Dr Vino's wine blog

Many journalists and wine retailers are descending on Bordeaux next week to taste the barrel samples of the supposedly superlative (and this time they mean it!) 2005 vintage. But last weekend I headed in the opposite direction to taste some excellent Bordeaux: I went to Chicago.

The wines that I tasted weren’t in the barrel. In fact, the 2002s that I tried have been available for a year or more. They have even been on retailers’ shelves for so long that I found a good one having a sale on 02 Bordeaux and couldn’t resist snapping up some bargains from what turned out to be an overlooked vintage.

The cause of the trip to Chicago was a class at the University of Chicago. The 30 attendees and I pondered the problems and potential in the two French regions of Bordeaux and Languedoc. It turns out that one of the participants has a blog of her own, so I’ll refer you to her for more detailed notes.

Here’s the lineup with little scribble on each. Overall head to the Medoc to scoop up the bargains that are 2002 Bordeaux.

Cinquante Cinq Viognier vin de pays d’oc $10 (find this wine)
Ho-hum, gets the job done. On the deck in the summer that is.

Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte, 2003 Pessac-Leognan ($30) (find this wine)
Crisp acidity but a surprising amount of oak. Give this to a New Zealander and she would never guess that it’s Sauvignon Blanc.

Domaine Des Schistes Cotes Du Roussillon Villages 2003 $12 (find this wine)
Balanced between acidity and tannin, taste the terroir! Easy drinking for Monday – Thursday.

Chateau D’Aussieres Corbieres 2003 $22 (find this wine)
I had to include this since it is a Lafite-owned project in the Corbieres–a synthesis of our two regions. Sadly, it was a tannic monster that I doubt will ever settle down.

Mas de Daumas Gassac, vdp d l’Herault 2003. $30 (find this wine)
When I poured it blind, the consensus was Bordeaux. Well, it is 80% Cab (and 20% of 10 other varieties) after all. It’s a serious wine from renegade winemaker Aime Guibert that has a long finish and would no doubt last decades in the cellar. This was the wine of the class for many people.

Chateau Gruaud Larose, 2002 Saint-Julien $38 (find this wine)
Approachable at this early age, balanced, mmm, delicious.

Chateau Pichon-Longueville Baron – 2002 Pauillac $40 (find this wine)
Too young now for the Baron, but a serious wine that will be better in 3 years.

Chateau Cos D’Estournel – 2002 Saint-Estephe $65 (find this wine)
Excellent, dark, blackcurrant, tannins, slightly disappointing finish. But 50% more than the Baron? Bring me the Baron!

Chateau Suduiraut – 2002 Sauternes $22 375ml (find this wine)
Classic Suaternes at a very reasonable price. I bought more later.

Abbe Rous, Helyos, 2003, Banyuls, $40 (find this wine)
Very rich, but not unbalanced or over-the-top. One person ran out and got his wife a chocolate bar and she said it was a great pairing!

Separately I tasted the 2002 Lafon Rochet (find this wine). Approachable now but still could benefit from a year or two (or 10) in the cellar. This is the steal of the vintage at $20. I bought a case!

Note: I hope to see you for the Pinot Showdown, May 13, University of Chicago.

tags: wine | Bordeaux | Languedoc

Spring has sprung with the vernal equinox last week. It’s time for you to spring for some Savennieres–or at least a dry Chenin Blanc.

I have tried several wines from this 700-acre appellation on the banks of the Loire recently and while they are undoubtedly great at all times of the year, they seemed particularly appropriate for spring. Floral on the nose, totally filling the mouth with a rich intensity, minerality and acidity, the wines are rewarding and worth it even if they cost about $25 a bottle.

So, on to the wines. I wrote about the Domaine des Baumard Clos du Papillion 2002 (find this wine) recently and how it pleased a small crowd.

Madame de Jessey of Domaine de Closel poured me a taste of her 03 Papllion (find this wine) out of decanter, “always the best way for a Savennieres,” she said. Barrel fermented, this wine had a softness that made it attractive beyond the other regional characteristics.

