A Couple of More Christmas Gifts

Posted on January 5, 2015 by thewineraconteur

I think my Bride got more gifts of wine, than I did this past season, which is a bit amusing. When we first met, she would drink some white wine, but usually drank Dewar’s, which she still enjoys. After meeting me, she branched out and really started enjoying red wines, as well as discovering all types of varietals, which she may have passed on, in her earlier years. I am just going to mention a couple of the wines that she received.

L Mawby Blanc de Blancs Brut NV

One of the wines is from a very popular firm, that started out as a boutique winery in 1981 by two wine loving psychiatrists and they named their company Folie a Deux, and their popular wine group is called Ménage a Trois, which is quite racy, but a great name for marketing. The first time we had some of their wines was in Napa on the Napa Wine Train, at a tasting after our dinner. Since then we have had some of their wines periodically, as it can be found in a lot of restaurants. She received a bottle of Ménage a Trois Merlot 2012, and this wine carries a California designation. This broad designation is because the fruit is harvested from a couple of locations and blended together, in this case from the Coastal Region and from Lodi. I am sure that we will enjoy this with a dinner soon.

Menage a Trois Merlot 2012

The other bottle of wine is actually a bottle of sparkling wine from Michigan. We have been to the winery a couple of times, and my Bride has been there a couple of more times without me, funny how that works out. From the picture you can tell that she received it from one of her girlfriends, as the bottle is dressed in a nice outfit as well. The bottle of L Mawby Blanc de Blancs Brut NV is from the Leelanau Peninsula near Traverse City. Besides being at the winery, the winery is also the house bubbly at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, and they take their Methode Champenoise quite seriously, and the particular bottle of wine that my Bride received is made entirely from Chardonnay. This will be a nice bottle of wine to celebrate one of those moments that just pop up from time to time, and after all, there is never a wrong time for some sparkling wine.

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A Couple of Wines That I Received For Christmas

Posted on January 3, 2015 by thewineraconteur

How can someone not like the Christmas season? I still enjoy getting gifts, as I guess I am still a kid at heart. I always hear from people that they are intimidated to buy me a gift, and I find it amusing, because I am always appreciative of anything I get. Granted that I was always in the clothing profession, very few people buy me clothes and that is fine, but other people think of me and wine, and they are intimidated to try to buy me wine. I think wine is always safe, because there is always an occasion to have a bottle of wine and wine does not have to be in the upper stratosphere of pricing to be enjoyed. Three of the bottles that I received can be grouped together as they are of a similar area. The first bottle that I received is that classic wine that I affectionately refer to as “Dago Red.” All my life I knew people that made wine at home, of course they were from the old country of Italy, and the grapes that were used were Primitivo or Zinfandel, and the grape varietals are first cousins as far as I am concerned. It is a wine for quick consumption and not for cellaring, but that is fine. The other two wines that I will discuss that I received are both from Italy, and that is why I feel that I can list the three wines together.

Mazzoni Rosso di Toscana IGT 2011

The first wine that I will discuss is Mazzoni Rosso di Toscana IGT 2011. This is a joint venture by Frenceschi of Italy and Terato of the U.S.A. It is a blend of Sangiovese and Merlot and it is aged for twelve months in French Oak. Since this wine is not totally Sangiovese, the wine laws or rules for Tuscany require this wine to have an IGT designation, instead of a DOC rating. Since they have been growing these non-local varietals in Tuscany, the rules have been all up in the air, with the introduction of Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir and Merlot. There were some wines that the term “Super Tuscany” really applies to, but if you look at most restaurants, any IGT wine from Tuscany is now referred to as a “Super Tuscany.”

Cusumano Nero D'Avola IGT 2011

The other wine that I received is from an area that I am still learning about. The oft conquered island of Sicily and Sicily is famous for the Mafia, because of all the great gangster movies of cinema. Sicily basically has one wine designation for the entire island and it is Terre Siciliane IGT. The last bottle that I received was Cusumano Nero D’Avola IGT 2011. The Cusumano Brothers use the Nero D’Avola varietal for this wine, which is the most common and widely planted grape on the island, and it is also known as Calabrese. This is another wine that I think will be enjoyed early, as I do not think that cellaring will enhance this wine, which was made to be consumed young.

