Varietal: Nebbiolo
Wine: Borolo
Label:Albe
Region: Italy
Year: 2008
Date Tasted: Feb. 2013
Notes:
Minimal nose on this red, but taste of heather, cherry, blueberry. Medium body and slight acid, high finishing notes.
Thursday, March 13, 2014
#34 - Petit Manseng
Varietal: Petit Manseng
Wine: Petit Manseng
Label: Bluemont Vineyard
Region: Virginia
Year: 2011
Date Tasted: August 2012
Notes:
Medium light white, dry and citrus.
Wine: Petit Manseng
Label: Bluemont Vineyard
Region: Virginia
Year: 2011
Date Tasted: August 2012
Notes:
Medium light white, dry and citrus.
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
#33 - Mencía
Varietal: Mencía
Wine: Mencía
Label: Eira Vella, Roble
Region: Spain
Year: 2009
Date Tasted: March 2012
Notes:
A very dry light red, this wine's greatest strength seems to be in what it makes you keep looking for. I usually describe wine flavors in a set of three to try to define parameters that you can take as the outside of the (as it were) 2d flavor diagram, and for this wine, I have to use blueberry, cranberry, and snow - not watery, but a sort of soft chill that makes you laugh without really knowing why. Be careful of pairing this wine with bold flavors, but if you are looking for a dry companion to desert or a vegetable platter, this should be more than at home.
Wine: Mencía
Label: Eira Vella, Roble
Region: Spain
Year: 2009
Date Tasted: March 2012
Notes:
A very dry light red, this wine's greatest strength seems to be in what it makes you keep looking for. I usually describe wine flavors in a set of three to try to define parameters that you can take as the outside of the (as it were) 2d flavor diagram, and for this wine, I have to use blueberry, cranberry, and snow - not watery, but a sort of soft chill that makes you laugh without really knowing why. Be careful of pairing this wine with bold flavors, but if you are looking for a dry companion to desert or a vegetable platter, this should be more than at home.
#32 - Barbara
Varietal: Barbara
Wine: Barbara
Label: Crivelli Barbara D'Asti
Region: Piedmont Italy
Year: 2009
Date Tasted: March 2012
Notes:
Medium dry red with a very full fruit mixed with mild but varied tannins. Notes of blackberry and carmel. Enough complexity and variance over the tongue and in finish that you never feel like you have actually gotten to know it. My favorite of the Wine Kitchen set we had, and one I will continue to explore.
Wine: Barbara
Label: Crivelli Barbara D'Asti
Region: Piedmont Italy
Year: 2009
Date Tasted: March 2012
Notes:
Medium dry red with a very full fruit mixed with mild but varied tannins. Notes of blackberry and carmel. Enough complexity and variance over the tongue and in finish that you never feel like you have actually gotten to know it. My favorite of the Wine Kitchen set we had, and one I will continue to explore.
An evening at the Wine Kitchen
For our anniversary, we had an evening at The Wine Kitchen in Leesburg courtesy of a friend. The restaurant has a great atmosphere and is popular enough on a weekend that you may spend some time standing near (but not yet even sitting at) the bar talking wines while waiting for a table to clear. WK keeps a rotating stock of wines, and allows purchase by the bottle, glass, or taste (really nearly half a glass). And to top things off, you can get a three-taste sampler in groupings put together by the staff. Never being ones to turn down variety, The Heart and I ordered their current Italy and Spain trios, respectively. This post will be followed by the two new varietals, but abbreviated reviews of the other wines are here.
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Varietal: Trebbiano, Passerina, Pecorino
Wine: (Unknown blend name)
Label: De Angelis
Region: Falerio, Italy
Year: 2010
Date Tasted: March 2012
Notes:
Very clear flavored white, light bodied and medium dry. High notes of flavor, particularly peach and rose, is bright enough to remind of a sparkling white. Very easy on the tongue, and the favorite of The Heart.
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Varietal: Sangiovese
Wine: Chianti (Reserva)
Label: Renzo Masi & Co.
Region: Firenze, Italy
Year: 2008
Date Tasted: March 2012
Notes:
Dry red, medium to full body, notes of nutmeg, black pepper, and Granny Smith apple. Complex and everything a grand chianti should be.
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Varietal: Tempranillo
Wine: Tempranillo
Label: Gran Familia Rioja
Region: Rioja, Spain
Year: 2008
Date Tasted: March 2012
Notes:
Medium dry with the full fruit this varietal is known for; notes of cranberry, apple, and almond. A consistent, versatile, and enjoyable wine.
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Varietal: Syrah
Wine: Syrah (organic)
Label: Lobetia
Region: Madrid, Spain
Year: 2010
Date Tasted: March 2012
Notes:
Very broad flavor, dry red but not biting which shows a maturity beyond its short years, notes of raspberry, walnut, and a hint of curry. Try this for syrah/shiraz like you haven't had it before.
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Varietal: Trebbiano, Passerina, Pecorino
Wine: (Unknown blend name)
Label: De Angelis
Region: Falerio, Italy
Year: 2010
Date Tasted: March 2012
Notes:
Very clear flavored white, light bodied and medium dry. High notes of flavor, particularly peach and rose, is bright enough to remind of a sparkling white. Very easy on the tongue, and the favorite of The Heart.
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Varietal: Sangiovese
Wine: Chianti (Reserva)
Label: Renzo Masi & Co.