Finally, I had the wines of La Coulee de Serrant. Nicolas Joly told me that despite the heat of the 2003 vintage, his biodynamically farmed wines weathered well. In his entry-level Les Clos Sacres (find this wine) was rich in color, had soaring aromas, and an excellent balance between acidity and minerality. Joly recommended opening the wines 12-24 hours before drinking them and said they can continue to improve–not even deteriorate!–for 3 to 5 days. That’s a claim I’d like to put to the test.

In her 1996 Wine and Food Guide to the Loire, Jacqueline Friedrich also recommends Clos du Coulaine, Clos de Perrieres, and Chateau d’Epire as other top producers in the small area. She also says that the wines are quite age worthy (the 1975 Baumard Papillion was “so glorious it brought tears to my eyes,” she writes). Even Robert Parker told the New York Times last week that “I still think Savennières is the most underrated great white wine in the world.”

With praise like that, you’d better spring for the Savennieres before it’s all gone!

tags: wine | Savennieres | Chenin Blanc

Vinum, Chenin Blanc, Stellenbosch, 2004. $11 Find this wine As spring approaches and the weather improves, Chenin Blanc makes for a great spring transitional wine. And with temperatures in the high 60s today, spring is in the air. In the past week, I tried five Chenins and this cheapest one (and only new world one) stood up well, perhaps because the non-interventionist team in South Africa is headed by Frenchman Edouard Labeye. Light notes of flowers, a squeeze of lime, and faint vanilla infuse this snappy value vino. Serve it with fish or appetizers or wherever you would have had American Chardonnay 5 years ago. Importer: Vinnovative Imports, Charlotte, NC. 5,000 cases produced

Bodegas Naia, Las Brisas, D.O. Rueda, 2004, $9. Find this wine
Not so long ago white wine from Spain was dismissed as industrial plonk but several regions have been coming along and raising the country’s profile.
Rueda, a region on the Castilian plain (where it doesn’t rain all that much actually), has started making some crisp and lively whites based on the Verdejo grape. In this Las Brisas, Sauvignon Blanc and Viura blend with Verdejo to make a wine that has crisp acidity with floral notes–think orange blossoms. It’s a great wine for summer weather but even in the winter, it pairs well with soft cheeses or grilled white fish. Importer: Jorge Ordonez.

Quinta do Dorado, Auratus, Alvarinho/Trajadura, 2004. $13 Find this wine
Snappy and crisp, this refreshing wine has a certain softness to it that makes it more appealing than many Sauvignon Blancs from the New World-or
even albariños from north of the border in Galicia. This is a cross-border wine: Spaniard Marcial Dorado crossed into Portugal to find a 70 year old vineyard planted with the Albariño/Alvarinho grape. He started to farm the vineyard organically, reduced the yields, and hand harvested the grapes, which preserves them intact better than machine harvesting. He also built a winery that relied on the flow of gravity to run the juice through the various stages of fermentation and maturation. The resulting wine is the best white wine I have ever tasted from
Portugal, granted a small category, but it really is an excellent wine. Try with seafood or stir-fry. Importer: Vieux Vins, Vinesbrug, CA.

Casa Castillo, Monastrell, Jumilla, 2003. $10 Find this wine
Murcia once was a region known for its sausages. Now the wines are giving the sausages a run for their money. Located on the Mediterranean coast just below Alicante, the wine growing region of Jumilla lies inland at an altitude of 2,000 ft with hot summer days and cool nights. This red, dark in color and rich in flavor, definitely punches above its featherweight price tag. Try with sausage (from Murcia?). See pictures of the arid vineyard here. Importer: Jorge Ordonez.

Falesco, Vitiano rosso, IGT 2004. $9 Find this wine
Readers of this web site sometimes write in that they have trouble finding the wines I recommend (but a lot less since I started adding a link to online retailers) but that shouldn’t be a problem with 200,000 cases of Vitiano produced. This bargain red blend-equal parts Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Sangiovese-is made by Ricardo Cotarella at his own winery though his fame as a consulting winemaker
led Robert Parker to call him “Italy’s answer to France’s Michel Rolland. . .” The resulting wine is a great pizza wine that is light in color and
in alcohol with crisp, clean notes of dark fruit. While still a good bargain, it was an even better bargain a couple of years ago when it was a couple of dollars cheaper. Importer: Winebow, Montvale NJ.

