posted on 26 June 2009 by tony
Alright. I’m pretty late writing about this, but in my defense, I’m a very busy man. Here goes.
About two weeks ago, I was on vacation in California. While I spent most of my trip in San Francisco, I did managed to get down to Santa Cruz for about a day and half. My partner in crime and I took this opportunity to visit the Bonny Doon production facility for a VIP tasting and a few brief lessons on biodynamic wine production. During the two or so hours of the visit, we were assisted by three highly knowledgeable tasters: Genevieve, with 2 years behind the bar, Leela, who packed 5 years of experience and Cameron, who also kept it real with 2 years. Armed with nearly ten years of tasting knowledge, we dove into the Bonny Doon portfolio. These are the wines we tasted:
2004 Le Cigare Volant
2007 Le Cigare Volant (which had been bottled only the day before)
2007 Le Cigare Blanc
2008 Vin Gris De Cigare
2008 Ca’Del Solo Albarino
Ca’Del Solo Sangiovese (unknown vintage)
2008 Ca’Del Solo Muscat
2006 Ca’Del Solo Dolcetto
2005 Ca’Del Solo Nebbiolo
Then they broke out the interesting bottlings they do only for their Wine Club members.
2005 Bien Nacido Syrah
2005 Syrah Le Posseur
2006 Syrah Cuvee Splendide
2007 Ca’Del Solo Orange Muscat (my favorite)
2007 Angel Paille
The Vinferno (unknown vintage)
I also got to taste a brandy Bonny Doon used to make but no longer produces. Delicious.
I’m not going to lie here guys, I didn’t take any tasting notes. I was just soaking up the vino and the stories that the tasters were telling. For me though, this wasn’t really all about the wine, but the experience as well. The tasting room at Bonny Doon is gorgeous, the staff is friendly and the wine is great. I would say if ever you’re in Santa Cruz, head down there and check it out. I know that I will be there again next time I’m in town.
-Out.
Tags: Bonny Doon, California, Red Wine, white wine
Category: The Wine Blog | Comments (0)
posted on 28 April 2009 by sarah
I went out to dinner last week to a quirky restaurant in Harvard Square. It is a favorite of mine because the bar is lively, the food is delicate and fun, and there is a bar menu for those of us that want something delicious but can’t shell out the big dough. I dined with two close friends. The night was festive, marked by stories of scandal in the office along with the current dating dramas of my lovely and single friend.
While dipping into my asparagus custard and discussing male pattern balding I noticed my wine glass was empty. The waiter appeared in a flash angling for another glass. Fortunately we had recently ordered a bottle of Cabernet so I was not going to be without for long. The waiter scowled, “you ordered salmon; it will be DISGUSTING with that Cabernet!” I sheepishly shrugged and looked at him as if I had just been caught licking the inside of an empty Lays potato-chip bag – plastic covering my face, crumbs falling down my shirt. “Ooops.”
The truth is that it was a delicious Cab and I didn’t want to budge on my salmon selection. Perhaps it wasn’t the best combo but I thoroughly enjoyed it. Some wines do in fact pair better with food than others. Wines that are particularly food friendly tend to have a high acidity level. The higher the acidity the more alert your taste buds seem. That is my very scientific explanation - picture taste buds standing at attention.
This Vouvray Sauvion 2007 is great with food. With notes of melon and pineapple it has a nice level of acidity. It is dry to off dry and would go well with the slight sweetness of lobster or scallops – or a burger if you prefer to piss off waiters. Loire wines tend to exhibit characteristic fruitiness with fresh, crisp flavors. I didn’t know a lot about Vouvray wines but learned that they have some of the most complex and diverse plantings in the world leading to incredible blends. The whites are mainly based on the Chenin Blanc grape.
So next time you get an unwelcome eyebrow in regards to your wine and food selection I recommend:
1) Cock your head to the side and say, “Well now little man, it sure is better than that miller ice I’ve been drinkin’ at home!”
2) Laugh awkwardly and then start crying silently.
3) Think about the food you are eating, think about the wine you are drinking, and if you don’t want to make a change, politely tell your waiter to put the cork where the sun don’t shine.
Tags: Chenin Blanc, france, French white, Loire, Sarah Osteen, Vouvray, white wine
Category: Girl on Grape | Comments (1)
posted on 26 March 2009 by sarah
Nick Nolte may have the most memorable train-wreck of a mug shot but my favorite is Bernie Madoff who managed to sustain that uniquely smarmy semblance of a smile prior to being led to his stylish new Manhattan holding cell. You gotta hand it to this guy for deceiving hundreds of educated and well-informed investors, all-the-while knowing that he would eventually get caught. His reckless disregard for the law and ethics is worthy of some sort of financial Oscar, or at least an Emmy.
