Meet the Winemakers: Bo & Heidi Barrett

Chris Pine portrayed Bo in Bottle Shock

Earlier this week I was fortunate to attend a wine tasting at Astor Center with famed winemakers Bo & Heidi Barrett. You may have heard of them from their involvement in "The Judgment at Paris" when French wine critics in a blind tasting picked a California Chardonnay over a Burgundy Chardonnay. That was from Chateau Montelena! (It's pretty cool Bo was played on film by Chris Pine a.k.a. Captain Kirk.)

At the tasting, the Barretts showcased wines from Montelena as well as La Sirena, Heidi's side project in winemaking. It was a very fun event if only because Bo is probably the least pretentious wine afficianado you will ever meet. 

The first wine we tried was La Sirena Moscat Azul 2009 that tasted faintly Austrian and Germanic. There is a huge bouquet of florals and vanilla working here. The perfect picnic wine. In fact, Heidi informed us famed Napa Valley chef Michael Chiarello pairs this with a chilled asparagus salad. The perfect start to the tasting. 

Next up we have the Chateau Montelena Estate Zinfandel 2007. When you think Zinfandel you immediately picture big alcohol and booziness. Not so much with this wine. It's not as "ponderous" as the typical Zinfandel. You still get those same hints of black fruit and chocolate, but it's much more muted. An elegant table wine. 

What's not a table wine? The Chateau Montelena Estate Cabernet 2002. Holy wam bam this is a great wine. Seriously Bordeaux style with that perfect blend of elegance and balance. The secondary texture of the cherry and floral bouquet comes in perfectly. THIS is a California Cabernet. 

And so there you go. After all these years, Chateau Montelena is still representing the marvel from California!

Wine Opine: A Book Review

The Trinacria: the symbol of Sicily

Over the weekend I had the pleasure of attending a Sicilian wine tasting with author Robert Camuto, who conveniently just published a book on his deep passion for Sicily. 

I was excited to attend the tasting and read Palmento because I don't have a great grasp on Sicilian wine, or even the country in general. (Except as everyone knows: "Never go in against a Sicilian when death is on the line!") After finishing the book, though, I think I can teach a course. You meet lots of oddball characters like former Mafia bosses and musicians bumming it out in Sicilian vineyards. And all the while Camuto transports you to the magical serenity of the Sicilian countryside. 

An award-winning writer from Wine Spectator and The Washington Post, Camuto is a natural for the leisurely pace of wine book writing. And while you're reading, do yourself a favor and pour something with Nero d'Avola (the most prominent red wine grape in Sicily). This is a book that's going to make you thirsty!

Wines of Chile

Thanks to Morton's for hosting!

Last week I went to a tasting of Chilean wines organized by the Guild of Sommeliers. As a devotee of the Carmenere grape I was super pumped. However,  I was also delighted to be introduced to some grapes from Chile I previously wasn't familiar with. 

The Carignan grape has traveled extensively around the world, likely originating in Aragon before landing in Sardinia and then French Languedoc. It's a grape that has also found a following in the new world, specifically Chile. The Odfjell Orzada Organic Carignan 2006 is a real gem that's easy to drink and tasted a little similar to Zinfandel with hints of raisin and prune. Made by a French winemaker in the Maule Valley (not far from Santiago), this is a higher acidity offering with some great notes of minerality. I also liked it for its raspberry jam flavor. 

My other favorite wine from the day was the Matetic Syrah 2005 from the San Antonio Valley. We also tasted the 2008 (also nice), but this 2005 vintage has all the flavors of spice, pepper and bacon fat (yes, you read that right) times a billion. I'm serious. This is a beefy wine that will make you want to dig into a huge plate of teriyaki. 

Two other Chilean wines of note: Maquis Lien 2007 and Los Vascos Le Dix 2008. Salud!

The Grand Crus of Chablis

Sun looks a little mad

Earlier today I went to a tasting at The Modern for the Grand Crus of Chablis. It was definitely one of the more spectacular tastings I’ve been to in some time. Chablis refers to the northernmost district of Burgundy made of mostly Chardonnay grapes. This is a very cool climate (trust me – you don’t go for a tan) that produces wines with high acidity and lacks a lot of the fruity flavors Chardonnay might have in a warmer place like California. The minerality of Chablis is quite unique. You get something like flint, limestone even a seashell with the terroir there. The Grand Crus we were tasting did have an influence of oak though typically Chablis relies more on stainless steel.

To the wines!

From Domaine des Malandes wine grower Lyne Marchive showed off some of her astounding Grand Cru wines including a Les Clos 2009 and the Vaudesir 1996. The textures of these two wines were quite unique, you could really smell and taste that flintiness from the terroir. However, the Les Clos had this wonderful floral and petrol quality to it that I could not shake. Aged in 100% oak barrels you can definitely get a hint of vanilla on the nose and the palate. A stupendous wine.

Next we have the Chateau Grenouilles, an estate at the foot of the Grenouilles hillside that became a part of La Chablisienne in 2003. Easily my favorite wine I tasted was the Chateau Grenouilles 2005 because of the ripeness of the subtle fruit flavors. On the nose I got green apples, grass and a stone-quality I couldn’t quite place that my host referred to as peel. On the palate the wine came off concentrated, a nice balance of fruit and acid. It was even a little butter-y and toast-y.

And kudos for choosing my favorite restaurant in the city as our hosts!

An Open Mind About Shiraz

How cool was her Leonard Nimoy impression?

