Numanthia Termes 2008

If ever a winery name held symbolic imagery for the style of wine they produce its Numanthia.  The winery is named after the town and castle in Spain's Toro region which 2,000 years ago held out for over a century against the siege of the Roman Legions that swept across Europe .  The same tenacity is a definite requisite to grow grapes on 100 year old vines in this rocky windswept area, but the results have turned Toro into one of the hottest viticulture regions in Spain and globally; with Numanthia leading the way.  All of Numanthia's wines are 100% Tinto de Toro varietal, they produce three distinctive styles; Termes, Numanthia and Termanthia.  Termes is intended to be bright, lively, fruit forward and I have always thought of this wine as a showpiece of what Tinto de Toro should be.  2008 after a cold winter warmed up and delivered another strong vintage for Termes.  Violets on the nose, blackberries and hints of tobacco and anise on the palate and the typical Termes silky mouthfeel.  If you have ever seen a typical grape vine either for viticulture or table grapes imagine farming vines like the one pictured below!

Bellavista Franciacorta Cuvee Brut

I really enjoy bubbles, depending on my mood and current state of finances, everything from Prosecco or Cava to the great Champagne houses.  I've also always looked to sparkling wine with a meal as much as a necessary component to a celebration.  Creamy, rich entrees or briny seafoods (think oysters or caviar) are perfectly complemented by Champagne or other bubbles.  One of my favorite food sparklers with food is Bellavista Franciacorta Cuvee Brut.  Franciacorta in Lombardy, Italy is both an appellation and vinification style.  Metoda Franciacorta is very similar to Methode Champagnoise with fermentation in the bottle and aging in cellar on riddling racks for up to six years before release.  Bellavista is probably the most famous winery in the region; founded in 1976 they released their first Franciacorta in 1984 and today own 8% of the Franciacorta Vineyards.  A Blend of Pinot Bianco, Pinot Nero (Pinot Noir) and Chardonnay, the Cuvee Brut is pleasantly yeasty with great acid/fruit balance and green apple, pear aromatics.  So back to the food pairing my first choice is usually Seared Sea Scallops, See the recipe below and toss with some Linguine and brown butter, simple, quick and delicious!

Seared Scallops

Serves: 4 servings

Ingredients

• 1 to 1 1/4 pounds dry sea scallops, approximately 16
• 2 teaspoons unsalted butter
• 2 teaspoons peanut oil
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Remove the small side muscle from the scallops, rinse with cold water and thoroughly pat dry.

Add the butter and oil to a 12 to 14-inch saute pan on high heat. Salt and pepper the scallops. Once the fat begins to smoke, gently add the scallops, making sure they are not touching each other.  Sear the scallops for 1 1/2 minutes on each side. The scallops should have a 1/4-inch golden crust on each side while still being translucent in the center.

Serve immediately

Our Forefather's Vision

"By making this wine vine known to the public, I have rendered my country as great a service as if I had enabled it to pay back our national debt." 
Thomas Jefferson

Who says the vision of past generations is not applicable to modern issues?

Bearboat Chardonnay Russian River 2010

Don't let the tongue in cheek nature of the label fool you, Bearboat is much more than just another critter label.  Owned by Remy Cointreau and made by the talented Raphael Brisbois in California's Russian River Valley, Bearboat has a well deserved reputation for top quality Pinot Noir but its their Chardonnay that I keep going back to.  Chardonnay is a tough category for all wine consumers with so many choices presented by a veritable sea of availability.  Bearboat consistently delivers what I look for, balance, fresh fruit and acidity without being too heavy, buttery or over oaked.  Hand picked fruit is crushed, 35% then is fermented and aged in stainless steel tanks with no malo to preserve the fresh fruit fruit and acid.  The remaining 65% is fermented and aged in new French Oak and goes through malolactic fermentation to bring in the vanilla and buttery notes and a creamy mouthfeel.  The final blend is bottled and consistently is fresh, concentrated and perfectly balanced Chardonnay!

