decanted

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

big, fruity...and good?

If you've been following our little exploration of wine, you will not be surprised to hear that Tim is not a big fan of the California style of making wines. In general, he thinks big, overextracted, overripened fruit bombs that hit you over the head with their "style" are good for dessert, getting drunk and not much else. Then there's the additional problem of overpaying for wines from the Napa Valley, which is one of the most overpriced regions in the state, or maybe even on the planet. Think of it as the Ian Schrager hotel of the wine world-- lots of glitz, lots of glamor, not always worth the cost.

While fruit and alcohol may be the backbone of a wine, finesse and nuance take it to a different level. Many Napa reds we've tasted don't have much of the latter, but the 2001 Elyse Cabernet Sauvignon Morisoli Vineyard actually does. Its dark purple depths contain notes of leather and smoke as well as dried cherry, and it has a soft, elegant finish. For $69.99, we rate it a 7.5 out of 10.

mendocino grille and wine bar

In these modern times, the idea of a "guys' night out" is somewhat different than what it was back in the day. While the idea of a classic beer and pizza night is somewhat appealing, even the manliest of the James Bonds can sit down and enjoy a bottle of white wine with a man friend (see Quantum of Solace).

As mentioned in a previous post, our good friend Barry Koslow is the Executive Chef of a 40-some seat restaurant in Georgetown called Mendocino Grille and Wine Bar. The place, one of our favorites, specializes in California wine and cuisine (kind of). At Tim's request, each of his three friends was charged with selecting a wine to bring to the restaurant one night last week. (There is, in our opinion, a certain protocol to taking wine to a restaurant, which we will discuss in a future post.)

We started with Luis Padilla's selection, a 2005 Guy Amiot et Fils Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru "Les Demoiselles". We have enjoyed this wine previously and Tim was thrilled to drink it again. Subtle French oak, hints of vanilla, flinty minerality, peach, perfect balance and a mile-long finish make this $119.99 wine well worth the splurge. We try to shy away from guarantees, but whatever is a step under a guarantee of likability, that's how we feel about this Burgundian masterpiece made from 100% Chardonnay. It had enough finesse to match Barry's mussel "taste o' the sea" dish, but was also, as Luis pointed out, terrific with a slightly heartier branzino plate with glazed baby root vegetables. A 9.5 out of 10. 

Next up was Marek Rich's pick, a 1999 Domaine Daniel Rion et Fils Chambolle-Musigny Premier Cru Les Charmes. Another outstanding selection from Burgundy, this wine is a great example of why Pinot Noir and terroir are so often mentioned in the same breath. Whatever your definition of terroir, this gentle but not delicate wine tasted of everything Tim could imagine going into the process of producing a good wine. Earth, leather, tobacco, cherry and bright acidity come to mind for this well-proportioned choice from Côte de Nuits. A great match for Barry's poussin with a cassoulet.  At $89.99 a bottle, we score this an 8.5 out of 10.

Matt Biel is about to become a dad for the first time, so we're not going to call his offering cheap. In fact, there were some merits to the 2003 Chateau Puy la Rose Pauillac he brought. With equal parts merlot and cabernet sauvignon and trace amounts of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, this garnet-colored wine had some of the qualities of a wine coming from this impressive appellation (the same as the legendary Chateau Lafite-Rothschild): a big backbone, impressive fruit and a long finish. But for whatever reason, all of the flavors of currant, cherry, cedar and leather got lost in its abundantly alcoholic finish. For $49.99, we could only muster a 5.5 out of 10.

To continue with our French-themed night at the California-themed restaurant (ask Barry if he's a French or California chef...), Tim chose a 1982 Chateau Branaire-Ducru Saint Julien. With mostly Cabernet, some Merlot and a touch of Petit Verdot, this Left Bank Bordeaux was the biggest disappointment of the evening. A good example of terroir from this region as opposed the aforementioned red Burgundy, this tannic reddish-orangeish wine had some beautiful subtleties, but sadly seemed past its prime. Instead of being a wonderfully open and structured aged wine, it seemed to fall apart at the edges despite its delicious, smooth fruit and spice. Barry sent out an incredible piece of beef with this--a Wagyu terres major (think of it as the hangar steak of the shoulder)--and while the pairing was theoretically good, the wine did not live up to the dish (or Tim's expectations).  $159.99 a bottle and a 6.5 out of 10.

