Wine Reviews Tasting Notes and Education for the Non-Snob
It’s time to ring in the New Year, and most likely you’ll do so with bubbles. But does it have to be Champagne? And does it have to be expensive? Not necessarily, as there are many, many other sparkling wines that offer the same dramatic effect of popping a cork and also please your palate — and won’t break the bank.
Here are a few of my favorite sparklers, all at economical price points: [Read more...]
No, this is not a wine made by the mixed-martial arts fighter — though it is similarly intense and packs a punch.
“Celeste” Crianza is made by Miguel Torres the wine producer — a diverse family-owned company that makes wine in Spain, Chile, and California. This particular bottle comes from the Ribera del Duero region in Spain (the company also owns vineyards in Penedes, Jumilla, Priorat, Toro, Conca de Barbera, and Priorat). Torres has the largest winery in Spain and is its largest producer, exporting to 140 countries.
This wine is the family’s first foray into Ribera del Duero. The name “Celeste” is translated from Spanish as “celestial”, “heavenly”, or simply, “sky”, and refers to the fact that the vineyards are located 895 meters above sea level — in other words, way up in the sky and close to the heavens. To me this 100% Tempranillo wine is more like a modern Rioja than a Ribera del Duero, because it is clean, has upfront juicy red berry fruit, and has a distinctive vanilla oak element. But then again, I haven’t really been “into” Ribera del Duero in a while, so maybe that region is modernizing their wine as well.
The nose has an opulent floral fragrance with ripe red fruits and a hint of cassis. Rose petals, cherry, sweet blueberry, and boysenberry. In the mouth it is ripe and juicy with flavors of blueberry and boysenberry. The texture is creamy smooth. Tannins are mild as is the acidity; this is borderline “fat”. The finish is a bit hot, but that’s what you get with such a ripe flavor profile.
Due to the fatness and heat this is a little difficult to match with food. But, I like it as a “cocktail” wine or “fireside” wine; something to drink on its own.
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Disclosure: I received this wine as a press sample
These were sent to me as samples by a nice PR person, but it took me a long time to get around to tasting both of the “Big House” wines, mainly because I saw them as gimmicky and figured they weren’t terribly interesting.
As it turned out, both wines mildly surprised me — they are easygoing and simple but enjoyable and have enough structure to match with a variety of foods. That’s the nice thing about having no expectations — it’s hard to be disappointed.
The name “Big House” came about because the winery is located “an ankle iron’s toss” from the Soledad State Correctional Facility in Soledad, California (Monterey County). It was founded by Randall Grahm — better known as the founder/winemaker at Bonny Doon — and the brand’s focus is to appeal to the “non-snob” by making wine less complicated and more fun and easy to enjoy (hey, just like this website!). I have to admit the branding is clever and appealing, if a bit corny. But, I’m corny myself and therefore have an appreciation for their efforts.
Big House White is a fruity summer sipper with a faint hint of sweetness that makes a good foil for spicy hot foods. I paired it successfully with Indian cuisine as well as buffalo wings and BBQ ribs. It’s also thoroughly enjoyable on its own, with a good chill. For those who care, it’s made from a “kitchen sink” blend of 22.7% Malvasia Bianca, 15.9% Gruner Veltliner, 15.7% Sauvignon Blanc, 9.2% Gewürztraminer, 7.9% Riesling, 7.3% Chenin Blanc, 6.1% Muscat Canelli, 5.2% Viognier,4.5% Verdelho, 4.4% Albarino, and 1.1% Pinot Gris. If nothing else, all those grapes in there make for a good conversation starter.
Big House Red was similarly friendly with food, but completely dry. It has an attractive, expressive nose full of black cherries and a hint of earth. On the palate there are similar flavors — cherry, red and black berry fruit, mild earth, touch of tobacco. There is plenty of acidity and very mild tannins. It finishes somewhat quickly and with tart, sour cherry. Overall it kind of reminds me a Beaujolais Villages, and is similarly easy to pair with just about anything — particularly lean meats (chicken, turkey, pork), vegetarian dishes, and pasta with red sauce. And yes, this one is made with myriad grape varieties as well: 27% Petite Sirah, 14.5% Syrah, 8.6% Montepulciano, 8.2% Barbera, 6.4% Nero d’Avola, 6.1% Tempranillo, 3.3% Malbec, 2.4% Aglianico, 2.4% Souzao, 2.3% Charbono, 2.2% Petit Verdot, 2.1% Cabernet Franc, 2% Tannat, and 12.5% Other Esoteric Reds. I’d love to know what those “other esoteric reds” might be, and why they’re not listed. Ah-ha! Another conversation starter!