Groth Cabernet Sauvignon "Oakville" 2008

We tasted the 2008 vintage of Groth Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon in the office recently and I walked away both impressed and thinking about how we all approach vintage. Vintage becomes a double edged blade when it comes to selling and buying wine, especially when it pertains to regions such Bordeaux, Brunello di Montalcino or Napa Valley. So called Vintages of the Century can be followed by equally good or better wines the following year that struggle to find buyers. We seem to be hung over after dizzily chasing the hyped vintage. I believe 2007 and 2008 in Napa is exactly this scenario. There is no doubt 2007 was a great vintage for Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon and deserves all the media and consumer acclaim the vintage has received. 2008, although subtly diiferent in style, was equally good but does not seem to have much buzz so far; in large part this is because there simply was not much of it! Severe frost put natural limitations on crop levels, add a late and hot indian summer to get the grapes ripe and a small but outstanding harvest was the theme throughout through most of Napa. Groth was no exception, their 2008 Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon is soft and luscious with blackberry on the palate and sweet vanilla on the nose from 22 months of barrel aging. As much as I continue to appreciate the power of the 2007 vintage, I think many of the 2008's including Groth may offer more pleasure!

Marques De Caceres Rioja Rose 2010

Yesterday I had one of those really great wine experiences; a wine I have not given a great deal of thought to or tasted in a long time gives a great deal of pleasure.  Several colleagues and I were having lunch at a local brick oven pizzeria and decided on a bottle of Caceres Rose 2010 to go with our Prosciutto and basil pizza, what a combo!  If you are not following the weather on the East Coast its really, really hot outside!  The chilled Rose was perfect, great fruit, strawberry and bright cherry notes, and enough acidity to make it a good food wine.  The wine is a blend, 85% Tempranillo and 15 % Garnacha, and aged entirely in stainless steel, no oak to impede all the fresh fruit flavors.  All in all a terrific choice for a summer wine!

Silverado Sauvignon Blanc "Miller Ranch" 2009

The last few years it has been pretty impressive to watch Silverado Vineyards as they continue to almost remake themselves.  Silverado has long been considered an iconic brand in the Napa Valley but recently they have really shaved production and gone to almost entirely estate wines looking to take the quality of their wines to a whole new level.  The 81 acre Miller Ranch in Yountville was Ron and Diane Miller's first acquisition in Napa in 1976.  Inititially selling fruit to other wineries, Ron and Diane crushed their first vintage in 1981 and released the first Silverado Vineyards wines in January of 1983.  Although today Silverado is probably best known for Cabernet Sauvignon, they continue to produce consistently one of California's best and most interesting Sauvignon Blancs.  The 2009 is no exception with citrusy fruit, especially grapefruit and tangerine, balanced with pleasant acidity to give a crisp mouthfeel. 

The Miller Ranch continues to be Silverado's home for Sauvignon Blanc.  Until a few years ago there was also a good deal of Chardonnay planted in this vineyard but the Miller's like this Sauvignon to such an extant they have been tearing out the Chardonnay and replanting to Sauvignon Blanc, quite an expensive proposition but worth it if more Sauvignon Blanc like this is to come our way!

Silverado Vineyards

Ponzi Pinot Noir 2009

Its amazing to consider but 2009 is Ponzi's 39th Pinot Noir vintage! Richard and Nancy Ponzi moved to the Willamette Valley in the 1960's and bought a 20 acre farm, planting and pioneering Pinot Noir in the region, they opened the doors to Ponzi Vineyards in 1970. Today the family owned estated is 120 acres and additional contracts with some of the top growers in the area Ponzi has become known as a leader in Oregon viticulture, committed to sustainable farming, and one of the best domestic producers of Pinot Noir in America.

2009 was an interesting vintage in the Willamette. A very cold winter led to a late bud break causing wineries to believe they were heading towards a late harvest and low yields, but then extreme heat spikes in July and August crossed up many vintners. In September many younger vineyards were almost over ripe and ready to pick while mature vineyards such as Ponzi did not have the sugar levels to harvest. A moderate October allowed Ponzi to keep the grapes hanging until ready and the results were terrific! The Pinot Noir 2009 is soft, supple with dusty tannins and bright cherry notes on the palate and spice box aromatics.

Graffigna Malbec 2008

My first visit to Argentina was in the mid 1990's.  I recall going with the expectation that since Argentina is considered a Latin America country the population would generally speak Spanish.  I was surprised by how much Italian I heard both in Buenos Aires and traveling through wine country, but if you look at the history of Argentina it makes sense, especially in how it impacts their wine industry.  In the late 19th century at the same time as many immigrants were arriving in the USA from Italy there was also an influx to Argentina.  Many of the families arriving to both countries were farmers looking for better opportunities and included in both countries was a healthy number of vintners.  If you look at Sonoma in California wineries such as Rochioli, Foppiano and Seghesio descend from this time.  In Argentina the Graffigna family immigrated and settled in San Juan, opening Graffigna Winery in 1870, the oldest winery in San Juan and the second oldest in all of Argentina.  Mendoza has gotten most of the publicity for wine regions in Argentina but San Juan has all the potential to match its southern neighbor in quality.  As Malbec has gotten more and more popular I continue to believe Graffigna Centenario Malbec (Centenario is Graffigna's entry range) is one of Argentina's best values! 