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A Very Thoughtful Christmas Present

Posted on January 1, 2015 by thewineraconteur

I may be old fashioned or perhaps naive, but I was raised to always accept a gift graciously and be thankful that someone took enough time to think of an appropriate gift. There was an adage that I learned years ago in retailing that eighty percent of the gift items purchased the last two weeks before Christmas, were always the first gifts that would be returned the week after, because most of the gifts were bought in haste. I am going to now discuss a gift that we received that was well thought out and was totally appreciated.

Gift Box of Dom Perignon Brut IVH 2004

One of our sons, bought us two gifts, and I will discuss one of the gifts first. It is a rather distinct purple wine bag that looks like the bubble wrapping that one surrounds a fragile item for transporting, but is a “Chill It” bag that is designed to be placed in the freezer to transport a bottle of wine and to keep it chilled, until it is time to open it. It is something that I have not seen, though to be truthful when I am in a wine shop, I usually do not spend much time in the accessory section, as I am always looking at wines.

Chill It Bag

The other item that came with this bag is where the true thoughtfulness appears, and it is a bottle of wine. Now this is not just any bottle of wine, and the caveat that accompanied the bottle was that it was a bottle of wine that my Bride and I should enjoy for our upcoming anniversary, that is a milestone of note, after all, all of our anniversaries are treated as milestones and should be celebrated properly. This wine came in a box that was quite elaborate directly from the winery, and I was going to open it up, but as I inspected it, it had an ingenious seal to keep it from being opened up, so I shall leave it as it is until the proper time. It is a bottle of Champagne from Epernay from the esteemed house of Moet et Chandon, Dom Perignon Brut 2004 and it is in a limited edition issue bottle and “cocconase” designed by the Dutch artist Iris Van Herpen and her interpretation of Dom Perignon’s “Metamorphosis.” This will be a wonderful bottle of wine and a great way to celebrate. Historically this wine is a half and half blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, and a vintage year is not always declared; and after a vintage year is declared and the wine is made, it is cellared at the winery for eight years before releasing to the public. This is all very heady stuff, and I can foresee another article in the upcoming year about the opening of this bottle of wine, and another time to thank our son for his thoughts and largesse.

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Christmas Dinner

Posted on December 30, 2014 by thewineraconteur

I trust all that celebrated the Christmas Holiday had a grand time. With all the entertaining that we do at the house, this particular holiday always allows us to be entertained elsewhere. One of my cousins always has this dinner at her home, and she always does a spectacular job with the dinner.

Pelerin Les Violettes Syrah 2007

There is always a spread of appetizers before hand, and most if not all are Armenian delicacies, that if one is not careful, there will be no room for dinner afterwards. I tried to control myself, but it is difficult. She is always trying something different for dinner and this year was not an exception. She had procured from her butcher two wonderful tenderloins, one was dry-aged and the other was fresh, and they were both prepared very similarly as an experiment, to see how the crowd reacted to the two different meats. Try as I might, going back and forth from one to the other, I could not detect that much difference, and neither could the other diners that evening. I attributed that to the fact that her butcher had supplied her with the best Prime cuts available, as they were both wonderful, and either one would have sufficed with no complaints for either meat. Not to mention that there were wonderful salads and side dishes for the dinner. I guess I am getting old, as I had barely room to enjoy one of the many desserts that came afterwards; and I was not alone as I noticed.

Wrath San Saba Vineyard Syrah 2011

I had brought a couple of wines for the evening, two different wines from the Monterey district of California, and both were Syrah varietals. I went with these two wines as I figured they would have a bit more spice, to compliment the spice of an Armenian Christmas. I wrote about both of these wines in prior articles, as I get them from my wine club “A Taste of Monterey.” The first wine was a Wrath San Saba Vineyard Syrah 2011 which was a bit more fruit forward, then I expected from this winery, but it paired well with dinner, but perhaps I did open this one a bit earlier, then I should have. I am sure that some additional cellaring time would have enhanced this wine. The other wine that I opened was a Pelerin Les Violettes Syrah 2007 and it was perfect. The cellar time was correct and it was just amazing, and shows you how nuanced this varietal can be, until the skillful hands of a fine winemaker; actually I have yet to experience a mediocre bottle of any wine from Pelerin. I may have been biased, but I thought that these two wines paired better with the filets cut from the tenderloin than the Cabernet Sauvignon that was also on the wine table.

