Well, we're not quite out of the economic recession -- yet! Still, people all over the world recognize the caveat that "Living Well is the Best Revenge" and continue to enjoy the best life has to offer.

Recently, I attended dinner party at Adour, an Alain Ducasse restaurant in Manhattan, that was all about Champagne Piper-Heidsieck Rare. The pairings were spot on perfect -- never let anyone suggest you could not make a meal out of champagne!

In general, when you pair Piper-Heidsieck - or any champagne, you should match the weight of the wine with the weight of the food. Piper-Heidsieck is a very delicate champagne, so you would want to ensure that the flavor of the food does not overpower the wine.

Bouchee a la Reine - Moray Sauce
Champagne Piper-Heidsieck Cuvee Brut
fresh and crisp ... excellent start to the meal ahead

Chilled Maine Lobster Medaillons with wild greens/hebs, "crudite en copeaux"
Champagne Piper-Heidsieck Rare Vintage 1999
Shining pale gold color, delicate citrus nose, slight spice on palate and long finish.

Sweetbread "Meuniere" Egg Purse wild mushrooms, toasted brioche
Champagne Piper-Heisieck Rare Vintage 1998
Sandalwood on the nose gives way to a generous bouquet of gingerbread, orange blossom, and dried apricots which are reflected on the palate.

Diver Day Boat Scallops salisfy, spinach, black truffle-shellfish jus
Champagne Piper-Heidsieck Rare Vintage 1988
A delicate aroma of white peach anddried apricots gives way to a velvety texture of cocoa beans, dried fruit, hazelnuts, and dried currants.

Of course, this sort of Sherlock Holmes antics is familiar to students in the Master of Wine program. Typically I ask wine retailers that wine be sent to me blind (i.e. wrapped in a bag so I can’t see the year or variety), at different price points, so I may puzzle it out.

For a summer picnic, my friend and I tasted these two wines, having no idea they shared a grape in common. Though we correctly guessed the vintages 08 and 09, and the fact both were old world (by virtue of the subdued fruit, high mineral content) they felt like they could be a number of high acid, cool climate whites.
On first sniff, it could well have been a Vernaccia or Verdicchio from Italy.

Because of the extreme minerality of both the wines, Sauvignon Blanc does not leap to mind the way it would from a New Zealand SB.

And finally, because it was actually an accident they were being drunk together (sometimes I alert the wine store clerk to send me wines to taste in pairs) at the time of the tasting I had no idea they shared a varietal.

In the end, the key differences between the wines is this: the Sancerre, grown on a specific plot of limestone hills facing the Eastern sun, gives a very chalky limestone wine, with very faint fruit and marked minerality and acidity. Now the Graves was also quite mineral (remember the Graves soil is stony pebbles) yet one could detect a faint amount of white grapefruit. Also, because this Graves was a blend of Muscadelle and Semillon, it was slightly fatter, less lean than the Sancerre.

Both were delicious and from my favorite importers, Kermit Lynch (Graves) and Louis Dressner (Sancerre).

2008 Sancerre La Garenne

Very tight, almost full-bodied Sauvignon Blanc with intense limestone-chalk-mineral palate and long, satisfying stony finish.

2009 Chateau Giraud-Lacoste

Delicate and slightly floral, this is a well structured, mineral-rich wine with a hint of bitter grapefruit on the finish.

... so recently I received three wines from V. Sattui Winery, a family owned winery dedicated to making handcrafted wines in small lots. As is the current trend, the wines are only sold at the winery or direct shipped. This is a practice that makes sense in our competitive market, and rather smart for the winery which farms 230 acres of estate vineyards throughout the North Coast, primarily in Napa Valley and produces 43 wines.

My favorite was the 2007 Vittorio's vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon. Usually I taste blind, and now I'm sorry that I didn't because the sense of Napa terroir is so strong here it could have been an easy win. It was fermented in stainless steel and aged in barrel (half new French oak, half seasoned French oak). Very good quality, 931 cases. Typical aromas of cocoa and dusty earth with raspberry and sweet oak.

I also liked the 2008 Pinot Noir, which was sourced from the Henry Ranch in Carneros. It was fermented in stainless steel and aged for 10 months in barrel (50% New French Oak). Very concentrated fruit. The 2008 White Riesling was aromatic and well balanced, fermented slowly at low temperatures. It was named "Best Riesling in California" for the past two years, as well as winning two gold medals - California State Fair / Best of Appellation, Winemaker Challenge.

