decanted

wine

We really, really like wine. And, let's face it, we both like to hear our own voices. We started decanted as a place to think and talk about wine, and maybe even help a friend or two who is looking for suggestions or to join our conversation. We plan to mostly discuss wine, but will occasionally throw in some curveballs, such as thoughts on our other favorite things (various liquid refreshments, candy, random foods). We'll use a scale from 0-10 for wine and will take value into account. That is to say, a wine may be given a bump up if it is a bargain, but good wine is good wine, and price will not greatly affect the overall score.

So, you know when you go to the liquor/wine store and look around and you're thinking you want to get something nice but you don't know what to get. So you talk to somebody and they ask, "How much do you want to spend?" And you say, "I don't know, $25." Some random bottle of red or white or pink is picked out for you and you ask a series of follow up questions that are more often than not affirmed (i.e., "Will this go well with my lamb dish?", "I don't like my whites oaky. It's not too oaky, is it?", or for some of the newbies out there, "Sooo, this is good?"). Then you get home and you open the bottle and you taste it and think that the guy at the store must have been high or lying or both because the rotgut you're drinking tastes like the bastardly combo of Manischewitz and the box wine you drink at church.

Or perhaps you know a little bit more about wine. You've drank some in your time and might even be able to describe a wine if asked to--as long as you don't have to use words such as unctuous or precocious. If handed a wine list with no prior knowledge of what might be on the menu, you could safely land on a nice Sancerre or California Cab. You may have heard of Robert Parker and might even pay attention if you hear a wine nerd talking to a sommelier or knowledgeable salesperson.

Then there are those of you who really love wine and devote a little too much time (probably) and resources (definitely) to the pursuit of your addiction. You might have heard of Eric Asimov and may subscribe to one or more publications devoted to wine. You can usually tell the difference between a Grüner Veltliner and a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc and maybe even correctly choose which Pinot Noir is from California and which one is from Oregon. Receiving the wine list at a restaurant is a joy and you often feel that it is your duty to take on this daunting task in order to heighten the pleasure of your fellow diners (and yourself).

Whichever category you fall under, this blog is a good place for you to visit. Whether you want to learn more about certain varietals, discuss differences in vintages, compare tasting notes or simply get a good recommendation for your next visit to the store, check back often because we do drink our fair share of wine.

cheap and easy drinkin'

The 2008 Oyster Bay Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc isn’t going to knock anyone’s socks off. But for $13.99 or thereabouts, it doesn’t have to. We like its lemony tartness and crisp, dry finish, and particularly enjoy sipping it on a warm summer night. (Yeah, our timing is a little off on that one. Happy Halloween!)  

Other plusses: it’s easy to find, closes with a screwcap so will last longer in the fridge after it’s opened (see our 8/17/09 post for more on our abiding love of screwcaps), and appears on the wine list of one of our favorite restaurants, Mandu. If you’re looking for a fun white to drink with light chicken, fish, or vegetarian meals, give it a whirl. Taking its attractive price tag into consideration, we rate it a 6.5 out of 10.

you never know...

We've always been skeptical of Virginia wines. But we recently read some positive reviews by a local wine blogger, Allan of CellarBlog, whose posts we enjoy and respect. Also, our friends Karen and Luis invited us to spend this past weekend out in Virginia wine country. We took both occurrences as a sign that we should revisit our long-held and much-cherished, but possibly unfair, prejudice against all American wines not made on the West Coast.

So we stopped in at beautiful Linden Vineyards in Linden, Va., for a tasting. (Forgot the camera, unfortunately, so you'll just have to imagine it.) A very nice woman poured us

a 2008 Seyval (made from a French-American hybrid grape, Seyval Blanc), a 2006 Claret, a 2006 Petit Verdot, and 2008 Vidal Riesling. The Seyval and the Petit Verdot, in particular, surprised/impressed us. The former had well-balanced fruit flavors of grapefruit and lemon, and its bright acidity made it very drinkable. The meaty Petit Verdot smelled and tasted of coffee and earth, with a long, satisfying finish.