Somewhere in the middle of this nine-course, four-bottle-plus-cocktails, gastronomic melee, Tim decided another course and another bottle was necessary. (Actually, he had thought of this possibility beforehand, but had the silly notion that if he brought an extra bottle, it might not be consumed.) And with that, the best pairing of the night was born. The 2002 Dal Forno Romano Valpolicella Superiore is made from Corvina, Rondinella and Croatina grapes and is one of the more robust wines Tim has ever tasted from this region. This is due in large part to the style in which it's made, using some dried Oseleta grapes, similar to those that go into its much richer cousin Amarone. We drank it with wild boar, tasting hints of smoke, spice, raisins and port. This smoothly tannic wine could be described as a powerhouse, but that doesn't do justice to its Brunello-like softness. A $129.99 bottle worth an 8.5 out of 10.

not quite ready

We must admit we have not tasted as many Spanish wines as French or American or even Italian wines. But this is what decanted is all about:  sharing new experiences and learning from them. At one of our favorite DC wine stores, Addy Bassin's MacArthur Beverages, we selected the 2003 Aalto Ribera del Duero from Spain's northern plateau. Like most red wines from this region, the Aalto is made from the Tempranillo grape. Due to similarities in taste and structure, many experts once believed that tempranillo was related to one of our favorites, Pinot Noir, only to be discredited by those pesky geneticists. It was because of these similarities that we were very excited to try this example of Tempranillo.

Oftentimes, however, high expectations can lead to greater disappointment. The Aalto was a deep purple-colored wine with a strong smoky nose. What we tasted was a very tightly wound, tannic, toasty wine that got reasonably better with aeration (exposing it to air over time), but never really came out of its shell. Perhaps a few more years would do this wine well, but for $54.99 we gave this wine a disappointing 5.5 out of 10.

sonoma (epilogue)

While we were out in California tasting wines with Kathleen Inman (see Sonoma post) we asked her who she thought was making the most Burgundy-like Pinot Noir in the area. She said Lynmar Estate, so once we got home to DC we picked up a bottle of the 2006 Lynmar Estate Russian River Valley Pinot Noir for $49.99.

Kathleen's advice was right on. This is an elegant, incredibly interesting wine. It begins very softly, then immediately opens up to a vibrant, almost effervescent sensation filled with flavors of cherry and bark. It finshes with a zing due in part to the high levels of acidity present. (Tim is a big, big fan of acidity, when applied judiciously.) The Lynmar's earthy mellowness gives it versatility. It could be paired with anything from fish to light game. Not steak, though--red meat is probably too rich for its comfort zone. We give this an 8.0 out of 10.

sonoma (part 2)

Our buddy Barry Koslow (Executive Chef of Mendocino Grille and Wine Bar) set us up with two unforgettable private tours.  We traveled over to Acorn Winery in Healdsburg to meet with Betsy & Bill Nachbaur (pictured to the right with Meghan in the middle). They showed us around their Alegria Vineyard and we marveled at the some 20 plus different types of grapes they were growing. Admittedly, these were not our favorite wines of the trip, but the vineyard is worth mentioning because of the informative and beautiful tour we were given.

From there, we drove about ten miles (top down in our rented red Mini Cooper Convertible) to Lauterbach Cellars. What can we say about Stew Lauterbach? First of all, for those of you who know Tim, you know about his unnatural obsession with the name Stu. Seriously, what's that all about.  To make things just a bit more confusing, he now believes that his rightful name should be spelled like the great Dr. Lauterbach. Something about the greatest human name in the world mixed with food.  But we digress. On to Stew. You know how Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak supposedly built the first Apple computer in a garage? Well, Stew does the same thing, only with wine. This spry 60-something part-time emergency room doctor crafts Pinot Noir and Syrah in the garage of his rustic, vineyard-covered property. On a stepstool, brandishing a wine thief (a device used to taste wine from the barrel) that may have doubled as a turkey baster, he vaulted among several 30-gallon barrels to nab us generous samples of his upcoming vintages. In all, we must have tasted over 15 selections and we were starting to feel it, especially Meghan, who is still not comfortable with public expectoration (spitting). At one point, Stew had us taste from four separate Syrah barrels which individually tasted anywhere from extremely tannic to highly sulfuric, but when blended together formed a pleasant wine.