Brooks Painter had many positions at prestigious wineries in the past, and is a member/past President of the Napa Valley Wine Club Technical Group.  If you go to the winery's web site, you can see it's a gorgeous place where guests can picnic on their lawns underneath 200 year old trees. You can also buy delicious items at the winery's in-house Italian Marketplace as they have their own in-house chef, Gerardo Sainato.

I hope to visit around the harvest, so maybe I will see you there.

As a wine educator, one of the most pleasurable aspects of my profession is choosing a theme for a class and introducing students to exciting wines or wine regions I have discovered. And here in Manhattan, this is a special challenge, because in this jaded city most everyone dabbling in the world of wine has tasted pretty much everything the world has to offer.

So I first decided on a theme of Aromatic white wines, and decided that this class should be called “Discovering the ABCs of Wine.” Now in this context, the word “ABC” can mean “introduction to wine” – which is also an intention of the class. Many people have enjoyed wine for decades without really understanding how to analyze wine and appreciate the opportunity to formally learn this skill. Yet for me, ABC also means “Anything But Chardonnay.”

Now there is nothing wrong with Chardonnay. It is an international variety produced almost everywhere on the planet. It can grow in warm and cool climates. It can smell and taste like hot buttered popcorn, apple pie a la mode, or like mineral water with a squeeze of lime or lemon. And the reason it has so many expressions is because for the most part it is a neutral grape, with its expression and style coming from the choice of vinification.

Now for this tasting I chose three aromatic white varietals considered very unusual and hard to find. The first was a 2007 Domaine de Cezin, a wine made from the Chenin Blanc grape that grows in a tiny AOC region called Jasnieres in Touraine in the Loire Valley (France). What’s interesting about this appellation is that it was created in 1938, about a half century before the ‘frenzy’ AOCs are today. Almost every day, it seems, a new AOC is granted.

Given this 1938 AOC designation, one has to ask what is so special about this wine that it was distinguished from all the other regions in the Loire? First of all, Jasnieres is a tiny appellation … just 128 hectares under vine and a dozen producers making a living off their wine. The wine is named after the “terroir” so Domaine de Cezin is the name of the plot, now owned by the Fresneau family since 1952. In doing research on this wine, I saw many family photographs dating even earlier than 1952 – it is very much a family operation. This was likely the case in the Middle Ages, when wine from Jasnieres was drunk and celebrated by Kings (possibly, I’m assuming, with oysters from the mouth of the Loire). If you know Chenin Blanc, you know that it can be dry, sweet, or off-dry, depending on the mood of the producer and the vintage. In good vintages, Chenin Blanc is almost always sweet. This 2007 vintage borders that difficult area between dry and sweet … technically, I believe it must be under 9 grams of residual sugar to be considered “dry” yet sometimes searing acidity can make a technically off-dry wine taste dry by contrast.

In any event, when you taste this wine (a class favorite) you will find very high acidity that is a perfect match with seafood, good mouthfeel, racy acidity, minerals, and notes of lemon and citrus. The soil here is called “tuff” and is made of soft chalk, decomposing clay, with flint – very difficult to work. Vineyards face the south for sunshine and protection from the north winds. The forest of Berce also helps te vines resist the wind. On the web I read that some visiting journalists stopped by for tasting and M. Fresneau revealed that he recently tried a wine from the turn of the century left on the property from previous owners – and that it was still fresh and lively. I can believe this given the soil, acidity, and fifty year old vines.

Now the next wine ws Vin de Savoie Apremont Les Rocailles. I loved this wine in the 2007 vintage (no longer available). I first experienced it in a blind tasting, and with its delicate white and gold flowers, seemed possibly a Muscat. Actually, the grape is the Jacquere and it ONLY grows in the Savoie area of France, which is between the Italian and Swiss Alps. Unlike the Chenin Blanc from the Loire, this wine is meant to “drink now.” The 2008 had less flowers, and more minerals and fruit, which seems mostly citrus (tangerine, orange pith) with some minor CO2. The producer is now Pierre Boniface, who inherited the vineyard from his father when it was twenty hectares producing only this varietal. Now, I read that Mr. Boniface also makes red wines, has increased his hectares, and has succeeded in conquering the export market. In conducting research for the tasting, I see that a handful of blogger/tasters have written notes on this wine, with their readers so excited about it they are demanding to know where they can buy it. If you are reading this outside NYC, you might check out the web site for Hand Picked Selections, its importer.