We didn't buy either of these because, at $20 and $28, we felt they were slightly too expensive for what they were. However, we would be happy to drink them again and felt encouraged about Virginia wines in general. Going to one vineyard once doesn't give us a complete view, obviously, so we plan to try more eventually. Stay tuned. 

californication

Geez, would somebody please make up his mind? For the better part of the past year, we've been sharing our experience of drinking our way through different countries, by way of their grapes. A kind of around-the-world-in-as-long-as-it-takes...with a buzz. If you've been with us from the beginning, you might remember Tim's initial prejudice towards California reds. (Meghan may or may not have held similar preconceived notions, but elects to, more often than not, play good cop.)

But our trip to Sonoma last year, while not totally dispelling his bigotry, was eye-opening in that it let us discover some smaller wineries that take an artisan approach to their craft. These wines are almost always going to carry big fruit flavors. We learned that it's possible, however, with the right touch, to balance them out with depth and acidity in order to make a more elegant product. So some might think of us as being indecisive about Cali reds or others might just claim, "You lie!" We like to think we have increasingly fluid ideas about wine.

While the Lynmar Estate Pinot Noir we had last October was a good start, the 2002 Hanzell Vineyards Pinot Noir we drank the other night upped the ante for both California Pinot in general, and Sonoma Valley more specifically. This was by no means a perfect wine, but a terrific example of not overextending one's assets. That is to say, ripe fruit was abundant, but because of the care taken in making this wine, layers of herbs, stone and acidity mix to form a lovely, soft, balanced wine. The current release (2006) is priced at $95--without having tasted it, it's hard to comment, but let's just say the price for this vintage (about $70 online) is just about right. We rate this an 8.5 out of 10.

something different

We didn't know what to expect from this 2007 Cornarea Roero Arneis, but decided to give it a shot. Arneis is a white grape from northern Italy, and apparently its name means "whimsical" in a Piedmontese dialect. Definitely an accurate description.

This wine is thick and viscous, and changes several times in one sip. It probably works best with food, which would help tame its many layers. We detected a slight effervescence and a piney, almost woodsy taste. It also has some ginger and a little bit of sweetness, and its flavors tend to go on for a long time.

We found the Cornarea to be offbeat and interesting, with a strong backbone. It's not for everyone, but we would recommend it to anyone looking to try something new. We picked it up for $19.99 at Schneider's of Capitol Hill, here in DC, and would give it a 7.5 out of 10.

mystery guest

Apologies for our absence--we've been on vacation in the Pacific Northwest. Where, by the way, we went to a great Seattle wine and food store called The Spanish Table. It's near Pike Place Market and specializes in, you guessed it, Spanish wines.

Before we left for our trip, though, we tried an interesting white blend from Morocco, the 2007 Zniber Les Troix Domaines Guerrouane Blanc. It took us a while to figure out the short burst of fruitiness at the end of each sip, but eventually we identified it as honeydew or honeysuckle. There's also a hint of both bitterness and chalkiness at the end. It starts out dry, unlike most of the whites we tend to choose, which usually start fruity and finish dry.

This was something of a mystery wine--we found very little about it online, aside from this CNBC article on Zniber Vineyards. But we do know that we got it at Whole Foods for $13.99, that it's very light, and that it would make sense with (naturally) Mediterranean food. We rate it a 6.5 out of 10.

classic french white

Experimentation and quirkiness is all well and good. But sometimes, you just want something classic. Like a white wine from Burgundy (Meghan's all-time favorite).

We had a 2004 Domaine Chevalier Ladoix 1er Cru Les Gréchons the other night that satisfied our craving for an old-school French white. We picked it up on sale for $29.99, and were pleasantly surprised at its quality. It had a nice minerality and the subtle oakiness that comes from aging in oak barrels. We noted flavors of toasted almond at the beginning and tart apple (unusual in a Chardonnay) in the middle.

