A Brief Stop at the Dominican Republic

Posted on March 14, 2025 by thewineraconteur

While we weren’t scheduled for any excursions we did go and briefly explore the grounds off the port landing in the Dominican Republic.  The island is rather unique in that it is known as Hispaniola and has two sovereign nations; Haiti (French) and the Dominican Republic (Spanish) and is the second largest island in the Greater Antilles in the Caribbean.  The immediate area that we were in, was definitely what I would call a tourist trap consisting of local cuisine restaurants and bars, plenty of souvenir shops, a Macaw photo op center, and an apothecary or druggist shop with the largest advertisement for “now available without a prescription Viagra.”  I also found out later, from others that went into the souvenir shops that they were selling assorted plates, trinkets and what-nots that showed the entire island while omitting the fact that Haiti was also part of the island.

After returning to the ship later, we met up with some others as it was our only other night of non-premium dining.  They bundled four nights as a special, and then you could eat at some of the casual dining spots, or you could go to the better locations and pay an additional premium.  We met at one of the two locations across from each other, that we went to every morning for breakfast, and it was always a lovely breakfast and the perfect way to start the day.  We started our dinner off with Shrimp Cocktails in a classical interpretation and we both had New York Strip Steaks with assorted sides.  We had Bodegas y Vinedos de Aguirre Morpho Helena Malbec DO Valle Central Chile 2020.  I could find basically nothing about this winery, other than people mentioning that they encountered the wines on cruise ship.    The Central Valley (El Valle Central) of Chile is one of the largest wine regions in Chile.  The region is noted for Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Malbec, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc, as well as many Bordeaux style blends.  Malbec was planted in this region, before it was planted in Argentina.  The wine is a dark ruby and offered notes of blackberry, black cherry, sous bois and tobacco.  On the palate this medium-bodied wine had tones of black cherry, currants and herbs with high acidity, strong tannins and a medium finish of terroir.

We actually, both indulged with a liquid dessert of Inniskillin Icewine Reserve Vidal VQA Niagara Peninsula 2023.  It made us think of our two trips to Niagara-on-the-Lake in Ontario, Canada.  Inniskillin is best known for their Icewine offerings.  They were the first winery license in Canada since 1929 when they finished the winery in 1975.  Their first vintage was in 1977, but it was in 1984 when they started achieving fame with naturally frozen Vidal grapes.  The process they use differs from the process in Germany, but others in the area have now duplicated their success as well.  The fruit is harvested at night, when eighty percent of the water content in each berry is frozen.  The grapes are pressed while still frozen and the juice is highly concentrated, though with yields that are approximately fifteen percent of an average grape harvest.  A deep golden colored with notes of marmalade, candied pineapple, mango, apricot and honey.  On the palate this full-bodied wine offered tones of pineapple, tangerines and brown sugar with crisp acidity and a nice long finish of candied fruit.

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Birthday Greetings, Bottle of Wine

Posted on March 11, 2025 by thewineraconteur

If those two random thoughts flow in your brain with a medley, you are like my Bride and myself and of a certain age and era.  We caught the first show of “The Beatles Invasion” and there were four different shows.  The first show was packed, and the four musicians/singers had to compete with the audience, as everyone knew the song and were definitely singing along.  It was narrow lapels, pegged pants, skinny ties and Half-Wellingtons with Cuban heels.  All they needed was an introduction by Ed Sullivan.

The next evening, it was even more packed with Standing Room Only and it was Sargent Pepper’s Lonely Heart Club Band, and in full regalia.  A great night of nostalgia and more sing-alongs, whether intentional or not, the audience wanted to join in the fun.  I guess word of the show traveled quite quickly, as each evening had more people and an even more enthusiastic crowd.  The third evening, we got there almost an hour early to save two sets of tables for our small group, and the demand for the chairs was getting fierce, but I defended my turf and saved them all.  I didn’t make the last show, but my Bride said it was good, but the first two shows were the most memorable according to her, but then again that is nostalgia settling in.