Grgich Hills Fume Blanc 2009

I thought about what to post on July 4th, Zinfandel as the "American" grape has been overdone, and its probably not true.  After tossing out a number of ideas I decided to go with the story of a winery and family that has helped build and sustain the reputation of our domestic wines around the world, Grgich Hills.  In 1976 in Paris at a now infamous tasting an all French panel awarded the top Chardonnay to Chateau Montelena 1973 over its French competitors.  I don't know if there is any wine analogy today that can explain the sheer shock this caused.  The winemaker for Montelena at the time was Mijenko "Mike" Grgich, propelling Mr. Grgich to reknown as one of the great winemakers of the world.  Soon after Grgich sat down with Austin Hills of Hills Coffee and on Independence Day 1977 (see it all draws together) Grgich Hills Winery was born.  It was a perfect partnership, Grgich winemaking skills and Hills owned prime Rutherford vineyards.  Today Grgich Hills owns 366 acres of vineyard up and down the Napa Valley.  Always commited to quality the winery is entirely Estate bottled and under the direction of Mike, Mike's daughter Violet and Mike's nephew and current winemaker Ivo Jeramez the vineyards have become certified organic and Demeter certified biodynamic.  One of the most popular wines from Grgich Hills has been the Fume Blanc.  The current vintage is 2009 and the wine is a product of a unique fermentation and aging process.  80% of the fruit is aged in large (900 gallon) Oak casks and the other 20% in small neutral oak barriques, allowing the clear expression of the fruit to come through with all the creamy texture of the oak but no harsh tannin to interfere with the delicate flavours and aromatics.

      Mike Grgich                                                              Violet Grgich

Hahn Family Vineyards Pinot Noir

Nicky and Gaby Hahn have always been two of my favourite people in the Wine Business. After purchasing the Cabernet Sauvignon acclaimed winery Smith and Hook in the mid 1980's the Hahn's continued to purchase acreage in Monterey. In 1991 the Hahn Family brand was born. Hahn was instrumentel in developing the Santa Lucia Highlands as an AVA (American Viticultural Area) and the reputation of the winery and the region took off. I visited the winery several weeks ago for the first time since 1998 and was struck by the dramatic change. Hahn in the past was known as a Bordeaux varietal producer and the planting mostly followed suit, mainly Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, and yet the Santa Lucia Highlands is a cool climate region that has become known for Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Now as I visited the winery out of almost 700 acres of vines almost 500 hundred acres are Pinot Noir! If you have not tasted the Hahn Family Pinot Noir you are missing out! With all of their recent success the current vintage is already 2010 but the wine is truly an attractive example of what California Pinot should be , bright cherry on the palate and floral hints of violets on the nose with delicate soft tannins and great mouthfeel!

And the perfect dish to pair with Hahn Pinot Noir, Chicken Cacciatore of course!

Tenuta Caparzo Brunello di Montalcino

I had the opportunity Tuesday night to speak at a wine dinner with one of my long time favourite restaurants, Court Street, in Hoboken.  http://www.courtstreet.com/  In addition to the great food and company the really interesting part of the evening for me was the opportunity to taste some older wines out of the restaurants cellar.  Even for those of us in the trade we seem to always be completely focused on the current vintage.  I always seem to get questions at events about aging potential on different wines and cannot help but wonder whether it is a moot point, every study done on wine trends agree that by far most wine is consumed within several hours of purchase.  The menu on Tuesday was all about wines we had sold Court Street over the last 15 years, I can tell you it is a special kind of tense experience to present a lineup of older wines and hope everything shows well but the night went as smooth as we could have hoped.  I thought all the wines showed great but the star of the evening for me was Tenuta Caparzo Brunello di Montalcino 2001.  I recently tasted the 2006 vintage from this great estate and the current vintage has all the intense Garnet color and wild berry notes on the palate you would would expect from young Brunello.  The 2001 was eye opening; the extra 5 years aging allowed the tannins to soften and more mature, complex flavours to show, chocolate, anise and a bit of cigar box.  The 2001 is still bright in color and probably still has a ways to go, maybe another 10 years but it is drinking beautifully right now!