The last wine in the tasting was the 2007 Finca y Bodega Carlos Pulenta Torrentes Tomero Valley de Cafatyate, which is a favorite among the ladies who lunch crowd. People – mostly women – who rarely drink love this wine because of its intense floral nose. It is like being at a bridal shower in terms of that light, white floral aroma. The grape is indigenous to Argentina (Salta) where it is sunny 360 days a year. Irrigation is mandatory. Despite the sun, the wine keeps its acidity because despite the warm days the nights are cool. The Torino brothers started the winery in 1898, twenty years after the Cafayate Valley became confirmed as a quality wine producing region.

So there you have it. Three very interesting white wines, none of them a Chardonnay!

Please try these wines and use the comment feature to share your thoughts.
 

As a wine educator, one of the most pleasurable aspects of my profession is choosing a theme for a class and introducing students to exciting wines or wine regions I have discovered. And here in Manhattan, this is a special challenge, because in this jaded city most everyone dabbling in the world of wine has tasted pretty much everything the world has to offer.

So I first decided on a theme of Aromatic white wines, and decided that this class should be called “Discovering the ABCs of Wine.” Now in this context, the word “ABC” can mean “introduction to wine” – which is also an intention of the class. Many people have enjoyed wine for decades without really understanding how to analyze wine and appreciate the opportunity to formally learn this skill. Yet for me, ABC also means “Anything But Chardonnay.”

Now there is nothing wrong with Chardonnay. It is an international variety produced almost everywhere on the planet. It can grow in warm and cool climates. It can smell and taste like hot buttered popcorn, apple pie a la mode, or like mineral water with a squeeze of lime or lemon. And the reason it has so many expressions is because for the most part it is a neutral grape, with its expression and style coming from the choice of vinification.

Now for this tasting I chose three aromatic white varietals considered very unusual and hard to find. The first was a 2007 Domaine de Cezin, a wine made from the Chenin Blanc grape that grows in a tiny AOC region called Jasnieres in Touraine in the Loire Valley (France). What’s interesting about this appellation is that it was created in 1938, about a half century before the ‘frenzy’ AOCs are today. Almost every day, it seems, a new AOC is granted.

Given this 1938 AOC designation, one has to ask what is so special about this wine that it was distinguished from all the other regions in the Loire? First of all, Jasnieres is a tiny appellation … just 128 hectares under vine and a dozen producers making a living off their wine. The wine is named after the “terroir” so Domaine de Cezin is the name of the plot, now owned by the Fresneau family since 1952. In doing research on this wine, I saw many family photographs dating even earlier than 1952 – it is very much a family operation. This was likely the case in the Middle Ages, when wine from Jasnieres was drunk and celebrated by Kings (possibly, I’m assuming, with oysters from the mouth of the Loire). If you know Chenin Blanc, you know that it can be dry, sweet, or off-dry, depending on the mood of the producer and the vintage. In good vintages, Chenin Blanc is almost always sweet. This 2007 vintage borders that difficult area between dry and sweet … technically, I believe it must be under 9 grams of residual sugar to be considered “dry” yet sometimes searing acidity can make a technically off-dry wine taste dry by contrast.

In any event, when you taste this wine (a class favorite) you will find very high acidity that is a perfect match with seafood, good mouthfeel, racy acidity, minerals, and notes of lemon and citrus. The soil here is called “tuff” and is made of soft chalk, decomposing clay, with flint – very difficult to work. Vineyards face the south for sunshine and protection from the north winds. The forest of Berce also helps te vines resist the wind. On the web I read that some visiting journalists stopped by for tasting and M. Fresneau revealed that he recently tried a wine from the turn of the century left on the property from previous owners – and that it was still fresh and lively. I can believe this given the soil, acidity, and fifty year old vines.

Now the next wine ws Vin de Savoie Apremont Les Rocailles. I loved this wine in the 2007 vintage (no longer available). I first experienced it in a blind tasting, and with its delicate white and gold flowers, seemed possibly a Muscat. Actually, the grape is the Jacquere and it ONLY grows in the Savoie area of France, which is between the Italian and Swiss Alps. Unlike the Chenin Blanc from the Loire, this wine is meant to “drink now.” The 2008 had less flowers, and more minerals and fruit, which seems mostly citrus (tangerine, orange pith) with some minor CO2. The producer is now Pierre Boniface, who inherited the vineyard from his father when it was twenty hectares producing only this varietal. Now, I read that Mr. Boniface also makes red wines, has increased his hectares, and has succeeded in conquering the export market. In conducting research for the tasting, I see that a handful of blogger/tasters have written notes on this wine, with their readers so excited about it they are demanding to know where they can buy it. If you are reading this outside NYC, you might check out the web site for Hand Picked Selections, its importer.

