Category — Wine

The bottle of Geyserville, 2007

If you think of Ridge Geyserville as a Zinfandel, look at this year’s label:  58% Zinfandel, 22% Carignane, 18% Petite Syrah, 2% Mataro (Mourvedre).

I am a great fan of Ridge, and this actually went way beyond my expectations.  At 14.4%, this wine had the best qualities of California Zinfandel-based wine with added complexity.  In addition to the deep blackberry fruit, there were added notes of chocolate, liquorice, and spiciness that created a marvelous sense of sophistication.   I suspect that this wonderful wine would have improved with age, but it was sensational when we drank it tonight.  Usually, you think of very drinkable wines as lacking in elegance and finesse.  This wine eloquently explains why that does not have to be true.

Our guest paid about $35 for this wine, which is more than our usual bottle price, but it was worth every penny of his money!  Highly recommended.

One thing I love about Ridge is the detail they provide for the consumers on the back of the bottle.  Click here to see the level of detail that they provide.  I think it is impressive.

Finally, I looked back at the last Geyserville I had written about when I had the 1999.  What a totally different wine!  It is interesting to see how differently the wine is made!  Click here for my tasting notes.

I had read a lot about Canadian Icewine for years, but I had never actually tried it until I flew in the First Class cabin of a British Airways flight from Washington to London in 2001.  The wine they served after dinner was a Riesling Icewine from Henry of Pelham.  I was hooked and resolved to try other Icewines and find out as much I could about them.  But I have never had an Icewine that is better than the ones from this little winery in St. Catharines, Ontario.

Icewines from Ontario are picked at temperatures from -8 to -13 degrees (centigrade).  The idea is that the grapes are frozen.  Then they are crushed enabling a separation of the water from the grape juice.  All grapes affected by botrytis cinerea (noble rot) are removed from the mix.  This results in age worthy, highly concentrated wine with a wonderful balance of sweetness and acidity.  I find they go nicely with rich pâté or blue cheese or fruit-based desserts.

I travel fairly often to Canada, and they sell Icewine at the duty free shops at the border.  Although I have tried many of them, I have never had better than those from Henry of Pelham, and, although they cost just a little bit more, I find that the Rieslings are much nicer than more commonly sold Vidals.

Tonight’s Riesling from Henry of Pelham was no disappointment.  Our guest wondered how Icewine fared with a little age on it.  My reply was that I did not know, but we would soon find out.  What a treat this was!

I had stored this wine in a wine refrigerator at 13 degrees Celsius since I bought it from the winery.  It was a little darker than I remember it when it was younger, but it had gained a nutty (hazelnuts?) complexity without losing any of its fruity acidity and freshness on the tip of the tongue as it enters your mouth.  It almost sparkled on the tip of the tongue.

To me, this is the gold standard in Canadian Icewine, and tonight’s experience showed that age only improves it.  If you are ever in the area, visit this winery.  The staff know their wines well and are honest in their assessment of the various vintages. I have been there twice and emerged on each occasion feeling more enlightened clutching my precious treasures.  By all means, try the Vidal, which is good.  But the few extra dollars for the Riesling are well spent.

I have had several years of the Icewine from Henry of Pelham, and I have never been disappointed.

People often press me for my favorite wine.  For a wine lover, this is a complicated question.  It raises so many questions.  Are we talking red or white?  What food is going to go with?  And are you talking about a specific wine, or are you talking about an area?

But if we want to keep the discussion really short.  Generally, I take reds more seriously than whites.  (I cannot justify that very well!)  And, if I am going to treat myself extra well, I head for Bordeaux.  And, I prefer Bordeaux reds that predominantly use Cabernet Sauvignon.  Finally, the area within Bordeaux that  I usually prefer is Pauillac.  Perhaps this is because it was a Pauillac wine, Château Batailley 1966, that got me started on this life long pursuit of good wine!

I am including this background because, for the wine we had on this occasion, I think my expectations were too high.  After all Grand Puy Ducasse has a reliable reputation and 2000 was a stellar year in Bordeaux. (Grand Puy Ducasse was classified as a fifth growth in the classification of 1855.) We also thought it would be completely ready to drink as Decanter described it as “Earthy, savoury, appealing, round, ripe, elegant. Some complexity, developing quite fast. Extremely drinkable. Drink up to 2009.”  Puy Ducasse also occupies a prime location with some land next to Lafite and Mouton, and another parcel adjacent to Château Batailley.

Prélude à Grand Puy Ducasse is one of the two second labels of this producer.  (The other is Château Artigues-Arnaud.)  A second label is often an excellent way of getting to taste wine from the greatest producers at a lower price that you pay for their flagship brand.

But something was wrong despite the fact that it had been stored impeccably.  There was no sign of cork damage either.  To me it certainly earthy but in a crude and unrefined way.  If you looked for it, you could find some good Cabernet fruit, but I found this wine rather unappealing and lacking in elegance.  There were the nice cedary bits that you look for in a Pauillac, but the finish was thin and even somewhat vegetal.  No more than an OK wine.  I hoped it would mark a rather special occasion, and it was a disappointment.