Region: Firenze, Italy
Year: 2008
Date Tasted: March 2012
Notes:
Dry red, medium to full body, notes of nutmeg, black pepper, and Granny Smith apple. Complex and everything a grand chianti should be.
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Varietal: Tempranillo
Wine: Tempranillo
Label: Gran Familia Rioja
Region: Rioja, Spain
Year: 2008
Date Tasted: March 2012
Notes:
Medium dry with the full fruit this varietal is known for; notes of cranberry, apple, and almond. A consistent, versatile, and enjoyable wine.
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Varietal: Syrah
Wine: Syrah (organic)
Label: Lobetia
Region: Madrid, Spain
Year: 2010
Date Tasted: March 2012
Notes:
Very broad flavor, dry red but not biting which shows a maturity beyond its short years, notes of raspberry, walnut, and a hint of curry. Try this for syrah/shiraz like you haven't had it before.
Friday, January 27, 2012
#31 - Albariño / Alvarinho
Varietal: Albariño
Wine: Albariño
Label: Martin Codax
Region: Spain
Year: 2009
Date Tasted: January 2012
Notes:
This dry white presents an interesting combination, with a very medium body and strong (for a white) approach, but a somewhat restrained flavor. Although this wine has some bite, the taste is more sour acidic than bright acidic. Although there is some complexity to the palate, the notes and tones are within a tight group, presenting nectarine, hibiscus, and lime, but without a broad fruitiness.
Although this wine will not become one of our "workhorse" bottles with broad appeal and applicability, it does fill a niche match with a lighter meal having strong flavors that need an equal to push back, such as the pasta and cream sauce that goes with strong onions in chicken tetrazzini.
Wine: Albariño
Label: Martin Codax
Region: Spain
Year: 2009
Date Tasted: January 2012
Notes:
This dry white presents an interesting combination, with a very medium body and strong (for a white) approach, but a somewhat restrained flavor. Although this wine has some bite, the taste is more sour acidic than bright acidic. Although there is some complexity to the palate, the notes and tones are within a tight group, presenting nectarine, hibiscus, and lime, but without a broad fruitiness.
Although this wine will not become one of our "workhorse" bottles with broad appeal and applicability, it does fill a niche match with a lighter meal having strong flavors that need an equal to push back, such as the pasta and cream sauce that goes with strong onions in chicken tetrazzini.
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Space wine and a coffee alternative
Today's news brings two interesting stories.
Chile's Tremonte vineyard, whose owner is an avid astronomer, has produced a wine barrel fermented with a real meteorite believed to have come from the trans-Martian asteroid belt. Regardless of the flavor, the connection to the great unknown would certainly give consumption of a bottle a great sense of occasion.
Experimenting with ways to branch out from its core service of the morning coffee and fill its quieter hours, Starbucks will be offering beer and wine at a handful of locations. The new menu already exists in Seattle and Portland, and will be shortly expanding to Southern California, Chicago, and Atlanta.
Chile's Tremonte vineyard, whose owner is an avid astronomer, has produced a wine barrel fermented with a real meteorite believed to have come from the trans-Martian asteroid belt. Regardless of the flavor, the connection to the great unknown would certainly give consumption of a bottle a great sense of occasion.
Experimenting with ways to branch out from its core service of the morning coffee and fill its quieter hours, Starbucks will be offering beer and wine at a handful of locations. The new menu already exists in Seattle and Portland, and will be shortly expanding to Southern California, Chicago, and Atlanta.
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Meanwhile in the United States...
While some Europeans are trying to fight regional controls, American vineyards on the west coast are excited by the addition of two new American Viticultural Areas (AVAs), adding to our list of recognized terroirs Naches Heights (Washington) and Pine Mountain-Cloverdale Peak (California).
(Although not mentioned in the article, AVAs are designated by the Department of the Treasury's Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau. In case you wanted to know where vineyard lobbying money goes.)
(Although not mentioned in the article, AVAs are designated by the Department of the Treasury's Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau. In case you wanted to know where vineyard lobbying money goes.)
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Bucking the AOC
Some winemakers in France, not happy with the limitations of the appellation d'origine controlee regulatory scheme (under which winemakers can obtain the right to use regional labels like Bordeaux or Burgundy) and contending that the system counters the free development of wine by rewarding and enforcing uniformity, are finding it hard to buck the system.
Article on L.A. Times.
Article on L.A. Times.
#30 - Chambourcin
Varietal: Chambourcin
Wine: Chambourcin
Label: Fabbioli Cellars
Region: Virginia
Year: 2009
Date Tasted: December 2011
Notes:
This excellent wine from a hybrid grape, courtesy of friends Caleb & Jen, presents as a full bodied dry red. The flavor is full and varied, beginning with a dry merlot-like flavor that adds in notes of nutmeg and rum. The finish is smooth and thoughtful and keeps you reaching back for the glass, after an appropriate appreciative pause.
It paired very nicely with an excellent slow marinaded steak grilled under Caleb's careful tutelage.
Wine: Chambourcin
Label: Fabbioli Cellars
Region: Virginia
Year: 2009
Date Tasted: December 2011
Notes:
This excellent wine from a hybrid grape, courtesy of friends Caleb & Jen, presents as a full bodied dry red. The flavor is full and varied, beginning with a dry merlot-like flavor that adds in notes of nutmeg and rum. The finish is smooth and thoughtful and keeps you reaching back for the glass, after an appropriate appreciative pause.
It paired very nicely with an excellent slow marinaded steak grilled under Caleb's careful tutelage.
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