Domaine Lafond, Roc-Epine, AOC Lirac,
2003. $12 Find this wine
Located where the southern Rhone drifts into Provence, Lirac proves to be good ground for this wine that resembles a Chateauneuf-du-Pape but at a fraction of the price. (yes, it is over $10 but hey, it’s only about 5 US Postal stamps more.) This wine has a terrific complexity for the price with balanced notes of dark fruit and tannin and a long pleasant finish. An excellent mushroom-chard
pasta was a great food match. Jean Pierre and Pascal Lafond of Lirac, you rock! Importer: Wines of France: Mountainside NJ.

Terrazas de los Andes, Malbec 2004. $9. Find this wine
Polyphenols, they’re all the rage. No, they’re not a chemical additive dumped into wines by industrial wine makers; instead they are chemical compounds, high in antioxidants, that may fight cancer. Since polyphenols occur naturally in red wines, enthusiasts and the producers of red wine have been quick to make tout the health benefits of red wine (yes, something we enjoy doing may
actually be good for us). According to a 2001 study in the magazine Nature, the high elevation of the Argentine vineyards gives their reds more exposure to ultraviolet rays and raises the polyphenol level. So don’t reach for a bottle of POM pomegranate juice, reach for an Argentine Malbec. This Terrazas is a great place to start. After tasting through a half a dozen entry-level Malbecs, I found this 100% Malbec
grown at 3,000 ft above sea-level to be the most attractive. Dark in color, with notes of blackberry, plum, cassis, and saddle leather, and the tannins in the finish were smooth. The obvious food pairing is a steak but would also be good with burgers. Importer: Schieffelin & Somerset, NY.

Le Petit vin d’avril, NV $9. Find this wine Father and son team of Paul and Vincent Avril of Clos des Papes make great wines. The only trouble is that their 2003 Chateauneuf du Pape is about $40-for a half bottle! If you can find it, that is, since it snagged the #2 WS wine of the year (yoink–not as if that means anything to us). The Avrils have made this excellent nonvintage “table wine” that is exemplary in two ways: a light-hearted label and punching well above its weight. The wine is light in color and has the gentle sweetness that is characteristic of Grenache as well as dark berries and a faint spice. It is balanced with a mere 13% alcohol—I’m heading back to the store where I got it and stocking up! Importer: Wines of France, Mountainside, NJ.

Tres Picos, Garnacha, D.O. Campo de Borja, Spain, 2004, $9.99. Find this wine
Like rivals the Capulets and the Montagues, Grenache and Tempranillo have been duking it out, in this case, for red grape domination in Spain. With an old-vine Grenache value like this, it would be shocking if the Tempranillos
didn’t just lay down their swords. From the obscure Campo de Borja region comes this beauty with notes of red berries and earthiness. I included it in a recent tasting with wines three times the price and it had no problem keeping up. The heavy glass bottle makes for a nice presentation — rate this one a great value gift wine! Importer: Jorge Ordonez, Dedham, MA.

Bouvet
signature Blanc Saumur, NV $8. Find
this wine
Sparkling wine is a contentious issue. Not for consumers who
gladly sip the stuff at weddings and graduations. But for producers from outside
the Champagne region who chafe to free ride on the term Champagne. (While such
usage has been stamped out in the EU, a recent accord has let the issue bubble
in America.) In France, there are several sparklers from other areas beyond Champagne
and this is a particularly attractive price-to-quality ratio from the Loire. A
pale yellow color and a fine bead appear in the glass with pleasant crispness
and surprising depth. The grape is almost all Chenin Blanc, which adapts very
well to the methode champenoise that Bouvet employs. While dyed-in-the-wool Champagne
enthusiasts will no doubt recoil at the thought of a sparkler not from the sacred
region, this is a choice that is easy on the palate and on the wallet—a welcome
relief for the party host or the father of the bride. Importer: Kobrand, NY.