Just a quick note on white Burgundies: they're almost always Chardonnays. And the Chevalier comes from a region in Burgundy called the Côte de Beaune, which produces some of the greatest wines (both red and white) in the world. Normally, this bottle would have cost about $40-50 in the store, but right now there are some great bargains to be had. (Like most other high-end stuff, good wine is not exactly flying off the shelves.)

Particularly if you don't like the oak you in a typical California Chardonnay, this would be a great one to try--the oak adds to the experience rather than overpowering it. For the sale price, we give it an 8.5 out of 10, which we might knock down a bit if it were full-price.

high/low

We like to go both lowbrow and relatively highbrow, depending on our mood. Jackass: The Movie? Check (at least for Tim). Roman de Gare at the artsy cinema? Check (at least for Meghan).

That's why we loved the Super Tuscan we had recently, the 2003 Re di Renieri Toscana. Super Tuscan wines are made in the Tuscany region of Italy, but their makers depart from traditional local methods and blends. The Re di Renieri comes on strong, with flavors of earth, currant and stone. We also noticed a slightly bitter note of tar or charcoal, but it was nuanced enough to add to the wine's quality rather than detracting from it. Handsome, old-school, and even soulful are a few other words we tossed around as we were drinking it.

Now for the high/low explanation: this very dark, ruby red blend of Merlot (60%), Cabernet Sauvignon (20%), Cabernet Franc (15%) and Petit Verdot (5%) has enough smoothness to appeal to the casual drinker. It's not weird enough to be intimidating. But it also has some rougher edges, which we think would appeal to those looking for a more challenging sip. We got it on sale for $29.99, and would rate it an 8.5 out of 10.

rully bully

As we mentioned in a recent post, the Côte Chalonnaise region at the southern tip of Burgundy is an excellent place to find good deals. In Rully, an area within the Côte Chalonnaise, you can come across some very nice whites. The winemakers there use methods similar to the wineries in the Côte de Beaune, which is where many of the big-time (usually expensive) whites like Chassagne-Montrachet come from. In other words, Rullys are (often) the poor man'sCôte de Beaunes.

Case in point: the 2006 Vincent Gerardine Rully Blanc 1er Cru Les Cloux. Like most white Burgundies, this one is made from 100% Chardonnay grapes. It's aged mostly in stainless steel casks, along with just enough new French oak to give it the classic Rully toastiness. But it's not oaky and bears about as much resemblance to a typical California Chardonnay as Classic Coke did to New Coke.

This is definitely a rich, round wine--not ideal for casual sipping or cocktail hour. Its subtle tropical fruit notes would make it a good companion for pork, game birds, or high-oil-content fish like king salmon or mackerel. Lobster, the traditional pairing for high-end white Burgundies, would be great. So if you want to blow all your money on a few choice lobsters, go ahead, because this bottle is a serious bargain. For $18.99, we'll give it an 8.0 out of 10.

so fresh and so clean

Our last Riesling-related post was about a sweet Riesling. But as we mentioned then, these wines aren't always sweet. In fact, the 2006 Domaine Weinbach Riesling Schlossberg we had over the weekend turned out to be anything but. We were shocked by its incredible cleanness and crispness. It was a very structured, well-formed wine that tasted of flowers and minerals. Tart, green apple flavors came up, too, somewhere in the middle of its impressively long finish.

Among the Weinbach's many other charms is its distinctive scent--an elegant combination of perfume and freshly baked bread. Its texture is pure and fine, almost watery. We were amazed at the complexity of this wine, considering how lightly it sits on the palate. We'd recommend drinking it as an aperitif or with mild fish or chicken dishes. Be careful not to pair it with strongly seasoned food, or its delicate sensibilities will be lost.

A little pricey at $37.99, but well worth the "pre-post-recession" splurge. We'd give this one a 9.0 out of 10.

the ridges of sonoma county

We have a confession to make: we're generally not big (R.I.P., Andre) on Zinfandels. Most wines range from 13% to 14.5% alcohol, while Zins can contain as much as 15% or 16%. That doesn't sound like a big difference, but it can change the wine's composition enough that winemakers will often overemphasize the fruit to try and balance out the alcohol. As a result, many Zins are highly acidic fruit bombs.