As for drinks, there was a bar in the back of room, that shut down during the concerts.  We didn’t know what to anticipate, so there was a wine bar across the hall from the music room, and we went and got our libations there in a more serene atmosphere and took our drinks with us, as each show was for an hour, it was easy to enjoy a glass of wine.  One night we had Borges Tawny Porto NV.  Sociedade dos Vinhos Borges was founded in 1884 by two brothers who had an interest in a myriad of endeavors and in 1904 they purchased Quinta da Soalheira estate and it is now over 340 hectares, and they eventually filed for seventy brand registrations.  In 1998, José Maria Vieira business group acquired shareholder control, and they had been the main distributor for the Portuguese market.   The   estate for this wine is in the Douro region on schist soil with vines from thirty to forty years, and they grow Touriga Franca, Touriga Nacional, Tinto Cao and Tinta Roriz (Tempranillo).  This reddish-brown colored wine offered notes quince jam, plums, caramel, walnuts, raisins and vanilla.  On the palate this wine was rather syrupy and offered tones of spiced red fruits, citrus, bitter apples and vanilla with a medium count finish of fruit and spices.

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Palomar

Posted on March 8, 2025 by thewineraconteur

I have to admit that being on a cruise ship has changed considerably since the last time, which was about thirty years ago.  Then there was one private restaurant for dinner, and a limited breakfast offering at another location; otherwise it was sitting with strangers.  They still had a big cavernous dining hall with terrible service, and there was also a buffet, which I had no interest in.  Now, one can pay extra to go to theme restaurants and private tables, and I did find that the service was far superior, and it reminded me of the enjoyable dinners that we had the last time.

Palomar, was one of the “private” restaurants that we paid a surcharge and had to make reservations for a table and time.   The theme was Mediterranean and my Bride started with an Heirloom Beet Salad with Feta Cheese, Mint and Roasted Garlic, while I had Grilled Prawns with an Endive-Fennel Salad.   We began the meal with Champagne Jean-Noel Haton Rosé NV.  Champagne Haton began in 1610 with the original parcels of land in Damery.  Octave Haton began a new chapter when he began vinifying his own Champagnes.  They now have sixty hectares of vines (forty-five of their own) spread over six villages, each with its own micro-terroir and varieties.  The wine is a blend of thirty-five percent Pinot Meunier, thirty percent Chardonnay, thirty-five percent Pinot Noir (of which ten percent is vinified as red).  The wine is aged for a minimum of three years.  A pretty soft-copper color that offered notes of currants, strawberry, stone fruit, and orange zest.  On the palate there were delightful tones of fresh fruit, citrus, a complex mixture of toast, a dash of pine resin and good medium to long count of fruit and brioche. 

For our entrée choices, my Bride had the “Lavraki” Mediterranean Sea Bass, with Saffron-Carrot Puree and Chickpeas; while I had the “Festoni” Sea Scallops with Prosciutto, Le Puy Lentils, Clams and Pistachio Pesto.    We then followed with Il Borro Lamelle Chardonnay Toscana IGT 2023.   Il Borro is in the Valdearno hills of Tuscany planted primarily with classic international varieties, as well as Sangiovese. The vineyard is forty-five hectares and was planted in 1997 on a combination of sandstone and sandy-clay soils.  The vineyard is 300-500 meters above sea level.  The fruit is hand-harvested, and two-thirds of the juice is fermented in Stainless Steel vats, while the last third is divided among clay vats, acacia barrels, oak barrels and “Alma” which is a special oak and ceramic barrel. The wine is then aged for ten months on fines lees with an evenly split among clay vats, acacia barrels, oak barrels, and the “Alma” barrels.  The wine is then stored in the bottle for twelve months with a production of three thousand bottles.  A straw-colored wine that offered notes of citrus, yellow fruits, with a touch of rosemary, sage, and vanilla. On the palate the wine offered tones of fruit, with texture and body and finished with a nice medium count of fruit and terroir. 

We then chose a couple of desserts to end the meal.  My Bride had the Valrhona Dark Chocolate Mousse Cake with Dark Chocolate Sorbet and Salted Caramel Popcorn; while I had the French Apple Tart a la Mode with Puff Pastry, Golden Apple and Vanilla Bean Ice Cream. I know that I may disappoint you, but we had some coffee as we were going to explore the ship some more, as we had seen a Wine Cellar and an interesting show to visit.  The dinner was so good, that we ended up coming back a second time and treated our son and his wife for dinner here, with excellent results again.     