sonoma

After gorging ourselves and drinking a ton, it was time to head across the bridge and north to Sonoma County to, well, gorge ourselves and drink a ton. We were there mainly to taste Pinot Noirs and we did find a few that were good if not great. Two private tours/tastings were set up by a friend of ours, Josh Miles (a sales rep at Martin Scott Wines). Josh, being a Burgundy specialist, knows a great deal about this particular grape, so we were very much looking forward to his recommendations.

First we drove to Windsor to meet with Kathleen Inman of Inman Family Wines.  Kathleen told us she thought the Russian River Valley was a great place to grow Pinot Noir and that she feels any Pinot-based wine needs a good amount of acidity to give it balance. Tim couldn't agree with her more about the acidity--some of the better Burgundies he has tasted have needed a good deal of acidity in order to balance out the wine and even contribute to its complexity. We tasted a Rosé, a Pinot Gris and two Pinot Noirs, eventually deciding to buy a bottle of 2006 Inman Family Thorn Road Ranch Pinot Noir. What we tasted was a lot of sour cherry and some other berry fruits along with some leather, but mostly just a very nice, fairly fruity, soft, balanced wine. At $52 a relatively good buy in our minds. In our book, worthy of a 6.0 out of 10.

Next up was Scherrer Winery in Sebastapol. Fred Scherrer gave us a grand tour of his wine making facility, fed us some delicious lamb burgers left over from an open house the day before and let us sample 10 or so different bottles. We were most impressed with his Rosé which unfortunately for us was sold out. Most of the wines we tasted were good not great, but we both felt Fred was very close to making terrific wines and we will keep him on our radar.

san francisco

So we decided to take a trip to California to see our good friend Greg Berman (see picture on left) and also so we could challenge Tim's deep-seated feeling that all Cali wines are crap. While we weren't convinced that the region is competitive with the best in the world (we'll get to those), we did debunk the aforementioned idea of poo. We still think Oregon is the best place for American Pinot Noir, but we discovered that the Russian River Valley is an acceptable alternative. In general, the fruit was bright and prevalant but not overextracted (overripened) like many of the Pinots from Carneros and Santa Barbara County.

But before we went to wine country, we needed to spend some time in San Francisco doing the things that help to make us who we are:  eating and drinking. We stopped at a little wine shop called Ruby Wine and picked up a bottle of 2007 Chateau Ducasse Bordeaux Blanc for $16.99 and a bottle of 2005 Regis Bouvier Gevrey-Chambertin for $69.99.

We drank some wine with Greg and his girlfriend Laura, watched the fog roll over the mountains to the area where he used to live and just relaxed and enjoyed ourselves. The Chateau Ducasse was a blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon and Muscadelle grapes and was not particularly offensive or interesting. A very blah 5.0 out of 10 which was fine considering our mindsets (vacation).

Gevrey-Chambertin is one of our favorite places to find "bargains" in Burgundy. It's true that most great and even truly good Burgundies are ridiculously expensive and probably overpriced, but we have found some relatively decent values in this region. As with all red wines of Burgundy, it is 100% Pinot Noir and as with any good Burgundy, good fruit and good acidity to match. This was not a velvety soft wine, but had good balance and changed several times during each taste. A solid 6.5 out of 10.

Greg then took us over to A16 where his friend, Liza Shaw, made us a terrific meal and we got to know a very interesting 2003 Binomio Montepulciano d'Abruzzo for $70.00 (yours for about $45.00 in a wine store). A fairly robust and tannic wine, it definitely needed time to mellow and when it did, it was delightfully full and funky and chewy. A 7.0 out of 10 that we might have scored higher if we bought it in a store for $45.00.

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.