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Christmas Eve and Christmas Morning

Posted on December 28, 2014 by thewineraconteur

Everyone thinks that if one writes about wines, they are always enjoying esoteric wines and great vintages, but that is not always the case. There are times when one is having drinking wines with others that do not have the same passion about grapes, but they still like to drink wine.

Kirkland Asolo Prosecco Superiore DOCG NV

We went and had Christmas Eve out, and my Bride and I were really the only ones that really got into wine, so we were drinking what would be enjoyable for the others. That night we were having dinner of turkey and ham produced by one of the famous national purveyors of these meats, they are known for their special cutting of the meats. I am not a fan of their product, but I was going to have some, just to be social. When our hosts found out that beside me there were others of this same taste, they also decided to prepare a couple of barbequed pork tenderloins, which I opted for. Yes, I am a bit of a food snob, but after having these dishes in the past, I feel that I am free to pass on a dish, and try to find something else to eat. For this dinner we took some bottles of wine that are more in the range of being popular, but still enjoyable. We had the ever popular La Crema Chardonnay 2012 from the Sonoma Coast in California. A Chardonnay wine with some buttery, oakey taste that is very acceptable to the diners that evening. The other wine is also a bit of “go-to” wine for us, when we don’t need anything too fancy for dinner at home. We had a bottle of Gascon Malbec 2012 from Mendoza, Argentina. Malbec is one of the most popular and well grown wines from Argentina, and it does flourish there very well.

Gascon Malbec 2012

The next morning there was a large group of us from the night before getting together for a Christmas morning breakfast of omelets, bacon and kielbasa, which is a tradition for this group. My Bride was making the Mimosas and I thought it was a rather curious choice of a wine that she selected for the drink, but it worked well, and when you think of mixing a sparkling wine with orange juice, you really do not need Dom Perignon for this drink. She was making this drink with Kirkland Signature Asolo Prosecco Superiore DOCG NV. The Kirkland brand is from the Costco Company, and I believe that I have read that they are now the largest wine retailer in the United States and they have been selling an assortment of different wines with their own branding. Asolo Prosecco is one of the newest DOCG designations from the Veneto district of north-eastern Italy, as well as a Prosecco DOC designation. These new designations now allow only wines from this area to use the Prosecco varietal, and sparkling wines outside of this district must continue using the older, less known varietal of Glera. The wine was excellent in the Mimosas and very economical as well.

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My Christmas Wish and Toast

Posted on December 26, 2014 by thewineraconteur

JATjatt Wedding OrnamentI am sending Merry Christmas wishes to all this season and may it be a healthy, happy time for all spent with loved ones. While I appreciate the fact that not all the people that may read this do not celebrate Christmas, I extend my wishes to you, and hope that they are accepted in the manner that I send them out to you. My Bride and I trust that the season is will bring a smile to you, no matter what religion you celebrate and I will be back to regale you with tales of wine and good memories soon. May your cellar never be depleted especially when you are with family and good friends.

Wine Crate Ornament

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A Christmas Dinner with “The Caller” in Ann Arbor

Posted on December 24, 2014 by thewineraconteur

Another one of my cast of regulars has been dubbed “The Caller.” A little background information is called for, he and his charming wife tend to go out for dinner, especially when they are away for business; and often when they do, he will post me a picture of a wine, and ask me for my opinion. The wine is often interesting and off the beaten track, as he likes to try different varietals, when he isn’t having a craft cocktail. We try to get together as often as possible, because he is a charming conversationalist and the four of us have a grand time.

Chateau Moutinot Saint Estephe 2011

We decided to meet at a restaurant that has become a bit of a mainstay in downtown Ann Arbor since they opened in 1997, with a decidedly Continental flavor. We decided to have dinner at Café Felix. We had stopped and enjoyed some cocktails and munchies at another establishment, and then we went to Café Felix for dinner. The Lobster Bisque was delightful and not heavy or salty, like one finds often. The Caller had selected Braised Short Ribs with a Cauliflower Risotto, crispy Brussels Sprouts and demi-glace pickled red onions, while his wife had the Mushroom Chicken, which was a chicken breast done in a mushroom cream with Herbs de Provence, broccolini and wild rice. My Bride surprised me and ordered a Bistro Burger which had aged cheddar, balsamic onion marmalade, a fried egg on a Challa bun; she opted to have a salad in place of Pommes frites. I was torn between the Muscovy duck and the Short Ribs, and I asked our server his opinion, and he was all for the Short Ribs and you know, it was a great call. I must be getting old, as I could not finish my dinner, it was that rich, and I actually had to take a doggie bag, as it was just too tasty to leave behind, and that seldom happens.