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The Wedding Reception

Posted on March 5, 2025 by thewineraconteur

The great thing was that the Bride looked lovely and they had a wonderful ceremony which is the desire of all the attendees. Between the time of the wedding and the reception, all that were joining in for the honeymoon segment had a chance to go to our “staterooms,” unpack and that is how I discovered that one could get one hour to use an iron and an ironing board, before housekeeping took it back, which I guess is OK, because there was really no place to store it. We were also supposed to get the Premium Wine Package, which basically means that one could drink the basic wine, or pay a premium surcharge for a better wine, by the glass or get a discount if we bought a bottle.  The reception was held in the Manhattan Room where the wedding was held earlier.   

The night began trying to order our dinner and drinks.  We were going to start with Shrimp Cakes and Caesar Salad, but the wait staff could not take our drink order and we had to wait for a “Somm.”  The appetizers came and still no drink orders and I sent the food back, as I thought we should appreciate wine and food together, truly a novel concept on this ship. From my observations, I thought the cruise line could have done a better job.   We tried to order Gerard Betrand 6eme Sens Blanc IGP Pays d’Oc 2023 or referred to as Sixth Sense.   The wine is a blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Grenache Blanc and Viognier.   The fruit is hand picked and gently pressed at the winery, with cold fermentation for forty-eight hours, followed by a short aging period in Stainless-Steel vats.  A pale-yellow wine that offered notes of citrus, florals and laurel.  On the palate there are tones of exotic fruits and citrus with good acidity and a short finish of fruit.

A “Somm” finally appeared, so we reordered the appetizers, then my Bride had the Flounder Filet, and I decided to go with something safe like a New York Strip steak.  My Bride decided to stay with the Sixth Sense, and I had the Grupo Olarra Era Costana  Crianza Rioja DOCa 2020.  Grupo Bodegas Olarra is a business that has three wineries.  Bodegas Olarra and Bodegas Ondarre are in Rioja, while Bodegas y Vinedos Casa del Valle is in Castilla La Mancha.  Bodegas Olarra was established in 1973 in the Rioja Alta zone, and Bodegas Ondarre followed in 1985 in the Rioja Oriental zone.  There Rioja wines are made with Tempranillo grapes according to the rules of Rioja.  This label was not listed on their website, so I cannot say which zone it came from.  A Crianza red wine must be aged for at least one year in oak, and one year in bottle and released in the third year. The wine was a deep blackish purple and offered notes of red and black fruit and some tobacco.  On the palate this medium-bodied wine had tones of red cherry, currants blended with firm tannins and medium acidity and a medium count finish of fruit and vanilla.

For our desserts my Bride had a Honeycomb Crème Broulee and I had the Chocolate Lava Cake.  I also splurged for the first of many times, wondering what happened to our “Premium Wine Selection” investment.  I had a glass of Dow’s Quinta do Bomfim Single Quinta Vintage Porto 2013, bottled in 2013.  The wines used to be called Port, but since the advent of other wineries years back, especially in America offering tepid imitations called Port, the great Port houses of Oporto renamed their wines Porto, and the Porto wines are legendary fortified wines. Most of the grand Port houses have a British name, which shows how much the British valued these fortified wines. Dow’s is over two hundred years old, and has changed hands and is now part of the Symington Family Estates, but the quality and tradition has been maintained. Dow’s was the first house to receive Royal Assent and was allowed to maintain their own armed shipments of the wine to Great Britain during the Napoleonic Wars. Dow’s also owns four famed vineyards in the Upper Douro Valley and these are considered great vineyards and allows them to make all the different versions of Port wines, including when deemed proper, a vintage year; as not all years are declared a vintage year. The grapes used to make Port wines are a mix and perhaps not even the winemakers can agree on what the actual percentage of each grape is used. The most common varietals are Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Barroca, Tinta Roriz (more famous and recognizable as Tempranillo), Tinto Cao and one can also find Souzao, Tinta Amarela and Mourisco Tinto.  Single Quinta Vintage Port (SQVP) is produced from a single estate (quinta) and a single vintage.  This style has emerged sin 1986 and is appreciated for its terroir-driven approach to winemaking and not offered during an official Vintage Year.  Bomfim is a classic “River Quinta” with its south-facing exposure, stony shist soil and is “A-rated.”  A purple-black wine that offers notes of ripe fruit, violets, mint, chocolate, pepper and spices.  On the palate this was truly an elegant wine, full-bodied and offering tones of ripe blackberries, raisins, maple, with rich tannins, pepper and chocolate with a long-count finish of ripe fruits and spices. 