The last wine in the tasting was the 2007 Finca y Bodega Carlos Pulenta Torrentes Tomero Valley de Cafatyate, which is a favorite among the ladies who lunch crowd. People – mostly women – who rarely drink love this wine because of its intense floral nose. It is like being at a bridal shower in terms of that light, white floral aroma. The grape is indigenous to Argentina (Salta) where it is sunny 360 days a year. Irrigation is mandatory. Despite the sun, the wine keeps its acidity because despite the warm days the nights are cool. The Torino brothers started the winery in 1898, twenty years after the Cafayate Valley became confirmed as a quality wine producing region.

So there you have it. Three very interesting white wines, none of them a Chardonnay!

Please try these wines and use the comment feature to share your thoughts.
 

Italy is one of the world's most imported wines, and for good reason - the country boasts more than 1000 different varieties of grapes. Many collectors swoon for their Barolo and Barbaresco, high-acid, long lived wines that pack a powerful punch. And Amarone, a wine that presents itself as sweet on the nose but dry on the palate, is often a big hit at steakhouses (with big prices to match).

Yet what to do if you crave a rich, full-bodied dry wine that is smooth and velvety, with just the right blend of acid and tannin? Go south to Sicily, and try the grape known as Nero D'Avola. Right now I am sipping a glass of Feudo Principi Di Butera Nero D'Avola and it is quite good, very rich and concentrated, with a velvet mouthfeel and a perfume of deep red fruit on the nose. On the palate, one senses raspberry jam, brandied cherries, and notes of chocolate and mocha.

The wine's history goes back to 1543 and the newly minted Prince Ambrogio Branciforte, the first Sicilian to claim the rank of Prince of Butera. At around $14, this is a quality wine for the price - great wine for sipping with dinner and imagining all the drama that must have went on in the vineyard from that date to today. Or consider stocking for parites. Grilled hamburgers or even salmon would be a great match for this wine. Salute!

Italy is one of the world's most imported wines, and for good reason - the country boasts more than 1000 different varieties of grapes. Many collectors swoon for their Barolo and Barbaresco, high-acid, long lived wines that pack a powerful punch. And Amarone, a wine that presents itself as sweet on the nose but dry on the palate, is often a big hit at steakhouses (with big prices to match).

Yet what to do if you crave a rich, full-bodied dry wine that is smooth and velvety, with just the right blend of acid and tannin? Go south to Sicily, and try the grape known as Nero D'Avola. Right now I am sipping a glass of Feudo Principi Di Butera Nero D'Avola and it is quite good, very rich and concentrated, with a velvet mouthfeel and a perfume of deep red fruit on the nose. On the palate, one senses raspberry jam, brandied cherries, and notes of chocolate and mocha.

The wine's history goes back to 1543 and the newly minted Prince Ambrogio Branciforte, the first Sicilian to claim the rank of Prince of Butera. At around $14, this is a quality wine for the price - great wine for sipping with dinner and imagining all the drama that must have went on in the vineyard from that date to today. Or consider stocking for parites. Grilled hamburgers or even salmon would be a great match for this wine. Salute!

Part 1: Tale of Two Pinot Noir

One of the pleasures of those who love Pinot Noir is blind tasting various producers and deciding if they are Old World or New World, and then trying to pinpoint the producer’s exact location. If you have not played this ‘game’ before one of the supposed marks of an ‘old world’ Pinot Noir is that the fruit is more in the background, while in the ‘New World’ it is more in the forefront.

Blind Tasting New World Pinot Noir and guessing the AVA revolves around placing it in Sonoma Coast, Central Coast, Oregon, and other West Coast regions. Recently Susan Doyle, winemaker at Mac Murray Ranch in California sent me their new releases of Pinot Noir. Both bottles were 2007, with one Pinot Noir being Mac Murray Ranch 2007 Central Coast ($23) and the other Sonoma Coast 2007 ($28).

In the tasting, I found both wines similar in many respects as the wines had the same dark ruby purple color with a pale purple rim and watery white meniscus. On the nose the wines were similar, yet with some differences. The Central Coast had a medium + aroma of chocolate, raspberry, brandied cherry, licorice, and blueberry with a similar palate. The Sonoma Coast 2007 was also medium intensity with black fruit, a stronger anise aroma, and just ‘more’ everything on the palate, more black jammy fruit, spice, cinnamon, and vanilla. It has all the ingredients to evolve with time in the bottle. Both were delicious and decidedly ‘New World’ in style. The wines would pair with the same dishes … salmon, pork in a fruit marinade, and the wines would also be delicious paired with a composed summer salad.

