Sunday, April 28, 2013
25. April Tasting - Reserve Grand Veneur Cotes du Rhone
Name: Reserve Grand Veneur Cotes du Rhone
Variety: 70% Grenache, 20% Syrah, 10% Cinsault
Region: Rhone Valley
Country: France
Year: 2010
Price: $14.95
Wine Shop Review: As for their other values, the 2010 Grand Veneur Cotes du Rhone Reserve (70% Grenache, 20% Syrah and 10% Cinsault) displays loads of ripe flavors. It is very concentrated for a Cotes du Rhone, and is actually an amazing wine. Classic garrigue, black cherry liqueur, avender, licorice and spice box are all present in this fullbodied, intense, and rich Cotes du Rhone. This is a sensational effort to drink over the next 4-5 years, although it might last even longer.
My Review: The first thing I noticed about this wine is that it was boxed - I know it doesn't make a big difference, but I have to admit that there is a certain stigma around boxed wines. Based on the initial aromas, I expected a spicy, peppery flavor from this one, and I was right. It had a fuller body, and I noticed that it coated my palate. It had black cherry flavors and a hot, intense, lingering finish. This wine wasn't really my favorite from this week, but it wasn't bad.
I did not have food with this.
25. April Tasting - Lobetia Tempranillo
Name: Lobetia Tempranillo
Variety: Tempranillo
Region: La Mancha
Country: Spain
Year: 2011
Price: $10.95
Wine Shop Review: Organically and naturally grown and made, this wine allows the varietal and the terroir to stand out cleanly. It shows a nice cherry color with a violet shade because of its youth. Red berries and cherries on the nose. On the palate it is fresh, slightly astringent, and harmonious with a long finish.
My Review: This wine had a bright ruby color, and the pourer told us that this one was a younger wine. It had some nice kind of fruity, blackberry or cherry aromas. I found this one to be more of a medium-bodied wine, as opposed to the first two of this week. I thought it had a really pleasant taste, with a mild vanilla/cedar flavor, so I assume that this spent a little bit of time in oak. While I thought this would be a good wine to drink alone, I think that it would probably be better with spicy steak fajitas or something along those lines.
I did not have food with this.
25. April Tasting - Lobetia Chardonnay
Name: Lobetia Chardonnay
Variety: Chardonnay
Region: La Mancha
Country: Spain
Year: 2011
Price: $10.95
Wine Shop Review: Organically and naturally grown and made, this wine allows the varietal and the terroir to stand out cleanly. Clean, bright color with a greenish-yellow tone. On the nose, exotic fruits like pineapple. Full flavored, fresh, with good acidity in the mouth, it finishes with tropical fruits.
My Review: This Chardonnay was un-oaked and it came from Spain. I thought this wine had some really nice tropical and pineapple flavors that were really coming through nicely, the unoaked Chardonnay meant that more of the flavors from the fermented grapes were unaffected in the aging process, and I thought that the flavors from this wine were really bright and noticeable. More so than the last one, this Chardonnay was almost clear, and it had a nice light-bodied mouth feel. The pineapple flavors were apparent on the palate, and I really liked this one, it was my favorite of the week.
I did not have food with this.
25. April Tasting - Trattoria Busa Alla Torre Da Lele
Name: Trattoria Busa Alla Torre Da Lele
Variety: Pinot Grigio
Region: Veneto
Country: Italy
Year: Non-Vintage
Price: $7.95
Wine Shop Review: Named after the famous restaurant in Italy! This is their house white wine! Coppery color from extended skin contact, round and rich texture with juicy melon aromas and flavors with a sweet fennel note on the ultra smooth finish. Great value Grigio! Drink now.
My Review: This wine had a pale yellow color, bordering on clear. On the nose I definitely picked up on the melon elements, I also felt like there was a light honey or honeysuckle component behind that. I definitely thought I picked up on some of the honey flavors on the taste, and the melon flavors also came through on the palate, although this wine was fairly light-bodied and not particularly strong with regards to its flavors. Our pourer explained that this wine was named after a restaurant, and being an old-world styled wine, this would likely do best with food. If I were to pair this with food, I think I would go with a risotto or fettuccine carbonara.