Elizabetta Gnudi Angelini (owner - Caparzo)

Rubicon Estate 2007

To most Americans Francis Coppola is the legendary director of films such as The Godfather and Rumblefish, in the wine world Coppola is the instrument of an historic vineyard being returned to greatness.  If you were a connoisseur of California wines in the 1960's you were aware that some of the best Cabernet Sauvignon's were made by Inglenook winery.  Yes, that Inglenook brand that now produces solid quality but generic and inexpensive bag in the box wines at one time was a luxury estate.  In 1975 Mr. Coppola purchased the vineyard in Rutherford with the intent of returning the estate to prominence.  The backbone of the 235 acre property now known as Rubicon is the "Garden Vineyard", home to the unique Cabernet Sauvignon clone founder Gustave Niebaum brought to California from France in 1882.  Over the last decade Rubicon Estate, a Cabernet Sauvignon based blend and the winery's top wine, has consistently received rave reviews and and has become known as one of California's great gems.

Rubicon Estate 2007 is certainly representative of this wonderful vintage.  The wine is rich, powerful and opulent, with dark cherry notes on the palate and a a nose full of violets and hints of tobacco.  While this wine is delicious right now, the balance of fruit, natural acidity and tannin all lead one to believe Rubicon Estate 2007 will continue to improve with age.

Francis Ford Coppola (Rubicon)

Louis Latour Corton Charlemagne 2009

This year is going to be wonderful for passionate Burgundy fans with the release of the heralded 2009 vintage.  Many of the white wines are now in the market and the reds will soon begin to arrive.  2009 in Burgundy was one of those years the growers hope for; a cold winter at the start to hold down pests and disease and then sunny, dry weather starting in August and going right through harvest to yield small berries with thick skins.  These conditions combine for a classic vintage and wines with great flavor and aging potential.

I tasted one of the iconic White Wines of Burgundy, Maison Louis Latour Corton Charlemagne 2009, and it did not disappoint!  In the late 19th century the Latour family took the lead post phylloxera and after ripping out the dead Pinot Noir vines became the first to plant Chardonnay in Corton.  This now historic decision was very controversial at the time but lead to Corton Charlemagne becoming regarded as one of the great white wines of the world.  The Latour 2009 is rich and beautifully balanced with fruit and acidity, hints of mango and sweet spice, great mouthfeel and aromatics of almonds.  I look forward to more of this great vintage!

Louis Fabrice Latour

Wine Cocktails

Summer is coming, Memorial Day weekend is approaching, what to serve at the BBQ or sitting on the porch?  This is total heresy to some of my wine geek friends but I really like wine based cocktails, especially when it starts getting warm out.  I starting seeing (and consuming) some of these creative concoctions a couple of years ago at restaurants with some creative bartenders and the trend has caught on!  Here are two of my favorite recipes;

Sandeman Sangria

1 1/2 parts Sandeman Ruby Porto

2 parts margarita mix

1 part orange Juice

1/2 part grenadine

Orange, chopped to taste

Ice Cubes

Prepare in a large glass jug.  Add the chopped orange.  Pour the other ingredients and top off with ice, stir well.  Serve in a tall cocktail glass and garnish with an orange wedge.

Iniskillin Ice Wine Martini

2 oz Iniskillin Pearl Vidal ice wine

2 oz Double Cross vodka

frozen green grape for garnish

chilled martini glass

Place frozen grape into bottom of the martini glass.  Pour ice wine into glass, top with vodka and stir gently.

Nickel and Nickel Winery

I recently had the opportunity to visit Nickel and Nickel Winery in Napa, great time and incredible wines!  The whole concept of single vineyard Cabernet Sauvignons is exciting.  Vineyards that are near each other or in one case actually contiguous and made by the same winemaker have such different flavor profiles!  Here is a great clip produced by the winery;

http://www.youtube.com/user/nickelandnickelwines

New Book "Voodoo Vintners" by Katherine Cole

If you have an interest in Viticulture there is a great new book out by the well respected Pacific Northwest wine writer Katherine Cole called "Voodoo Vintners".  There is a whole chapter devoted to one of my favorite wineries, Montinore!

http://oregonstate.edu/dept/press/e-w/Voodoo.html