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The Morning of the Wedding

Posted on March 2, 2025 by thewineraconteur

I have to admit that during my entire career I always enjoyed what was known for years as Cruise Season, as the fabrics and colors were fun.  Everyone that flew down for the wedding and most were also for the honeymoon, had to be down in the lobby of the hotel, bright and early to be shuttled over to the port to get on the ship, sounds easy.  There was a marathon race that morning and everything was totally a mess.  My Bride and I had our luggage on the first bus, and as I have remarked my Bride is a firm believer of “hurry up and wait.”  I am happy to say that the courteous Detroit style driving is totally apparent in Miami, by which I mean that if there was signage that stated an exit was in a mile, all the drivers waited until one car length before the mile exit, to merge and they expected everyone to realize that they were more important than the ones who had started merging when the signs appear, especially since they didn’t even bother using turning signals, which have been standard issue on most vehicles for over a hundred years.  Most of the exits were closed courtesy of the marathon, our bus driver was good, I understand that at least one of the shuttle drivers was creating his own route and people were concerned that they might not only miss the wedding, but the cruise as well.  As it was all the guests looked like the last rose of Texas, as we were all dressed from at least seven in the morning, went through cattle car lanes and enjoyed the Miami humidity and yes, I can say professionally that silk and linen clothes while ideal for high heat, are guaranteed to wrinkle or you may get your money refunded.

We arrived at the port, but there was no communication as to what to do with all of these early arrivals, as we were sent here and there, though there were plenty of photo opportunities to have pretend boarding photos for a price.  We all had to go through another “Checkpoint Charlie” and present our papers, I guess they hadn’t heard that identification papers weren’t necessary to vote, but imperative to just to get on a ship.  Eventually our luggage had to go through another Xray (I am glad that the hand steamer was not packed) and would get to our rooms sometime during the week, I kept my laptop bag with me, as my wife had prepared a video depicting the happy couple through the years, and a special video of a wedding gift from grandmother of the bride who made sure that there were would be a special Christmas tree ornament for their wedding, even though the grandmother had passed away.  My Bride is the unofficial photographer/videographer of every event for her family, and nothing keeps her from her daily duties.  There was even a smirking usher who zeroed in on my Bride announcing that no one, was to take photos or videos, but the anointed photographer. I took umbrage to think that they would think that my Bride would disturb the ceremony.  I thought no way was that going to happen, in fact the second day that we were back, my Bride had already created a wedding album of the nuptials, though she was nice, and insisted that the smirker still was part of the event and she had to take his photo as well. 

It was rather chaotic at least to this layman’s eye, but the wedding proceeded, and all the photographers took their chosen photos.  There were a couple of bridal dances and more photo ops.  I hope that the couple had a wonderful time, as they were in a maelstrom of emotions and events thrust upon them.  The cruise officials seemed more concerned about escorting those that were not going on the honeymoon off the ship, than the wedding proper.  I am not sure where the “official” photographer came from, but they almost forgot to take the “Sisters” photograph, but it did occur.  Another fun thing was watching all the people that were walking on the perimeter of the ship as they were intent on looking through the windows to observe the wedding.   I eventually did find that they were offering finger-food appetizers and drinks, but I guess the employees were not enlightened, or if they were, they were trying to save the cruise ship money.  I was disappointed that the cruise line would not have better accommodations, but they didn’t seem too concerned.  I took some photos of the wines that were offered, and I was hoping that we would have a chance to eat before the official reception later that evening.    

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Elia On the River

Posted on February 27, 2025 by thewineraconteur

We were getting closer to the wedding and more people were meeting up, and at least the majority of our crowd ended up at the same hotel, through the arrangements of the cruise line.  The hand steamer that my Bride bought was really put through the paces and everyone was happy with the results.  The Louisville crowd selected a restaurant using one of their phone apps and everyone agreed.  Of course, whatever transportation service that was chosen, the driver had no knowledge of the restaurant, and yes, I miss the moxie of taxis and their finger on the pulse of the city. 