Charles Bove — Vin Mousseux de Qualite

This is a Chenin Blanc-based sparkling wine from the Loire Valley. Although described as Brut, it is just a little bit sweeter than you would expect. It is refreshing, fruity, and delicious. Best of all, it is only about $10.00 a bottle — about a third of what you would pay for Champagne.

We will be using our Charles Bove to ring in the New Year. A Happy New Year to all!

I bought it at the Iron Bridge Wine Company. For their address, click here.

Well, I think in the future that I should stick to predicting the past. It’s so much easier!

The Wine Spectator came out with its top (most exciting) wine of the year last Friday. Earlier this year, in this post (Click here) I predicted that Château Leoville Barton (2003) wouild be chosen as the Wine Spectator’s wine of the year. But I was wrong. Leoville Barton came in as number three. Casanova di Neri, Brunello di Montalcino (2001) won the top spot with Quilceda Creek Cabernet Sauvignon (2003) coming in second.

With 98 points, Leoville Barton scored more than the Casanova (97) and Quilceda (95). And the only other wine scoring 98 was Krug Brut Champagne, 1995 with a price tag of $224!

You can see the whole list by clicking here.

I am still glad to have several bottles of the Leoville Barton lying around. I have not tried it yet.

Long boycotted during the apartheid era, South African wines are something of a mystery to me although I am beginning to be very interested in them for two main reasons. First, they seem to represent excellent value for money. Second, they seem to do very well with a grape I like very much, Chenin Blanc, which is usually called Steen in South Africa.

Last night we had something completely different while we were waiting for dinner. One of my friends brought Guardian Peak SMG 2004, which we drank before dinner with cheese (Manchego, Cheshire, and Irish Cheddar). As you might have already guessed, SMG stands for Syrah (54%), Mourvedre (36%), and Grenache (10%). With an alcohol level of 14.5%, this is certainly not a wimpy wine, and it is a little bit “in your face” with deep and rich plummy stewed fruit flavors with sweet cherry notes. This wine does not lack subtlety though, and the blend gives it a degree of spicy vanilla cedary complexity. I wondered how it would taste after a few years in the cellar.

This is a wonderful wine, and I strongly recommend it. My friends brought it back from South Africa, but I saw it on Wine Searcher for just $9.99. If this wine can really be had for that price (or anything less than $15.00 for that matter), I would dash out and buy all I could afford!

Hanna, Cabernet Sauvignon, 1988

This wine was in my cellar for one only reason. The youngest member of our family is called Hannah, and 1988 was the year of her birth. The Hanna winery also holds a special place in our hearts since we had a lovely visit there when we staying in Calistoga a few years back. Last night, Hannah was back home visiting from college so we decided to celebrate with a bottle of Hanna.

But I did not really expect much from Hanna. First 1988 was really not a particularly good vintage for Cabernet Sauvignon in Northern California.

Second, everyone tells you these days that most wines are intended to consumed upon release, and a wine is far more likely to show badly if it is drunk too late than if you drink it too soon.

Finally, I had a problem with the cork, which broke while I was trying to open it. I finally managed to remove it fairly cleanly, and although the top part of the cork was broken, it looked as though the bottom part of it had maintained a good seal. There was a considerable amount of sediment so I poured it through a filter into a decanter.

As I was pouring, it became clear that we were in for something of a treat. A delicious aroma of blackcurrant came up from the wine as I poured. The color was a deep crimson with perhaps some degree of lightening but certainly no browning. The taste was concentrated deep fruit with some cedar with sweet vanilla overtones from the oak. A delicious wine that really seemed to have derived benefit from eighteen years in my cellar.

Well I acquired this bottle out of spite. A couple of weeks, I was about to buy a bottle of Korbel, but suddenly felt irritated that it called itself Champagne. (If you are interested, click here to see that discussion and Korbel’s defense.) So I spent three times as much money — about $30.00. And I wound up with this delicious bottle of White Star from Moet & Chandon.

They always say that if you spend a little extra, the first thing you forget is the price, and I liked this Champagne very much indeed. It is made with both red grapes (Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier) and white grapes (Chardonnay). It is less dry than most Champagnes sold in the United States, which are usually Brut. This Extra Dry Champagne is considerably sweet. It is a kinder, gentler Champagne that would go well with anything. (I don’t find Brut Champagne works very well with desserts although it served so often with wedding cakes.) It has nice beedy little bubbles, and is fruity in a way that is not often found in Champagne — peaches! Very nice indeed.

For people seeking the short story on 2001 Geyser Peak Cabernet Sauvignon, this wine is simply extraordinary. I bought it a few years ago at the King’s Contrivance Liquor Store in Columbia. (Click here for the posting on where I get my wine.) This wine had a dark berry flavor. It was surprisingly sweet, dark, and extremely intense. You could certainly taste the oak that provided soft vanilla overtones to the flavor. Simply stated, this wine was delicious. Although the price was $16.49 on the bottle, I think it was on sale and I paid about $12.00 for the bottle. Keeping it for a few years really paid off.