I did not have food with this.
Sunday, April 21, 2013
18. April Tasting - Ksana Bonarda
Name: Ksana Bonarda
Variety: Bonarda
Region: Mendoza
Country: Argentina
Year: 2008
Price: $9.95
Wine Shop Review: The bouquet is floral and lightly jammy, with berry aromas and a savory note or two. To the uninitiated, this is a great introduction to Bonarda. Finishes solid. Very sweet, berry smell with some rooty undertones. Kind of dry, makes your lips pucker.
My Review: The pourer for this one told us that this is a spicier grape that you don't usually see alone, rather, it is usually blended with another wine. From the nose, I expected the wine to be a little hot, with a jammy, blackberry smell as well. While the wine was dry and perhaps a bit tannic, it seemed to be well balanced, and I didn't mind that it was a little more astringent.
I did not have food with this.
18. April Tasting - Concannon Shiraz
Name: Concannon Shiraz
Variety: Shiraz
Region: Central Coast of California
Country: USA
Year: 2008
Price: $7.95
Wine Shop Review: This is an extremely rich, full-bodied wine with a dark fruit core. Aromas of blackberry, blueberry, cassis and dark cherry are followed by more berry fruits and chocolate and mocha on the palate.
My Review: This one had a darker color, and I really noticed a lot of flavors on the nose. I picked up some black pepper, and once again a kind of water chestnut aroma - although I may be calling it that when it's closer to cashew, I'd have to try it again. Then, in addition to those flavors, I got either a blackberry or raspberry jam kind of aroma. I thought it was really good, full bodied, with a kind of cocoa or mocha taste. Once again, it was slightly peppery with berry flavors.
I did not have food with this.
18. April Tasting - Chandon Sweet Cuvee
Name: Chandon Sweet Cuvee
Variety: Sparkling
Region: California
Country: USA
Year: Non-Vintage
Price: $9.95
Wine Shop Review: This wine is an innovative sparkling wine style revealing vibrant stone fruit and floral aromas with rich, luscious mouthfeel. This wine enlivens the senses and sparks spontaneous moments, complementing your passion for a good life.
My Review: Like the White Zinfandel, this one h ad another light pink kind of color. I noticed that it had an effervescence to it, and I thought the nose had honey and blueberry elements. I definitely noticed a richer mouthfeel, and I though that it had some sweet, acidic, honeyed flavors.
I did not have food with this.
18. April Tasting - Black Ridge White Zinfandel
Name: Black Ridge White Zinfandel
Variety: White Zinfandel
Region: California
Country: USA
Year: Non-Vintage
Price: $3.95
Wine Shop Review: This fruit forward White Zinfandel displays fresh aromas and crisp flavors of strawberry, raspberry, and cherry. It is incredibly food friendly and will pair well with burgers, sandwiches, fruit salad, and more.
My Review: This wine had a light pink color, one of the lighter Roses that I've seen at the vintage cellar this semester. On the nose, I got some apparent berry flavors, the descriptors of strawberry, raspberry and cherry all seemed to be fairly easy to pick up on. I actually really liked the taste of this one, I thought it had really nice strawberry flavors without being too sweet. Despite my predisposition to not like it because of what Professor Boyer says about White Zinfandel, I can see why this is a popular wine.
I did not have food with this.
18. April Tasting - Wilson Daniels Sauvignon Blanc
Name: Wilson Daniels Sauvignon Blanc
Variety: Sauvignon Blanc
Region: Central Coast of California
Country: USA
Year: 2010
Price: $7.95
Wine Shop Review: Orange blossom and citrus permeate the aromas. Alluring flavors of orange and grapefruit dominate the palate. Bright acidity balances the plush mouthfeel, resulting in a clean finish.