Elia on the River is listed as a Greek restaurant, though the owner is Turkish and the food was more Mediterranean. Part of the glamour of the restaurant was that they were on the river, but we saw no waterways and our driver could not help us.  Elia on the River was on a waterway, but from the street, one had to walk through an open mall like-structure, and the water was at the backside of the complex, a complete secret from the street, and basically even from Google Maps.  My Bride and I decided to share two appetizers, as she had the “Elia Caesar” with crispy chickpeas, radishes, avocado and shaved Reggiano, while I ordered the Truffle Carpaccio with warm creamy potatoes and arugula and there was a dearth of truffles.  We started with Terrazas de los Andes Reserva Malbec 2022 from Chandon Argentina of Moet & Chandon (Moet & Hennessy).  Chandon Argentina created Terrazas de los Andes and partnered with Chateau Cheval Blanc to create Cheval des Andes in an 1898 Spanish-style winery in the heart of Mendoza, with vineyards in Lujan de Cuyo, Uco Valley.  This wine was pure Malbec and aged for almost fourteen months in French Oak.  A deep purple-red wine that offered notes of fresh strawberries  and red fruit.  On the palate, this was a low-key wine with tones of red and black and fruit, herbs and spices blended with medium tannins and moderate acidity and a medium count finish of fruit.  

My Bride and I decided to share a Whole Branzino with a side of Charred Broccolini. I found a wine that made her smile, as she missed it on the wine carte, but I think that is the reason she keeps me around.  We had a bottle of Tenuta la Ghiaia Vermentino Colli di Luni DOC 2023.  Colli di Luni DOC is for the coastal hills representing a transition between Liguria and Tuscany and is for both red and white wines.  Tenuta La Ghiaia is a winery estate and resort of five hectares of organic vineyards in Colli di Luni DOC and is located and named for any ancient riverbed.  The fruit is hand-harvested and undergoes a soft-pressing before fermentation in temperature-controlled Stainless-Steel tanks.  The wine rested on fine lees for about four months before bottling.  The straw-yellow colored wine and offered notes of citrus, lemon and bergamot, white florals, thyme and eucalyptus.  On the palate the citrus tones were bright and crisp, along with the natural salinity and minerality of this wine was a perfect pairing with the Branzino.

For dessert we shared a Pistachio Bliss which sounded more interesting than it was.  My Bride and I had our backs to the water (canal) that ran along the restaurant and there were boats moored, and the owners were enjoying dinner.  We also shared a glass of Warre’s Otima 20 Tawny Porto NV. Warre’s is one of Portugal’s most famous Port houses and it began in 1670.  William Warre became a partner in 1729 and then it was known as Clark, Thorton and Warre.   The house stayed exclusively in the Warren family until 1905, when Andrew James Symington was admitted as a partner of Warre and Co.  Warre’s is managed by the 13th generation of the Symington family, who also own the Dow’s and Graham’s Port houses.  The Otima 10 and Otima 20 Year Old Tawny was developed about twenty-five years ago aimed at a younger demographic group, than what is usually associated with Port drinkers.    While there are over eighty sanctioned grapes allowed in the production of Port, most have been forgotten, lost, and intermingled over the centuries.  The five main grapes used are: Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinto Barroca, Tinta Roriz (Tempranillo), and Tinto Cao; and some other relatively common varieties are Sousao, Tinta Amarela and Mourisco Tinto.   Port wines are what is known as fortified wines, and is achieved by adding high proof grape spirit during the fermentation process as the spirit kills of the yeast before all the sugars have fermented, then it is aged in barrel, where the coloring comes from.  The wine is a golden red color and offers notes of dried oranges,figs, caramel, and salted nuts.  On the palate there are tones of dried apricots, orange marmalade blending perfectly with raisins, figs, butterscotch and caramelized sugar extremely complex with enough acidity to keep the wine fresh and not cloying, and the finish is a nice long count of dried fruit and pepper.

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94’th Aero Squadron Restaurant

Posted on February 24, 2025 by thewineraconteur

Not only did we arrive early for our flight, but we were also actually two days early prior to the wedding.  Of course, I had no idea who else was going to be in Miami so early and it was really hard to make plans.  One of the odd things was that my Bride bought and brought a special steamer, so that she could make sure that the woman of the day, could have her gown fully steamed for that morning, as well as the mother (my Bride’s sister, plus all of her other sisters).  As I say, my Bride plans for all sorts of situations, and I guess no one else realized that there was a wedding to attend.  We also found out that steamers and irons were “verboten” and when we finally got on the ship, I was allowed the use of an ironing board and and iron for an hour, and housekeeping was very punctual.  One of the sisters was only attending the “wedding” and not the honeymoon, so we made arrangements for her to carry the illegal contraband back to Detroit.   We also had no rental car, so we were basically stuck at the airport hotel, which is where the cruise line made the arrangements and getting straight answers from them was difficult.  I contacted an Instagram wine blogger that lives in Miami for a suggestion for somewhere of quality to eat, I would have actually liked to have invited her and her fiancé out for dinner, but I couldn’t make actual plans.