The 2007 Chateau Haut Lavigne is neither unethical nor the cause of life-long financial distress. But this Sauvignon Blanc Semillon blazes a trail for its deception. The wine starts off like a typical sauvignon blanc, a friendly white I would recommend with appetizers. Suddenly mid-sip this wine turns into some kind of champagne-esque white. That’s right; this wine is running a FONZIE SCHEME on me!
You know The Fonz, the 5’6’’ all-American garage mechanic heartthrob who depicted life in the 50s through some sort of bizarre 70s and 80s lens? Much like Dirty Dancing (took place in early 60s, filmed in full 80s cheese) Happy Days was a myriad of contradictions, just like Bernie. If only Arthur Herbert Fonzarelli could have spoken with Bernie Madeoff, maybe he could have taught him a few things. “Hey, you wanna satisfy the expectations of high returns promised to clients? “Aaaayhh!”
So back to our friend Chateau Haut Lavigne, this is a great cocktail or celebratory wine. I wouldn’t commit all my assets or courses to it but mixed into an evening of whites its complexity and mineral tastes will be sure to raise some eye-brows.
-Sarah Osteen, not a crook
Tags: bordeaux, france, French, French white, Sarah Osteen, White Bordeaux, white wine
Category: Girl on Grape | Comments (0)
posted on 7 March 2009 by jeff
It disturbs me that my first wine review on the new site is of a California chardonnay, but it’s what I’ve got in my mouth, so I am compelled to make note of it.
I’m drinking the 2007 Samantha Starr chardonnay, from the Monterey AOC. Samantha Starr is associated with the Monterey super-house, Talbott. Much like Talbott, the Sam Starr label deals largely in Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. At $16.99 it’s not necessarily budget chardonnay, but the comparative value is great. Moreover, the chard is the house pour at the Taj, and so for a relatively modest investment, one can take a little bit of hotel luxury home with them.
In the glass the wine is a beautifully clear, pale gold. The nose suggests ripe, creamy pear and, with a bit of time in the glass, a pleasant, vanilla-scented toastiness.
Though it offers a largely citric first pitch, the coolness of Monterey definitely exerts itself later in the count with notes of soft pear and a hint of green bananas. The finish is clean, if a bit sharp, which suggests that some of this fruit is sourced in, or around Talbott’s super-dry, Sleepy Hollow vineyard.
I like this wine. It tastes like chardonnay. For the money it offers an alternative to the ubiquitously oppressive weight of pineapple and vanilla ridden swill chardonnay, (I’m talking to you Kendall-Jackson, and you La Crema and. . . oh forget it, you all suck). The dry, bay-cooled climate of Monterey offers an interesting venue for chard, and this bottle has suggested as much while resisting the urge to manhandle the natural disposition of the grape.
J.
Tags: America, American White, American wine, California, California White, chardonnay, Samantha Starr, white wine
Category: Wine Reviews | Comments (0)
posted on 6 March 2009 by dan
This’ll be my 2nd bumbling on sauvignon blanc today. I know. It’s winter. So it goes.
3 Brooms is from New Zealand. They’re run by Barker’s Marque, who have a bunch of cool wines; check ‘em out here. The other day, we had one of the owners in the shop, the Barker brother with the misfortune of owning a Kiwi winery and also living on the North Shore of MA. Sucks for him. Regardless… he told us this story behind the name of the wine:
Back in the day, in Britain, which is where the Barkers hail from originally (Barker being the family who owns the vineyard), there was a local horse race at Epsom Downs entirely lacking in competent beer supply. So the Barker’s set up a beer stand. Which beer stand, their various (grateful) patrons pointed out, had no actual signage informing potential-patrons of its beer-carrying status. So those past Barkers looked around, found three brooms lying about, and strung them up on a pole above the stand. 3 Brooms. Get it? Which story may not hold all that much interest, but it is cool for this: the present-day Barkers, when puzzling over a name for their wine, looked back to their own history… the wine, therefore (sorry, I hate people who use that word) is connected to this like self-perpetuating history. In these trying times of cultural bastardization, I think that’s something worth mentioning. Whatever else 3 Brooms is, it imagines itself in its own terms. (for the Barkers story of 3 Brooms, complete with photos click this link)
It’s own terms being this: a g* damn solid s.b. from New Zealand. I happen to dig New Zealand wines, especially of this varietal, but then, I also dig white grapefruit juice. Acid here pinches my tongue and then creeps up the sides on the finish. Lots of sharp fruits. Mostly, what’s so cool is that drinking this wine rearranges the way my tongue feels at rest. It rouses it from his ordinarily languid laziness, tickles it with this like-exquisite pucker.
Try it for yourself, of course. And feel free to come hit me with your empty bottle if you disagree with my humble opinion. I say so with due confidence that the bottle is actually empty and that you’re a liar.
Tags: 3 Brooms, Barkers Marque, New Zealand, sauvignon blanc, Three Brooms, white wine
Category: Wine Reviews | Comments (2)