My Review: This clear, lightly gold colored wine had a citrus component on the nose, I usually go back in forth between lemon and grapefruit as a descriptor for that smell. I also thought it seemed a little bit floral as well. It had a light body to it, and I thought that it seemed pretty dry - I'm not quite sure what the orange blossom flavor that the wine shop review is describing, I'd almost like to taste it again to try and pick up better on that.
I did not have food with this.
Monday, April 15, 2013
Film Review - Sideways
Continuing
with Wine Weekend, aka rounding up any excess points, I watched Sideways, starring Paul Giamatti, Thomas
Haden Church, Sandra Oh, and Virginia Madsen.
Since I started working as a pourer, I’ve had tons of people ask if I
had seen this movie (even though a good deal of them didn’t really seem to care
for it), so I finally found some time to see what it was all about.
The
film is set in the Santa Barbara region of California, located in the
South-Central Coast. The story begins
with two men, Miles and Jack traveling from San Diego into some of California’s
wineries. Miles, a rather unsuccessful
aspiring writer, shows up to take his good friend Jack on a bachelor party week
of wine tastings, golf, and dinners, but all Jack can think about his having
sex with someone else before tying the knot with his fiancée, Christine. Coming off a rough divorce, Miles is going
through a difficult time in his life, but despite this, he’s trying to make
Jack’s bachelor party week memorable.
However, to Miles’ dismay, the excitement of wine tastings and vineyard
tours is completely lost on Jack, who has extremely limited knowledge of wine,
and frankly, he doesn’t seem to care much about them at all, except for their
intoxicating properties. Conversely,
Miles has come to appreciate all the nuances and efforts that go into the
production of wine, something that he and his ex-wife were able to share
together. Because of this, their wine
tours are somewhat overshadowed by Miles’ emotional baggage and his memories of
the time spent with his ex-wife in the South Central Coast wine regions.
Despite
Jack’s apathy toward the experience, Miles can’t help but educate Jack on his
favorite elements relating to wine.
These scenes, albeit brief, were what I found most interesting about,
although they were fairly basic facts and they happened relatively quickly. For example, Miles relates some facts about
his favorite grape, Pinot Noir, as Jack pours a white Pinot Noir in the car. Completely ignorant, Jack asks, “Pinot Noir?
How come it’s white?” to which Miles indignantly begins to explain the grapes’
free run without the skins. This seemed
to me to be fairly basic knowledge, and for that I think this film would be
best as an introduction to wine. The
problem I encountered throughout the film was that this part of the scene (and
many others) seemed only an afterthought to the actual plot or to what was
truly important to the characters.
Following this was one of the better scenes, in which Miles explains the
production of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in Santa Barbara; Miles describes to
Jack how he likes all varietals, but some of the California vineyards
manipulate Chardonnay wines with too much time spent in oak or in secondary
Malolactic fermentation, which for Miles masks the flavors he wants from the
wine. Miles also touches on the region,
discussing how the Pinot Noir grape is thin-skinned, and sensitive to the
elements, and thrives in Santa Barbara because the cool air coming off the
Pacific Ocean at night lightly cools the grapes. Once again though, these facts seemed to
provide more of a character background of Miles as a wine aficionado than
particularly relevant to the plot or the vibe of the film.
Pinot Noir Grape |
The
first half of the film seemed to have the most information on wine. Upon arriving to their first tasting (where
Miles seems to be recognized as a regular customer), Miles goes through the
wine tasting basics, taking Jack through examining the color of the wine as
well as taking in the different aromas present.
As is typical of his character, Jack just wants to drink the wine and
move on to find loose women. Things
begin to deteriorate between the two characters the next morning, where Jack
informs Miles that he plans to get laid before his wedding at all costs, and
Miles should know not to mess it up.