The 94’th Aero Squadron was very accommodating, as I made the original plans in Detroit and then it was modified twice while we were in Miami.  The Squadron goes back to World War One and was affiliated with the Lafayette Escadrille.  Being from Detroit, I don’t understand this ersatz cab companies, but I was out voted, the Uber driver had no idea, where we were going, but I had to address on my phone, to make sure that we were going to the right place, and the restaurant was right across the street from some of the fields of the airport, and I might add the restaurant was a considerable size, and later I could observe that it was well operated.  Even with a good crowd, the waiter was able to break the group down to couples, but we did find out later that he charged us a group tip rate, the food was good, he was mediocre.  My Bride had Mahi-Mahi and topped with Shrimp Scampi on a bed of Jasmine Rice, while I had the Mediterranean Branzino baked in olive oil and lemon juice on a bed of Jasmine Rice. I found an interesting bottle of Bouza do Rei Lagar de Bouza Albarino Rias Baixas 2023. The bodega began in the Twenties and today they now have one hundred hectares. This wine is only made from vines at least twenty-years of age, and they use pneumatic presses, cold filtration and aging of three weeks in Stainless-Steel tanks for maximum freshness.  A soft yellow wine that offers notes of lemons, limes and ginger.  On the palate tones of green apple, yellow plums and honeysuckle with bright acidity and a short finish of lemon zest.

I could have enjoyed wandering around the restaurant admiring the different military and aeronautical décor.  I guess, I get into stuff like that, while everyone was deciding on desserts, I decided on a glass of Sandeman Twenty Year Old Tawny Porto NV.  The house was founded in 1790 by George Sandeman who originally sold Port and Sherry in London, until moving to Vila Nove de Gaia in Porto in 1811, and is now managed by the seventh-generation family director. They still have the original location and their vineyards are in the Douro Valley, and in the 19th century they also acquired a Sherry bodegas in Spain. Recently I have been enjoying Port Wines more and more, and have discussed the truly unknown varieties that have evolved over the centuries, not to mention the unique way that the wines are aged in wooden casks which concentrate the fruits and flavors.  The deep ruby red wine offered notes of dried apricots, honey, nuts, vanilla and finishing with a nice long count of fruits and nuts. 

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The Fine Wine Source Club – February 2025

Posted on February 17, 2025 by thewineraconteur

Over the years, my Bride and I have joined several local wine clubs and we now just maintain our membership at The Fine Wine Source in Livonia, Michigan and for thirty dollars a month, it is well worth the investment, not to mention the camaraderie that we experience and enjoy.  Besides the great perks, we also receive two wines, one representing the Old World and one from the New World.

The Old World is represented this month by Decugnano dei Barbi “Villa Barbi” Umbria Rosso IGT 2019.  Decugnano dei Barbi dates to 1212, two clerics were entrusted to maintain the lands and Santa Maria di Decugnano was owned by the Cathedral of Orvieto.  In 1973 Claudio Barbi discovered the property in abandonment and in 1978 the first wines were born.  Claudio’s son Enzo continues his father’s work and dedication,  Umbria is considered the middle of Italy and is the only Italian region with neither a coastline or an international border. The property is one-hundred-fifty acres and a little over half has been planted.  This wine is a blend of Sangiovese, Montepulciano and Cabernet Sauvignon.  The wine begins with Stainless Steel tanks and finishes with some brief oak aging.  The garnet wine is described as having notes of red and black fruits, spice, saddle wood, tobacco and sous-bois.  On the palate there are tones of blackberry, cherry and currants blended with soft and supple tannins ending with a nice medium to long finish of fruit, sous-bois and tobacco.      