At under $10 for a 750ml bottle, these wines are a steal — but it isn’t the kind of theft that will get you sent to the “big house”. And both wines also come in snazzy, convenient, party-friendly bag-in-box packaging as well.
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Find Big House Red at a retailer near you using Wine-Searcher, Vinquire, or WineZap
If you want to learn more about Big House and some of their other wines, visit my good friend Charles Scicolone’s site to read about the Big House “warden” Georgette Dune. You can also visit the Big House website and/or follow the brand on Twitter @BigHouseWines
Let me premise this by stating that I don’t like the idea of using the words “Prima Classe” “Rosato” and “Riserva” on a wine produced in the United States. I understand it is Tamas trying to be cute by emulating the terms that might be found on a bottle of Italian wine. However, that marketing ploy only further confuses an already confused wine-drinking public. To be clear: this wine is from the Livermore Valley of California.
That complaint aside, this pink wine delivers juicy strawberry and white cherry flavors on the nose and palate, mouthwatering acidity, and is overall a pleasant, refreshing, and enjoyable quaffer that fits most any budget. It’s nice alone, but better with food. I matched it successfully with roast chicken, BBQ ribs, mild cheese, crawfish cakes, and shrimp/scallop cakes. At under ten bucks, this is a good value. Pick up a bottle while the weather is hot and the wine is still fresh — it’s not something to lay down.
Learn more about the winery at the Tamas Estates website (though, I couldn’t find any info on this particular wine there).
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This bottle was given to me by my friend and colleague Phil Ward, who is on the Board of Directors of the International Riesling Foundation and frequently travels the country as a judge at wine competitions. Needless to say, I trust his palate, especially when it comes to Riesling. So when Phil handed me this bottle, I had to try it.
As it turned out, I [Read more...]
A full line of Hob Nob red wines were sent to me for review: Shiraz, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Pinot Noir. They came in stylish, modern packaging including those dandy new artificial corks that are spongy and easy to remove. There’s even a snazzy website with a clever “spin the bottle” navigation format (though, being an old drongo it took me a few minutes to figure out how to find details about the wines; as it turned out, the details weren’t terribly useful to me — there were “matches” for “Mood”, “Music”, “Books”, and “Social Mastery”, as well as foods. Again, the drongo that I am can’t understand why Shiraz is “loud” and a match for the book Running with Scissors. But I digress …)
Instead of spending much more time letting the HobNob website make me feel old and un-hip, I moved on to the actual wines. [Read more...]
Why the sudden Carmenere kick? Well, because I was the beneficiary of a selection of Carmenere blends as a result of being included in a “twitter tasting” hosted by the Wines of Chile a few months ago. Yes, I’m sometimes (often?) slow in getting my reviews published to the blog. But hey, better late than never, right? Anyway, on to the wine.
It’s kind of funny that the label explains the wine as a “Limited Selection” — I mean, if it’s so limited how could it sell for under 15 bucks? But as a person in the business of marketing wine I understand the power of such words, ergo the reasoning behind the nonsense. Heck, I’m guilty of promoting similar types of “fantasy” hype on labels, and California wines have been doing it for decades. But I digress …
Beyond the fancy language on the label, we have a very nice wine here — which doesn’t surprise me, as I’ve enjoyed nearly every bottle I’ve Montes I’ve ever tried; they are a “reliable producer” in my book. Bright, open, and expressive red and black berry fruit aromas jump into the nose, with a slight touch of earth and bell pepper. The palate does not disappoint, offering similarly forward fruit that is ripe with red berries, sweet black fruits, and hints of earth, spice, and mild tobacco. Tannins and acidity are both soft, but there’s enough structure to keep the wine from being described as “fat” or out of balance. The finish is kind of quick but that’s hardly a complaint, considering all the juicy delicious fruit at the front end.
I matched this successfully with a smattering of dishes, including chicken pot pie, cheese and potato pierogies, and stuffed cabbage (yes, I had take-out from the Polish restaurant). It’s enjoyable on its own but also completely versatile with a variety of victuals. At around or about $15, it’s a good value.
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This is a fairly typical Carmenere from Chile, offering earthy, green and black pepper aromas that you might also associate with Merlot (hence, the confusion for so many years between the two varietals down there). The inky, almost black color in the middle of this wine belies its softness on the palate. Upfront there are juicy black and red berry fruits that move to a mild bitterness (cranberry and tobacco) in the midpalate and finish, which is quick but pleasant and without heat. Tannins are mild, but there is ample acidity for food matching. Try it with lean meats or vegan dishes.
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I like sushi. Check that: I love sushi; I would eat it 5 times a week if I could afford to do so.