Not the 2007 Ridge Sonoma County Three Valleys. This $17.99 blend of Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, Syrah, Grenache, and Carignane grapes surprised us with its nice plummy fruitiness. It's also only 14.3% alcohol. The label advertises it as a "red table wine" and that's exactly what it is--not a special-occasion wine, but great for a casual dinner.

It would work well with tenderloin. Probably not with gamier meats or more flavorful cuts like hangar steak or ribeye--doesn't have the structure to stand up to them. Along with plum, we also tasted some dark cherry. All in all, when measured against other California reds, the Ridge is a very good deal. It gets an 8.0 out of 10 in our book.

A quick word about Ridge--this is a solid maker whose wines are generally well crafted, although they tend to be a little on the pricey side. (The Three Valleys Zin is on their low end.) They're particularly known for their Cabs and Zins.

we ♥ oregon...

...Oregon wines, that is. More than any other American Pinots, they're a step in the direction of Burgundy, the godfather of the Pinot-producing regions. And they can be a lot easier on the old wallet.

Our go-to Oregon Pinot is the 2007 Adelsheim Willamette Valley Pinot Noir. It's done in the classic Willamette Valley style, which nicely balances fruitiness and acidity. The tart cherry flavor is bright and pronounced, but it doesn't hit you over the head with its cherriness. This sounds weird, but the Adelsheim almost has its own personality-- you can tell someone puts a lot of care and time into making it.

We like to drink it with chicken and some fish (salmon, for example. Although cooked salmon is one of Tim's least favorite foods, but we don't need to get into that here.) It doesn't have a superlong finish, but at $27 we're okay with that. While there are no sudden flavor spikes, it does change on the tongue throughout a single sip, but in a very subtle way.

This is the lowest-end of Adelshiem's Pinot Noirs, and the others are definitely worth checking out. But this wine is a great bargain. We give it an 8.0 out of 10.

the screwcap letters

Don't be afraid of the screwcap! Many wineries are now using metal screw-on tops instead of corks, which freaks some people out. It's true that uncorking a bottle is a nice ritual, but it's no fun to have your wine ruined by the mold that occasionally grows on corks. (This is known as being "corked", which more specifically refers to the presence of TCA--2,4,6 Trichloroanisole--we know, we know, really interesting.) Screwcaps remove this possibility.

They also affect the aging process differently than corks do, so it's best to buy screwcap wines that don't need to be aged. (Not a problem for us, as aged wines tend to be out of our price range anyway.)

The most recent screwcap we've tried was a 2007 Hirsch Grüner Veltiner #1 from Austria. If you're an avid decanted reader, you'll know that we think highly of this grape. Grüners are great for sipping by themselves or enjoying with chicken and fish. They're complex enough to be interesting, with a slight pepperiness and just a little bit of effervescence.

The Hirsch delivered. Its lemony flavors didn't overpower the pepper notes, and its glycerin-y texture and fatness on the tongue were both classic Gruner Veltliner. Plus, its screwcap would have made it easy for us to keep it in our fridge for a couple of weeks without a noticeable change in taste. It didn't last that long, though-- we polished it off the next night. Taking its $14.99 price into account (inexpensive, but not as cheap as the Hugo Grüner Veltliner we reviewed a couple months ago) we give it a 7.5 out of 10.

getting soft

At the risk of sounding sexist, Tim called this 2005 Clos Salomon Givry 1er Cru "a very feminine wine." (Meghan was not offended.) It has a soft, almost velvety texture--no rough edges. If you don't like your reds earthy, tannic, acidic, or alcoholic, this wine is for you.

