state's wine commission and this overview from Wines Northwest. For more information on Oregon, try this page or this boosterish column. Wine Spectator has an interesting item on both states, and this terrific article from The Wine News spells out the stark differences between the two states' wine industries.
 :: posted by Dante Ramos at 9:40 PM
 :: Comments? []

Bye-bye BYOB? What's the deal with BYOB restaurants in New Orleans? Why can't they survive? Some time back, I tried to put together a definitive list of them. But apart from Lola's and a few other standbys -- plus the terrific Lulu's in the French Quarter -- it's hard to think of places where the practice is alive and well. Rumor has it that Nautical got a liquor license, though I haven't been there lately. Portobello Café? Gone. When Steph called Charleston Café one recent Wednesday, nobody answered the phone. (Did the place close?) One friend went to Le Printemps on a recent Saturday night and had the place pretty much to himself. Are the economics so prohibitive that a BYOB can't survive, even though it charges a corkage fee and doesn't have to spend money cellaring wines that might not sell? Maybe wine isn't the issue; can restaurants only keep their doors open if enough people pay six bucks for a shot of Johnnie Walker Black?
     Incidentally, BYOBs seem to make it elsewhere. Chris, Natalie and others in the Philly area ought to check out this list.
 :: posted by Dante Ramos at 7:05 PM
 :: Comments? []