Still value vino,
but higher prices

See Making
a case: 12 gift wines

Capcanes, Costers del Gravet 2001 $20. Find
this wine
Allende, Rioja, 2001. $25 Find
this wine
Honig, Cabernet Sauvignon, 2002, $30 Find
this wine

See previous list of value vino

Whoever says that you have to spend a ton on each bottle to have a great evening is wrong. However, moving out of the “cheap and cheerful” under $10 category when you have guests over certainly does pay rewards. We had some non-wine friends over a couple of weeks ago here for a late afternoon/evening meal at the Dr. Vino World Headquarters and assembled this line-up:

Domaine de Baumard, Clos du Papillon, Savennieres, 2002. $25 (find this wine) Importer: Ex-Cellars, Solvang, CA.
What a wine to lead off with. Delicate yet intense, floral and almost sweet with an invigorating minerality and a long finish. Everyone was blown away. It was gone quickly.

Vignoble Guillaume, Pinot Noir, vin de pays Franche Comte, 2004. $17 (find this wine) Importer: Fleet Street, Moorestown, NJ
A clean pinot that is Burgundian in style with a great balance of acidity and fruit. One pinot lover with an admitted preference for new world styling admitted to disappointment. But I found it a great transition wine to the reds. It was still light out at this point, so I didn’t really want anything too heavy.

Clos Roche Blanche, Cabernet, AOC Touraine, 2004. $15 (find this wine) Importer: Louis/Dressner.
Mmm, terroir. This Cabernet (Franc and Sauvignon) from the Loire has great balance between acid and tannin, mineral and fruit. Some people were scratching their heads at first but paired with quince and manchego they attacked it with gusto.

Honig, Cabernet Sauvignon, 2002. $27 (find this wine)
A more familiar style for some with a lush, rich mouthfeel of tobacco, leather, dark fruits, and vanilla. It’s like a 700 thread count of California Cab.

Macallan, 18 year old whisky. (find this whisky)
Going out in style. This bottle had done some additional aging in our cabinet because we drink whisky at a slower drip than any IV. I think this bottle had been with us for three moves in fact. One friend who loves whisky saw it and insisted on a round. I’m glad he did. Once I got over the straw aromas and the burning in my throat the finish was very smooth. Much more smooth than the Knockando 12 year that we had to try in comparison apparently.

Who knows, we might even get some whisky glasses? Otherwise everything we had was in Tritan Forte stemware. Unbreakable! And like the wines here, they were easy on the wallet.

tags: wine | food and drink | wines for a dinner party

Quinta do Dorado, Auratus, Alvarinho/Trajadura, 2004. $13 Find this wine
Snappy and crisp, this refreshing wine has a certain softness to it that makes it more appealing than many Sauvignon Blancs from the New World-or even albariños from north of the border in Galicia. This is a cross-border wine: Spaniard Marcial Dorado crossed into Portugal to find a 70 year old vineyard planted with the Albariño/Alvarinho grape. He started to farm the vineyard organically, reduced the yields, and hand harvested the grapes, which preserves them intact better than machine harvesting. He also built a winery that relied on the flow of gravity to run the juice through the various stages of fermentation and maturation. The resulting wine is the best white wine I have ever tasted from Portugal, granted a small category, but it really is an excellent wine. Try with seafood or stir-fry. Importer: Vieux Vins, Vinesbrug, CA.

tags: wine | wine tasting | alvarino

Have you been schlepping a special bottle of wine around with you for your past three moves? Or waiting for that Bordeaux that your aunt gave you for your birth year to achieve its peak? It’s time to open that bottle on Open That Bottle Night 7 on February 25.

Dorothy Gaiter and John Brecher, who write the wine column for the Wall Street Journal, started this event six years ago. They urge readers to open a symbolically significant bottle on the last Saturday in February and then send in their stories, with a selection then written up in a subsequent column (kind of like the monthly wine blogging Wednesday). Some stories from previous years have included a couple who enjoyed a 1986 Lafite with their favorite pizza (“The pizza was great,” the husband wrote them. “The Chateau Latour was good, not great. But it got better toward the end of our meal, and much better as we entered the Jacuzzi with Mr. Barry White in the background.”), a research station in Antarctica, surprise visitors, and many fond memories of good times or good people when the special bottle came into their hands.