The wines represented quality production, especially as the 2007 harvest was smaller than usual. As is typical in quality winemaking, the grapes were harvested in the early morning (note 3am) to ensure that the fruit was kept cool for fermentation. As one can observe from the color, the grapes were de-stemmed and cold soaked prior to fermentation for optimal extraction of color and flavor.

Part 2 Mac Murray Pinot Gris 2008

This is an excellent wine to pair with white fish, composed salads, and as a refreshing aperitif on a warm summer day. The nose is a heady mix of white flowers, yellow flowers, and stone fruit such as firm peach and apricot. The grapes are whole-cluster pressed and fermented for 14-21 days in stainless steel.

A votre santé!

Summertime ….and the grilling is easy. So what’s for dinner tonight? A thick, juicy steak? Most people think “steak” and automatically reach for a California Cabernet. And if a Cab is your go-to wine for steak, you are on the right wine and food pairing track. Steak needs a a wine with enough acidity and tannin to cut through the fat, which typically means a higher acid, higher tannin red wine. You will also want a wine with enough body to match the texture of the steak as well as the charring method of its preparation. And finally, you may want to pick up some of the spice in the steak’s marinade in the wine. Red wine such as Cabernet or Merlot can be spicy, yet this coming weekend consider richer, more perfumed alternatives such as California Zinfandel, Peitt Verdot, or Petite Sirah

Recently Antoine Favero, winemaker at California’s Mazzocco winery in Healdsburg, California, sent me several new releases from Mazzocco’s many single vineyards in the Dry Creek and Alexander Valleys. Most of the vineyards are located in mountainous regions above the valley where old vines thrive into longevity and young vines show extraordinary promise – especially with steak!

Two of the newly released Zinfandels include the 2006 Dry Creek Valley from the Maple Vineyard, and the 2006 Dry Creek Valley from the Pony Vineyard. If you are new to wine, you may find it curious that the same grape from two neighboring vineyards can taste so different, though both are great partners with steak. The Pony Reserve is sumptuous, elegant, and highly perfumed, perhaps reflecting they way the grapes were grown on a terraced vineyard. With its lush aromatics and high acidity, this wine is a great pairing with a slightly fattier steak with a fruit-based marinade. In contrast, the Maple Reserve is much leaner, with more sharpness and finesse on the palate.

Beyond Zinfandel, some good wine pairing for steak can include Mazzocco’s 2005 Petite Sirah from the Aguilera vineyard in Dry Creek Valley, a very rich, elegant wine with big fruit, spice, vanilla, and wild berry flavors. Or try their 2005 Petit Verdot from Monterey County, with more rich fruit, violets, and toasted oak. These are lush, high-alcohol, richly perfumed wines. Petit Verdot, by the way, is one of the five grapes that make up the Bordeaux blend in France. It is used sparingly in both the right and left banks, accounting for a tiny fraction of the blend so you can imagine how rich and sumptuous it would be on its own as a single varietal.

Mazzocco wines, across the board, are powerful, vibrant, and almost royal in their purple power. Indeed, they are so assertive they almost seem to jump out of the glass, look down their figurative nose at the food they are being paired with, and demand an answer to the question: “who’s the star here, you or me?” And between you and I, they are quite right to do so. Though Mazzocco’s wines compliment a steak, in the end the wines have so much richness and personality the wine ends up being complimented by the steak.

Life is all about experimentation, so if you are a solid Cab or Merlot drinker with steak, at your next dinner party you might create a fun mini-tasting by paring the steak course with two wines simultaneously, a Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot, and a Zinfandel, Petit Verdot, or Petite Sirah and come to your own conclusions.

Cheers!

According to the web site, this is 100% Merlot, and you can see the flavor profiles below. Since I'm more of a left bank Bordeaux drinker (Cab Sauvignon territory) I'm surprised that I like it. Interesting, also, to note how many of the "typical" flavors are reflected in this wine including blueberry ("blue fruit," in case you are ever facing an exam) and cocoa/chocolate to be sure. Also plum, spice (in a major way), caramel (if you really use your imagination), and prune (ditto). Also coffee and mint. Try printing this flavor table out and use it when you have your next Merlot.