Made from 100% Pinot Noir grapes, the Clos Salomon comes from the Côte Chalonnaise region of Burgundy--a good place to go bargain-hunting. At its $30 price point, it doesn't have the interesting and complex fruit notes that more expensive Burgundies are known for. (By the way, the "feminine" analogy officially ended after the first paragraph.) But its red currant and dark cherry flavors pleased our palates, and would probably please most others. It's kind of like the Slumdog Millionaire of wines.

Drink it before a meal or with chicken or other poultry. Probably not red meat. We conferred on how to rate it (gender-neutrally, of course) and came up with a 7.5 out of 10.

sweet ride

Rieslings tend to be thought of as sweet wines, but that reputation is a bit overblown. Many fall more on the dry side of the palate, and it's really mostly the late-harvest ones (used as dessert wines) that fit the sweet category. Both are tasty. However, the sweetness myth means Rieslings are sometimes not taken seriously as wines to enjoy with food. We find this unfortunate.

Just to confuse matters, we're going to tell you about a 2007 Selbach-Oster Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Riesling Kabinett (10 points for memorizing that) from Germany that isn't officially a dessert wine, but that actually is pretty sweet. The richness of this one is definitely not for everyone. It's got strong notes of pear and honey and a lemony finish. But the sugar flavors don't overwhelm the wine, because they stop before your sip is over and leave you with that nice, tart end. The Selbach-Oster (like other, typically drier Rieslings) would be especially good paired with barbecue or Asian food. While we usually believe it's hard to excel at two different things (see Michael Jordan's baseball career) this $23.99 wine is an exception: It could work equally well with dessert. We rate it a 7.0 out of 10.

some like it cold

It's been a little while since we've posted, what with all the Inauguration excitement here in DC. Speaking of Inauguration Day, it was COLD down there on the Mall. And speaking of cold, we're devoting today's post to the tantalizing topic of wine temperatures.

Many people think white wine should be served right out of the fridge, and that red should be room temp (around 70 degrees.) We'd like to take this opportunity to debunk these myths. We've found that many whites come out of their shells when they've warmed up a little. They develop nuances and flavors that extra cold temps tend to mute. This isn't to say that you should put white wine in the microwave, or leave it out in the sun for hours. But maybe just take it out of the fridge an hour or so before serving. You might be surprised at the complexities that turn up. Of course, if you have a white that's not very good, chill the crap out of it. This will dull the flavors and help you forget about its poor quality.

As for reds, serving them at 60 to 65 degrees is ideal (61 or 62 degrees is our personal preference.) When a red gets too warm, its tannins become more prominent, which isn't always desirable. When the tannins mellow, you can often taste the subtleties of the wine much better. If you've got a room temp red that you want to enjoy, take a cue from G Love and stick it in the fridge for a half hour or so. And if anyone gives you any flak about it, tell them to take it up with us.

the linda (and the Caps)

There was a time we thought that the only reasonably good wine you could find for under $10 would be of the white variety. Though we're not close to subscribing to Tim's dad's belief that no single bottle should fetch more than a Hamilton, we did recently come across a great deal on a reasonably good red wine. Made from grapes grown in Argentina's fertile province of Mendoza, the 2006 Luigi Bosca Finca la Linda Tempranillo represents much of what we think table wine should be: robust and tannic with a good mix of ripe fruit and spice, all the while not being overly complex. In other words, a table wine should be easy to drink and not make you think a whole lot about doing so. This 100% Tempranillo sipper gulper won't blow your socks off, but it won't blow a hole in your wallet either. On sale for $6.99, it earns a 6.0 out of 10. So if you're like Tim (we know that's not likely) and you're home chewing on some small game, lamenting the reasons why only one of the Washington Capitals was named an All-Star, take our word for it. Reach into your jar filled with change that you started to contribute to when you got your first apartment, grab 28 quarters and pick up a bottle. In just a short while you'll be a happy camper.

old world italian

As anyone who has taken middle school science knows, our sense of taste is closely linked to our sense of smell. When we like the way something hits our nose, chances are we're also going to like the way it tastes.