Generally, a good sake remains — for me — the best match for most types of sushi, particularly if I’m having spicy rolls and/or laying on the wasabi heavily. But, I’m not quite as educated on sake as I’d like, and sushi is as good a reason as any to open up a white wine from my rack.
Recently, I opened up FOUR whites with a selection of salmon sushi (regular sushi piece on white rice, an avocado and salmon roll, and a “double salmon” roll). And, all four worked pretty well — and, I think they’ll work with other types of sushi, such as tuna, raw shrimp, yellowtail, scallop, fluke, etc.
Martin Codax Albarino
$12.99
This is typical Albarino in that it has a distinct mineral quality, good acidity, and white fruit — these elements come straight from the alluvial, granite, slate, and sandy soils of the cool and wet Maritime climate of the Rias Baixas region of Galicia, Spain. The mineral character is an obviously perfect match with just about all seafood. Disclosure: this wine was sent to me as a press sample.
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Woodbridge Pinot Grigio
$7.99
Generally, I wouldn’t have given this wine a second thought, based on principle: to me, “Pinot Grigio” comes from Italy. Further, I usually shy away from purchasing mass-marketed wine brands at a retail shop — not necessarily because I’m a snob, but because there are so many other interesting wines to choose from at a good wine shop, and I have plenty of opportunities to taste wines from the “big boys” at chain restaurants with bad wine lists. But, again, I must disclose that this wine was sent to me as a press sample, so I felt obliged to give it a try. As expected, it doesn’t have the racy acidity nor mineral qualities one would expect from a “real” Pinot Grigio from northern Italy. But, its round, slightly melon-flavored California character is actually a good match for the lean salmon sushi.
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Carpineto “Dogajolo” Bianco
$13.99
Like the Woodbridge, Dogajolo is a bit fatter and rounder than an Italian Pinot Grigio, making it a good match for sushi (and other lean dishes). This wine is actually from Italy, but it’s a blend of Chardonnay, Sauvignon, and Grechetto. The Chardonnay gives the roundness, good weight, and a mild ripe pear flavor; the Sauvignon provides some acidity, citrus, floral notes; I’m not sure what the Grechetto brings, since I’ve never had a pure Grechetto. Disclosure: I work for the company that imports this wine (Opici Wines).
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Quivira Sauvignon Blanc, Fig Tree Vineyard
$18.00
This was the most expensive of the four and, not surprisingly, the most complex. Like the Pinot Grigio, its California roots came through — round, good weight, more pear and floral aromas than the green, grassy, “pipi du chat” character you get from French Sauvignon. The flavor was dominated by pear and lime with a hint of spice, and the acidity was mild. It worked very nicely with the salmon sushi, and I think it would work even better with more flavorful sushi such as eel and mackerel. Again, full disclosure: this was received as a sample. If only a sushi company would send me samples as well, I’d really be in business!
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Next time I’ll get a more interesting array of sushi dishes and try more whites. Meantime, what wines do you enjoy with sushi? Share your thoughts in the comments.
The 2007 vintage of this wine was originally sent to me by Wines of Chile for their blogger tasting in October; I tasted the 2005 vintage at an “importers seminar” at Puro Chile a few days ago. Both were led by Master Sommelier and Chilean wine expert Fred Dexheimer.
Interestingly, I didn’t realize the other day that I’d tasted the Coyam before. More interestingly, when I compared my notes, they were almost identical — and highly positive. The ’07 is not surprisingly slightly more fresh, but both are juicy, complex, and delicious wine — and one of the best I’ve had from Chile. That’s saying something, considering that my company imports some outstanding wines from De Martino.
The blend is 38% Syrah, 21% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Carmenere, 17% Merlot, 2% Petit Verdot, and 1% Mourvedre, all from the Colchagua Valley.
The nose exudes typical Chilean aromas, which to me are similar to earthiness you smell in a classic French Merlot — i.e., distinct green bell pepper, dirt, and tobacco — along with ripe red and black fruits and hint of chocolate. Similar flavors flow on the palate: ripe red and black berries, mild earth notes, hint of chocolate — all held together by ripe tannins and ample acidity. On its own, the tannins and acid are slightly too much, but those elements are ideal when pairing with food; I matched it perfectly with a buffalo burger.
According to the label, “coyam” is a Mapuche term meaning “oak” (the Mapuches were a tribe of peoples native to South America, particularly in Chile and Argentina). However, this wine does not have overwhelming oak influence; on the contrary, there is just enough wood to add a lovely, subtle spice component (I think this is where the chocolate element comes from).
This is a very tasty, complex, well-balanced wine that is best enjoyed with lean protein. Match it with the buffalo burgers that I did, or try it with turkey burgers, mildly spiced chili, bean-based dishes, mild cheeses.
By the way, this is also an organic / biodynamic wine, if you care.
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