MI Cafe Felix Logo

The wine list was very impressive, because it was thought out, it was not all the top heavy hitter wines, but there were quite a few wines that were worthy of a second look. I smiled to myself as I was looking, because I was able to use a skill that I had taught myself years ago in my youth, and it still works. As I was looking at the French Red Wines, especially the Clarets, I saw a couple of classified wines, and then I saw a Cru Bourgeois, namely Chateau Moutinot Saint-Estephe 2011. For all of the years that I have been enjoying wines one seldom encounters a Saint-Estephe wine, even though the commune is known for two Second Growths, a Third, a Fourth and a Fifth Growth wine. The ground in Saint-Estephe is known for its clay, and the terroir has its own distinct taste, and because of the clay; the Cabernet Sauvignon is blended with Merlot and Cabernet Franc and this wine was very mellow even in its youth. It pays to know your geography when looking at a wine list.

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The Wine Raconteur and The Raconteur’s Apprentice

Posted on December 22, 2014 by thewineraconteur

The “nom de plumes” of this blog, seem to be growing, and though some are not as colorful as one would encounter from Damon Runyon or Dashiell Hammett we recently had a Christmas dinner with “The Raconteur’s Apprentice.” This name was chosen by a young man who is near and dear to mine, as well as my Bride’s heart; and he chose this name when he asked me if he could write a guest column, of which I was honored and agreed to.

Marquis de Riscal Rioja Reserva 2000

We went to his home, and he and his charming wife made dinner for us, and they were excited as this was an adult dinner, as his parents had taken their two children out to a Christmas party at their club. We started off with a pastry puff of baked Brie with apricots, along with crackers and sliced apples. The dinner was a properly seasoned roast chicken with a Brioche and onion stuffing and haricot verts. This was followed by coffee and a charming Sugar Cream Pie that his wife claims is very popular in the part of Ohio where she comes from; and I have to admit that it was delightful and I am not the sweet eater that I used to be. After dinner was completed his parents as well as their two children showed up and it was wonderful to see them all again. After his parents left, we gave the children their Christmas presents, as well as exchanging gifts with our hosts.

Mumm Napa Brut Prestige NV

We started off the evening with a bottle of Mumm Napa Brut Prestige NV. This is the signature sparkling wine from the Mumm group in California, and it is a true California wine, and not a clone of their famed French Champagne. The wine is a blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, and it brought a smile to us, as we remembered our trip to the winery during our holiday week in Napa. My Bride also mentioned that while we were there I ran into a customer of mine in the tasting room. As I was not sure what the dinner was going to be, and I thought that it would be gauche on my part to ask, so I brought a bottle that I thought would be safe with most any entrée. I grabbed a bottle of a wine that I thought might be new to them, and one that had some maturity to it, the proper name of the wine is Herederos dei Marques de Riscal Rioja Reserva 2000, but most of the time it is just referred to as Marques de Riscal and it has long been a favorite wine of mine. This wine is a blend of Tempranillo, Graciano and Mazuelo, but the Marquis de Riscal actually has official dispensation to include Cabernet Sauvignon in their wine, if the desire. This winery is located in the Rioja Alavesa, which is the smallest of the three sub-regions of Rioja, and this is a famed Rioja winery, of which I have read that they still have hundred year plus bottles of wine at the estate that are still fully drinkable, as the wine is very long-lived and the joy of this wine is that I can always taste some terroir. We gave them a bottle of a Meritage style red wine that we enjoyed at a wine tasting, and bought some for our own enjoyment, and the wine was new to them. My gift was a bottle of Diego Zamora Licor 43, and I do hope that I did not take the wind out of his sails, when I showed him a picture of this liqueur on my cell phone; as I think he had hoped to have found something new for me to try and to enjoy. All in all, it was a great night from some charming hosts that we are proud to have as friends.

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8 For $9 ‘til 10

Posted on December 20, 2014 by thewineraconteur

We were still in the bar at Fleming’s, and had actually played movable chairs, probably to the chagrin of our waitress, but we ended up in a booth, still having a grand time and good conversations. Our friend’s date for the evening luckily did not have to suffer any “good cop/bad cop” interrogations, nor any in-depth questioning. He did find that we had mutual friends and all was well.