Representing the New World for wines  this month is Forlorn Hope Queen of the Sierra Red -Rorick Heritage Vineyards Calaveras County 2020.  When I saw Calaveras County I immediately thought of the short story by Mark Twain written in 1865 called “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County” that I probably read in Elementary School when literature and reading were promoted and is probably all but forgotten except perhaps for the named county.  Calaveras County is on of California’s original counties from the time of the Gold Rush of the 1850s and for wine is part of the Sierra Foothills AVA.  The original property was ranched by the Shaw family in 1844, and eventually acquired by Barden Stevenot in the Sixties, and he is deemed the “godfather” of modern Calaveras County winegrowers, when he planted original heritage Wente Chardonnay roots in the Seventies.  Barden eventually grew the property to seventy-five acres and in 2013 Matthew Rorick purchased the property and converted it to organic farming practices.  The estate is at 2000 feet in elevation on limestone soil beneath a top layer of schist. The Queen of the Sierra wines is a celebration of the soils, the elevation and the vineyard.  The wines are pure estate grown fruit, hand-harvested, indigenous yeasts, unfiltered and unfined.  The wine is a blend of Zinfandel, Barbera, Tempranillo, Trousseau Noir and Mondeuse.  Trousseau Noir is native to the Jura, but is known in the Douro region in Portugal as Bastardo.   Mondeuse is an ancient red grape from the Savoie region and with DNA testing and is related to Syrah. The fruits are pressed at dryness and allow two to three weeks total time on the skins and then placed in neutral barrique, after racking the wine remains in a combination of neutral oak and Stainless-Steel until bottling.  The wine is considered an honest and pure representation of this region.  This red wine offers notes of ripe strawberry, cherry and bright florals.  On the palate, a fruit forward wine, very juicy with smooth tannins, and high acidity.    

The other thing that I am happy to mention is that not only has the expanded retail space doubled, The Fine Wine Source has been discovered by a local  morning television show, where the owner has been featured pouring some outstanding wines like Chateau d’Yquem “Y” Ygrec,  Chateau Cheval-Blanc and Chateau Petrus. Watching morning television like this, sure beats a cup of coffee to start the day off.  I know that from the patrons at his Vertical Restaurant and this morning show, I will be encountering many new and happy customers.   

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Some Odds and Ends

Posted on February 14, 2025 by thewineraconteur

You may have noticed that I have been posting “story” entries labeled “From My Cellar” and certainly not for bragging rights, though there are a couple of interesting wines that I have acquired over the years. It has been an aid to remind me what I have down there and what should be drank first, because I am not that organized. And everyone recommends different apps that they use, but then it starts feeling like a business. Since the forced sequestering of about five years ago, I have been quite fortunate, as I have been trying to keep abreast of the situation, as we only lost about nine bottles from neglect, which is not bad at all.

I am kind of picking and choosing, thinking which wines may not age as well. I will start with Chateau Paradis Casseuil Bordeaux 2003 from the Domaines Barons de Rothschild (Lafite). The Chateau is located in the Entre-Deux-Mers (between two seas) where the Dordogne and Garonne Rivers meet. The “Vines of Paradise” derives its name from the terroir, a distinctive geological formation of sandstone, limestone, marls , claystone with lime nodules and multi-colored magnesium sandstone as well as being rich in calcium. The porous structure of the terroir is what allows the vines to stay cool during the hot summer season. The DBR Lafite family purchased the fourteen-hectare property in 1984, and in 1989 the estate grew by nine hectares, and in 2013 they acquired another thirty hectares. In 2024 they acquired another twenty hectares and its own winery and cellar. The original name of the vineyard is lost in lore, but they are pleased with the name. Using modern technology, fermentation occurs in temperature-controlled Stainless-Steel tanks for the gentle extraction of tannins. The berries are small, and the skins are concentrated with tannins and the fruit has a short maceration period. A small percentage of the wine is aged in oak, and the wine is predominately Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and a small amount of Cabernet Franc. The wine was deep purple with no foxing and offered notes of black fruit, cassis, oak and terroir. On the palate the fruit and the tannins had blended, but I was impressed that there was still some solid fruit for its age and a good medium count of terroir in the finish.

Another wine that we had one night at the house was Domaine Sainte-Anne Cotes du Rhone 2001. This is a low-key winery that is considered special in the southern Rhone. The Stenmaiers, originally from Burgundy were considered pioneers for introducing both Syrah and Mourvèdre to the area which was already famed for Grenache, which seems odd now, as The Rhone Rangers of California have made GSM almost a household blend. The winery also makes a Cotes du Rhone Blanc and their vines average about forty years in age. The wines are made in Stainless-Steel tanks as they use no oak. The color of this wine was still a deep purple with no foxing, but I am glad that we opened it up as the nose was starting to soften the notes of blueberry, raspberry and plums. On the palate the aging of the wine had softened the tannins and fruit, both were still present, but not a full-flavored and full-bodied for this higher proof wine.