Like many wine-o-philes, I subscribe to the New York Times Wine Club. (Insert stereotypical New York liberal joke here.) This month’s selection includes a 2008 Fire Block Shiraz from Clare Valley in Australia.

The catch? I’m not sure how I feel about Shiraz. Well, I appreciate it’s (ahem…) intensely rich and spicy flavor, it is however a wine that befuddles me.

So, I guess I am glad that the Wine Club included an Australian Shiraz with this month’s collection. It gives me another opportunity to evaluate its aroma and flavor. (Plus I paired it with some tangy cheese while watching Fringe. That show could make Lysol tasty.)

Clare Valley is just north of Adelaide with a climate that’s warm and dry. The Fire Block vineyard has vines that date back to 1923. According to The Times, “these ancient Shiraz vines struggle mightily here.”

So props to Bill and Noel Ireland of Fire Block for this surprisingly substantial 2008 Shiraz. Because I’m not such a connoisseur of Shiraz, some of the aromatic flavors kept me guessing. (Our Times primer notes baked plum, huckleberry and black cherry liqueur). Tasting the Shiraz I definitely felt blackberry and plum really shining through. And maybe just a hint of chocolate? And definitely heavier on the French Oak as opposed to American oak. Overall… scrumptious for a Shiraz.

And to go with such a complex show like Fringe (and that stunning Australian actress Anna Torv), definitely hit up this Shiraz.

Understanding Organic and Biodynamic Wines

Located at 155 Varick in Tribeca

Yesterday I had the pleasure of attending a dinner and panel at The City Winery in honor of their “Wine, Women and Song month.” Panelists included Lisa Granik (Master of Wine), Pascaline Lepeltier (Sommelier at Rouge Tomate) and Dane Nigro (Wine Spectator).

The event opened with Granik explaining what exactly organic and biodynamic means. A wine that is made organically tends to prohibit synthetic products and has to follow certain regulations that vary from country to country. (Sidenote: Whenever you hear a winemaker talking about how their wine is made naturally, be skeptical. There are no actual regulations for natural wine.) Biodynamic farming is all about balance and harmony and following the phases of the moon. This tends to be a bit too “hippie” for people but I think it’s pretty cool.

Joining these awesome panelists were two winemakers with organic vineyards: Coralie Delecheneau from Le Grange Tiphaine in the Loire Valley and Helen Lomazzi from Colombaia in Tuscany.

With dinner (fig glazed petite poulet), City Winery paired Coralie’s La Grange Tiphaine ‘Ad Libitum’ 2009. This is a blend of gamay, cabernet franc and malbec. It’s a great summer wine with a very hearty terroir. And with some very fine Tuscan Pecorino cheeses we had Helen’s Colombaia Rosso ‘Vigna Vecchia’ 2007. There was a hint of cherry but also some strong spice flavors like black currant and cardamom. It worked exceptionally with the Toscano Fresco.

All this month City Winery is hosting tons of events celebrating women and wine. Don’t miss out!

Louis Latour Tasting

It's a tough job, but somebody has to taste these

This afternoon I went to a tasting hosted by Maison Louis Latour, who in 2005 purchased the Simonnet-Febvre vineyard in Montbard of Burgundy. The vineyard spans over nine acres including a 2/3 acre in the Grand Cru vineyard of Les Preuses. This is no Yellow Tail!

We tasted some very fine whites including the spectacular Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru, but I’m going to focus solely on the 2009 Red Burgundies. Just because. (You may have noticed I’m not the biggest white wine drinker.)

The Aloxe Corton Domaine Latour is a scrumptious Pinot Noir from Cote de Beaune that has a wonderful smell of cherry. This is a wine that is aged in oak for ten to twelve months. It will age spectacularly but for now it’s quite spicy and delightful.

And now for a real grand daddy of wine… the Corton Clos du Roi Domaine Latour (Grand Cru). All I can say is WOW! This is a wine that is just marvelous. Spectacular. Divine. Holy-cow-I-wish-I-could-drink-this-every-day. Unlike the Aloxe Corton, this is a wine that is aged for up to eighteen months. Those hues of cherries are elevated to include subtle vanilla and butterscotch. I’m not even sure I would pair it with any food that was hand-crafted by Eric Ripert or Daniel Boulud, honestly.

For more information on Louis Latour go here!

Rain, Rain Go Away!

I don't share Gene's good mood for rain

This post is sponsored my grouchiness over the fact that it’s rained buckets all day. And that really crappy type of rain that falls sideways. You know what I’m talking about, right? And with those gusts of wind you need an umbrella made of steel.

So naturally I’ve spent most of the day inside, browsing certain bottles of wine I had been saving for – you guessed it – a rainy day.

For a white I have a 2009 Luisa Ribolla Gialla from the Friuli region of Italy. It was more of an economical (read: cheap) purchase a few weeks ago. It’s very acidic and light bodied. For me I got a strong degree of lemony hues on the taste. Not very complex, so it goes well with the Real Housewives of Orange County. (I told you I’m grouchy tonight.)

On the other hand I ended my evening with one glass (OK: a glass and a half) of 2008 Diamond Ridge Pinot Noir. From Santa Barbara County in the Sonoma Coast, this is a thinner Pinot Noir than I am used to. The flavors of raspberry and cherry were very muted. Mercifully I tasted no dill so I suspect the vineyard stayed clear of American oak.

These weren’t the most stellar wines, but they certainly made my rainy day less heinous. I promise I’ll be sunnier tomorrow!