Now the long story…

(If you have the time, follow the links. It might be fun!)

In an earlier post, I suggested that some of the fun about wine drinking is about finding a wine where the quality seems to bear little relationship to the price. When I drink wine like the perennially good Petite Syrah from Bogle at around $12.00, I feel that I have somehow beaten the system! The Ancient Vines Zinfandel (around $12.00) from Cline gives me that same smug satisfaction.

But there is another joy of drinking wine that is linked to a theory, which is totally devoid of any research basis, that I have about pistachio nuts. Put a bowl of pistachio nuts in front of me, and I cannot stop eating them until the last one has gone. Other people often seem to have similar weaknesses.

(By the way, if I am drinking wine before dinner, I usually avoid peanuts. I don’t consider them very wine friendly.)

Apart from unrestrained gluttony, I believe that this compulsion to keep eating is related to the behaviorist idea that habits are more strongly reinforced if the reward for a behavior is given randomly. So, if you eat thirty pistachio nuts, you are likely to find twenty six good ones, one little stinker, and the remaining three will simply sing in your mouth. Seeking the reward of that perfect pistachio, you just keep on and on eating them.

The pistachio nut enthusiast probably knows that the best pistachio nuts in the world come from Iran which, according the article in Wikipedia on the subject, produces more pistachios nuts in the world with 38% of the world’s production. You can usually tell an Iranian pistachio nut just by looking at it. They tend to be much larger than most, and they simply taste better. (Avoid pistachios that are dyed red. They are rarely any good.)

Readers in Maryland can buy Iranian pistachios at Sizar’s food market:

6955 Oakland Mills Rd
Columbia, MD 21045.

For a Google map, click here.

(They are not quite as good as getting them from a firend traveling to Iran, but they are still pretty tasty! Sizar’s is a nice little Persian grocery store with not just food from Iran, but all sorts of food from the Middle East and the Mediterranean. You can also get Indian food there, including chutneys curry paste, and so on.)

So what has all this got to do with Geyser Peak? Well, I wanted a red wine for dinner on Friday night. We did not have guests so I was not looking for one of my better Bordeaux, but I wanted something a little bit better than an $8.00 “everyday” wine. I also wanted to drink up any potentially “over the hill” wines in the cellar. So that was why I picked the Geyser Peak — not too expensive, possibly aging, and, without guests, the risk of disappointment was low.

This wine was my unpredictable reward. I hoped for “good” and would have been satisfied with “okay,” but I never expected extraordinary. It reminded me of much more expensive wines, and I began to think of Silver Oak. It was so dark, dense, and the blackberry/cassis fruit was marvellous. The oak provided a rich vanilla almost creamy! Although probably mature, it was clearly not in decline, and I would venture to say that it was at its peak. I have one bottle of this wine left. I will drink it soon but on a very special occasion!

I have had a lot of good luck from Geyser Peak, and this experience will keep me coming back again and again to seek that perfect reward!

The winery’s notes on this wine are below:

Vintage: 2001
Appellation: Alexander Valley

Grape Varietal: Cabernet Sauvignon

Storage/Type: 100% American oak barrels: 20% new oak; 80% a balanced mixture of one-, two-, and three-year old oak
Maturation Time: 15 months

Production Comments: A portion of the fruit for this wine was processed through our rotary fermenters. These innovative tanks enable maximum desirable extraction with only four or five days of on-skin fermentation, and minimize extraction of harsh, undesirable tannins.

Bottling Information & Analysis: Bottling Date: 06/03

Release Date: 12/03

Cases Produced: 49400

Alcohol 13.5%

pH 3.72

Acid 0.60

R.S. Dry

Wine Description: Classic Alexander Valley aromas of sweet blackberry fruit and cassis burst out of the glass on this wine. The vibrant intensity of the fruit aromas is typical of Geyser Peak’s style, as is the restrained oak, which supports the fruit without dominating it. Ripe raspberry, blackberry and black cherry flavors harmonize on the wine’s rich, juicy mid-palate with toasty oak notes. Typically Alexander Valley tannins come to the fore on the finish, which harmonizes persistent fruit flavors with fine-grained tannins.
Recipes: Black Olive Tapenade Crostini, Fabulous Flank Steak, Grilled New York Steaks with Cabernet Reduction Sauce, Pork Chops a La Piacenza, Rack of Lamb with Red Wine Jus, Red Wine Braised Oxtail

We had a bottle of Château Langoa Barton, 1996, on Saturday night, and I was hoping for something very special, and it wasn’t.

I found it hard, very tannic, and there really was not much sense of fruit. It seemed as if this wine was in a period where it had lost the fresh initial fruit of a young wine, but had not yet softened its tannins and gained complexity.

After a little, it seemed to open up a little, but overall this was a disappointment. Perhaps we should have just kept this wine longer!