The last of the wines that I will mention today is also from the southern Rhone from a well respected house. We had opened an E Guigal Cotes du Rhone 2000. E. Guigal is one of the more popular and important producers in the Rhone Valley. Etienne Guigal founded the company in 1946 in town of Ampuis near the fabled slopes of Cote Rotie. The main focus has been on wines featuring Grenache, Mourvèdre, Viognier, Roussanne and Syrah. The company has holdings in Saint-Joseph, Hermitage, Gigondas, Condrieu, Chateauneuf-du-Pape, as well as a couple of Cote du Rhone wines. The company also has four notable wines from Cote Rotie, the latest acquisition being Chateau d’Ampuis in 1995. While the bottle of wine did not list the varietals, I don’t think that I would be going out much on a limb to say that it is the classic GSM blend of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre, the classic trio of the Southern Rhone wines. I am happy to say that the color, nose and taste would have reminded one of perhaps a five-year-old and not a twenty-four-year-old, so the others are still safe and totally drinkable. The deep purple wine offered notes of blackberry, raspberry, pepper, smoke and sous-bois. On the palate nice tones of blackberry and raspberry, roasted peppers, and smoky spices.

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A Taste of Monterey – Winter 2025

Posted on February 11, 2025 by thewineraconteur

By happenstance, back in 2003, my Bride and I were on holidays at having lunch at the famed Sardine Factory and in the Cannery Row district, that was written about by John Steinbeck.  We walked into “A Taste of Monterey” and they could ship local wines to Michigan, when others could not, that was until our governor at the time was sued and she lost.  We signed up for their Private Reserve Club, with the concept of getting limited released wines that would probably never make it to the shelves in Michigan.

Four times a year, we receive three bottles of wine, and the first wine out of the carton was Shale Canyon Estate Grown Tempranillo Arroyo Seco 2019.  In 2008 Shale Canyon Wines began creating hand-crafted estate-grown varietal wines.  The wines are hand-harvested and fermented in small batches and their current production is about a thousand cases of wines featuring about seven different estate grown grapes.  The winery is entirely “off grid,” a solar-powered facility, and they use well water for their water supply.  They also source fruit from other vineyards that maintain the same farming practices as they do for another four varietal offerings.  There were one hundred-twelve cases produced.  The tasting notes furnished state that the wine is a classic bold Tempranillo with dark berry fruit on the nose.  On the palate this medium-bodied wine offers tones of blackberry, cherry and fig, firm tannins, and a long finish of vanilla and leather 

The second wine from the carton was Scratch Pinot Noir KW Ranch Santa Lucia Highlands 2020.  Scratch is a project of winemaker Sabrine Rodems who produces small-lot single varietal wines from Monterey, Arroyo Seco, Santa Lucia Highlands and the Santa Cruz Mountains AVA’s.  She started in the theater, film and television and then went and earned a Masters in Viticulture from UC Davis.  The fruit is from Kirk Williams’ KW Ranch in Santa Lucia Highlands who has forty acres of Pinot Noir and Syrah.  The tasting notes furnished relate that the wine offers notes of dark raspberry and cherry, cola and geraniums.  On the palate the wine offers tones of roasted plum, light oak, spices and lively acidity. 

The final wine in the shipment was Folktale Winery Sparkling Rosé Monterey NV.  Folktale Winery and Vineyards was originally founded in 1982 by Bob and Patty Brower, as Chateau Julien Wine Estate and they wanted to replicate their wine experiences in France to the Carmel Valley.  In 1996 they expanded the property and structures to ensure that they were making great wines, and my Bride and I visited Chateau Julien each time we had holidays in Carmel-by-the-Sea.  In 2015, the property was purchased by local winemaker, Gregory Ahn, and renamed Folktale Winery and Vineyards; and as a side note, from what I gather the label Chateau Julien is still property of the Brower family.  The five-acre vineyard at the winery is one hundred percent organically farmed, and they are working towards this goal in the three-hundred acres in the Arroyo Seco that they maintain.  This wine is a blend of eighty percent Pinot Noir and twenty percent Chardonnay.   The grapes are picked about three weeks early so that they can harvest the grapes at a lower sugar level compared to their still wines.  After the Initial Fermentation the juice is then placed in a Stainless-Steel tank for the secondary fermentation similar to a Prosecco or a frizzante wine.  The tasting notes describe the wine as having aromas and flavors of watermelon, kiwi and yeasty notes with a mouthfeel of a soft Prosecco-like texture.   

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