This 2007 Fratelli Revello Barbera d'Alba has a lot going for it, in our book, because it smells like one of our favorite foods: cheese. Our brother-in-law Simon Tiffen noticed this before either of us did, and went even further by narrowing down its scent to that of a nice Manchego or Parmesan.

In addition to the weird but fun sensation of smelling cheese in a wine, the Barbera offers a soft layering of leather, tobacco, and cherry notes. It made Meghan think of a study filled with antique books and cigars. Tim noticed a chewy finish brought on by a combination of dryness and tannins, which were minimal but well-structured. With its Piedmont region pedigree, it provides satisfying old-world flavor at an affordable $14.99 price. We rate it an 8.0 out of 10.

break out the bubbly

Being partial to fizzy beverages, we tend to believe they're criminally overlooked for most of the year. But no one forgets about the bubbly stuff on New Year's Eve. So here are some suggestions of sparklers we like for every budget. As with all of our posts, the prices listed here are approximate and may vary at your local wine store or online retailer.

• Recession Buster. Casteller Cava Brut N.V. (Non-Vintage) from the Catalonia region of Spain. A steal at $8.99, especially if you're going to go through cases of it.
• A Step Up. Gruet Blanc de Noirs N.V. from New Mexico, good ol' USA, for $13.99. Who knew the Southwest--of the U.S.--could produce such a reliably strong sparkling wine?
• The Real Deal. Pol Roger Brut Reserve N.V., from where else, the Champagne region of France. $39.99. Now we're getting into the good stuff. Our favorite for special occasions.
• Pinks Have More Fun. Billecart-Salmon Brut Rosé N.V., also from Champagne. $69.99 if you're lucky. Shop around for a good deal. And to all you macho types, don't fear the pink--you can pull it off.
• Going for Broke. Krug Grande Cuvée Brut N.V., Champagne, $159.99. If you're one of the lucky few who still has lots of cash to throw around, grab one of these and a half-kilo of Beluga caviar, and call it a night.

Any of these picks will help you celebrate in style. Happy New Year!

groo nah velt lye nah

Part of the fun of drinking a Grüner Veltliner lies in saying the name of the grape. (It works best if you give it a little Ah-nold spin. Try it!)

But another great thing about this white wine most commonly made in Austria is its refreshing taste and often low, low cost. Even the best Grüners are rarely priced above $50, and most of them can be found for $25 and under. In fact, we snagged this 2006 Huber Hugo Gruner Veltliner for $8.99. Designophiles will be seduced by its clean, colorful label, and those suffering from Seasonal Affective Disorder won't exactly mind its summery, lemony flavor. The Hugo's yeasty scent resembles champagne's. It has some of the dryness of a Sauvignon Blanc. And there's also a bit of minerality lurking within its fatty texture.

This wine doesn't quite have the depth or pleasant pepperiness of some of the Grüners we've enjoyed in the past. But for $8.99, we'll take it, and give it a 7.0 out of 10.

pound for pound...

Sports are full of analogies, hyperbole and pretty much anything that you can fill a column or 3 hour time segment up with on your local network. While some of this very specialized language can go down as filler and fluff, or even down-right ridiculousness, occasionally there is a group of words that come together that sounds perfect to even the most cynical ears. Enter the phrase, "pound for pound."

This expression was originally coined by sportswriters describing Sugar Ray Robinson. They thought he was the greatest fighter of the time who could dispatch anyone from his weight class or below. He was not a sure bet against a bigger opponent, but that was due to his lesser size and strength, not inferior skills. Simply put, in terms of pure quality as a boxer, he was the best.

Which brings us to Martinelli's Gold Medal Apple Juice. Made from apples grown in California's Pajaro Valley, this delicious libation is the stuff of legend, like Sugar Ray Robinson. It's the absolute purest transformation of fruit to liquid imaginable. Pound for pound, the greatest non-alcoholic beverage on the planet. How's that for hyperbole. $7.99 for a 6-pack of 10-ounce bottles and sheer bliss.