Miles is completely uncomfortable with the situation, knowing that
infidelity wouldn’t be good for Christine or Jack. Additionally, Miles is beginning to realize
that Jack has almost no interest in the wines at all. However, upon meeting Stephanie, a young
pourer at one of California’s wineries, Jack suddenly starts liking all of the
wines, even though Miles is unimpressed with most of them.
Miles educates a clueless Jack about the proper tasting technique |
Stephanie makes a good impression on Jack, while the wines make a bad impression with Miles |
Miles
becomes attracted to a waitress named Maya that he had met on one of his many
sojourns to Santa Barbara, and she is all the more attractive because she has
an extensive knowledge of wines that she picked up from her ex-husband. Both newly single, Miles and Maya begin an
awkward attempt at a double date with Jack and the sexualized pourer
Stephanie. Miles’ personal emotional
troubles threaten to derail the entire evening, but Jack attempts to put him in
place before they enter the restaurant; although Miles agrees to calm down, he
is vociferous about leaving if anyone should be so ignorant as to order
Merlot. This very brief part of the
scene highlights the wine drinking trends around the time of the film; clearly
Merlot was viewed as the go-to wine for oblivious or novice wine drinkers,
something that Miles wants no part in. His snobby attitude evaporates later when he sees Stephanie's modest, but decadent wine collection.
The
most prominent scene relating to wine occurs between Miles and Maya on the back
porch of Stephanie’s house. Miles, who
is clearly having trouble talking to women after his divorce, describes to Maya
the details of Pinot Noir production, which Maya interprets as a loose metaphor
for the care and attention Miles would give the right woman. Miles explains that the thin-skinned,
temperamental Pinot Noir grape is much harder to cultivate than most other
grapes, requiring constant care and attention as well as patience and
nurturing. Miles feels that this care is
what makes the wines so much better than others, and Maya is clearly responsive
to his enthusiasm about wine. Upon hearing
that he has a 1961 Cheval Blanc, she encourages him to open it rather than wait
for a special occasion, because the celebration is opening the bottle itself.
Maya is awed by Miles' extensive wine knowledge |
Miles misses an opportunity, but this was, in my opinion, the best scene for those interested in wine. |
I
found this to be more of a superficial wine film than I expected. There was a clear plot and wine seemed to be
a background element to that; although there was some decent background
knowledge available, they were mostly quick comments at the end of scenes or
brief cuts. There were a few cuts of the
vines and pickings as well as some barrels of grapes, but those scenes didn’t seem
to affect the plot in a major way or influence the overall vibe of the movie. For example, Miles, Jack, Maya, and Stephanie
all go out to dinner and there are a bunch of wine bottles in the background,
but the discussion of wine is very limited, and the scene is much more about
Paul’s emotional distress than the clove flavor in the wine he’s tasting. The group attends a lecture on the Pinot Noir
grape, but they leave before hearing any real facts. Additionally, Jack berates Miles for bringing
up Vouvray, but there is no further discussion on what it is or why it is
significant.
I
would have appreciated this movie a lot differently if I hadn’t seen Bottle Shock first, because I definitely
compared the two for their wine information.
I felt like Sideways had much
more novice information, where as Bottle
Shock, having been based on a true story, had some more detailed
information about the production of wine, the new world vs. old world styles,
and wine flaws. I would be remiss not to include that I thought the characters were awful (the acting was fine, though); Miles was kind of a pathetic guy and Jack was a total dirtbag. That being said, I would certainly
recommend Sideways as a movie to
watch much earlier in the semester, or for those just beginning to become interested in wines, because it covers more of the novice
aspects of wine tasting while incorporating an engrossing story. However, to those who expect a comedy, I
found almost nothing funny about this film at all, despite it being advertised
as such. It was actually a pretty
depressing film, although Miles’ enthusiasm for wine did encourage me to think
about my favorite wine that I’ve tried this semester, and I plan to go buy a
bottle or two to open one of these days.
Mmm...spit bucket wine. One of my coworkers saw someone drink from one of these as a bet once. |
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