Chateau Les Roques Loupiac 1999

I guess that since Fleming’s had such success with their “5 for $6 ‘til 7” they introduced a new special in the bar call “8 for $9 ‘til 10.” So our early dinner morphed into a new series of wines and “small plates.” We were sharing orders of Lobster Lettuce Wraps, Ahi Tuna Tacos, and Short Ribs Empanadas and for dessert we tried “Deconstructed Balvenie S’mores. The dessert was unique in that each part of a S’mores was in separate sections of the plate, there were house made Graham Crackers, house made marshmallow and a warm chocolate sauce that was laced with some Balvenie Scotch Whisky. I might add that the laced chocolate sauce was a delicious addition to the coffee that we had after dinner as well.

Boisset Bourgogne Pinot Noir Les Ursalines 2012

We tried a couple of different wines during this course of the meal. We started of with a wine from Bodegas Bagordi Navardia Rioja 2012. The Navardia collection from the winery designated that it was of their “organic wines.” As in all wines from Rioja, this was a blend of Tempranillo, Graciano and Garnacha; but I have to admit that it was the lightest tasting Rioja wine that I ever had, which was a bit of a disappointment. The next wine was from Jean-Claude Boisset Bourgogne Pinot Noir Les Ursulines 2012. This was a nice glass of Pinot Noir from the Cote de Nuits of Burgundy, it was a good Pinot Noir, and of course not with the nuances from some of the finest villages of Burgundy, but at the price it was enjoyable. The last glass that we tried was a dessert wine from Loupiac, an appellation of its own in Bordeaux across the river from Sauternes and Barsac, but is noted for its sweet white wines. The glass of Chateau Les Roques 1999 was probably the best wine of the group, but then again, it was not part of the special pricing promotion. The wines of Loupiac by the appellation laws are made from Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc, Muscadelle and Sauvignon Gris.

Navardia Rioja 2012

While we all had a great time during the course of the dinner, I have to admit, that I should have had the burger, because I tell you, that Fleming’s consistently makes one of the best burgers, and when one is in the bar, what is better bar food than a burger?

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A Trip to Fleming’s in Birmingham, Michigan

Posted on December 18, 2014 by thewineraconteur

We recently had a chance to catch up with an old friend, outside of her professional world, at Fleming’s Steak House in Birmingham, Michigan. We were meeting her and her new friend and we decided to have dinner in the bar side of the restaurant and enjoy some “small plates,” wine and some good conversation. Fleming’s is a classic steak house and they also pride themselves on having a fine selection of wines, and maintain a listing on the Wine Spectator Restaurant List. While one can have a classic dinner in the bar side, they have this special that they call “6 for 7 ‘til 8,” which is six cocktails, six wines and six “small plates” for seven dollars until eight o’clock. This is a feature that my Bride and I like to take advantage of, especially if we are going to go to the cinema afterwards.

Benvolio Pinot Grigio 2013

We arrived earlier, and since our friends were running late, because of traffic, we had to place our order and theirs as well to take advantage of the special price. So we ordered a couple of plates of Roasted Mushroom Ravioli and Cedar Roasted Mushroom and Artichokes on Flatbread. When they arrived, the food order came just after them, and we all proceeded to nibble and have a charming conversation, which is what should be done over a dinner.

Morse Code Shiraz 2011

We tried a couple of wines as well during this time. We started with a Benvolio Pinot Grigio Friuli Grave 2013. Now for all you star crossed lovers out there Benvolio was the name of Montague’s nephew and Romeo’s cousin in “Romeo and Juliet.” This wine is from the Adriatic region of Italy known as Friuli-Venezia Giulia and they are famous for white wines, especially Pinot Grigio. A smaller DOC of Friuli-Venezia is Friuli-Grave, and just like in the Bordeaux region of France, they have a commune called Graves, and while English readers would immediately think of a cemetery, these areas actually refer to the gravel that is indicative of the soil, which imparts a different terroir to the wine. Friuli-Grave is also the largest producer in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia DOCC. After enjoying a lighter wine, we went and tried a red wine from Henry’s Drive Vignerons from South Australia, Morse Code Shiraz 2013. This is a fruit forward wine with a minimum of oak. The two wines that we had during this time were both worth the six dollar price for a glass of wine, and especially the Benvolio would have even been better on a summer evening.

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