I’ll be pulling a cork on February 25 and I hope you do too. Make it a party or make it a romantic evening, a gourmet meal at home or a BYOB. But on Sunday the 26th, there has to be (at least) one bottle fewer in your inventory.

There are doubtless hundreds of heartwarming, intriguing, and funny stories that can’t be included in their column because of space limitations. Fortunately, here on the internet, we have no limitations (but neither do we have quite the, um, reach). Feel free to post your comments either here or on the post I write after Feb 25. And be sure to drop John and Dottie a line with your story too: wine@wsj.com

UPDATE 2/26/06: I posted our notes of the evening here. Feel free to post yours too!

UPDATE 2/10/08: People have been landing here looking for OTBN 9 (vintage 2008) so I’ll add that it is this Saturday, February 23. Have fun!

On our recent vacation to the Virgin Islands, Mrs. Vino and I dined at a surprisingly swanky restaurant in St. Thomas that opened directly onto the beach and the black night sea. Presented with the wine list, I was shocked to discover only four red wines available by the glass and a gaping void for the full bottles between the $40 Torres at the low end and the towering Silver Oak for $200 at the high end (and only one Pinot Noir—-I guess Sideways didn’t make it to the island).

The intrepid Mrs. Vino dared a $14 (!!) glass of Estancia Cabernet, which she found short, sharp and worse yet, warm, all of which led to an involuntary wincing after each sip. The atmospheric openings to the beach meant that the wine was served at room temperature or about 80 degrees. This led me to develop a theory of tropical travel for wine geeks: drink different.

I explored a local gourmet shop that had a surprisingly large range of wines available at about 30% above prices in the continental US. While the shop was air conditioned, some of the labels were stained indicating that either that bottle or one near it had leaked possibly because of heat somewhere along the way. In tropical heat, a case of wine doesn’t need too long to cook if it is sitting in a warehouse without climate control. Why even bother taking your chances when there are plenty of local options?

Although the Virgin Islands doesn’t have a brewery, that doesn’t stop buckets of beer from appearing on the beach. Jamaican Red Stripe was less than a dollar a bottle and served chilled. Mmm, refreshing.

But even more local is of course rum. Impervious to the destructiveness of heat, the island rum, Cruzan, is about $3.50 a bottle and forms the base of many drinks from Piña Colada to the local frozen Bushwacker (coconut milk, Kahlua, Baileys, rum and probably more). While mixed drinks and food don’t usually make good pairings they do go great with conch fritters by the ocean!

Although I would have loved to have had a good bottle of red wine at the restaurant, until restaurants and shops in the tropics make a better effort at wine selection, storage and serving, I’m drinking local. When visiting hot spots, I’ll leave even the thought of red wine at home. It’s easier on the wallet and leads to greater satisfaction—-two things essential to a good vacation.

When sea grapes are the local grape, choose rum or beer

tags: wine | food and drink | travel

Terrazas de los Andes, Malbec 2004. $9. Find this wine
Polyphenols, they’re all the rage. No, they’re not a chemical additive dumped into wines by industrial wine makers; instead they are chemical compounds, high in antioxidants, that may fight cancer. Since polyphenols occur naturally in red wines, enthusiasts and the producers of red wine have been quick to make tout the health benefits of red wine (yes, something we enjoy doing may actually be good for us). According to a 2001 study in the magazine Nature, the high elevation of the Argentine vineyards gives their reds more exposure to ultraviolet rays and raises the polyphenol level. So don’t reach for a bottle of POM pomegranate juice, reach for an Argentine Malbec. This Terrazas is a great place to start. After tasting through a half a dozen entry-level Malbecs, I found this 100% Malbec grown at 3,000 ft above sea-level to be the most attractive. Dark in color, with notes of blackberry, plum, cassis, and saddle leather, and the tannins in the finish were smooth. The obvious food pairing is a steak but would also be good with burgers. Importer: Schieffelin & Somerset NY.

tags: wine | wine picks | Malbec