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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An “Orange” Wine That I Had Forgot About

Posted on December 16, 2014 by thewineraconteur

Thankfully I have saved a lot of items over the years, I don’t think that I am a hoarder, but there are items that I have forgotten about and then I remember the moment. I was going through a folder, to see if I did not need anything that was there. There were two pamphlets and a short note from “The Rioja Wine Information Bureau” in New York, and when I went online I could not find that they are still there, but there is a website from Spain handling the information. A wine buyer had given me this information when I was in high school and I wrote to them. One of the pamphlets was “Tempting Spanish Recipes to be enjoyed with the Wines of Rioja” and the other was “Discovering the Wines of Rioja.” For a couple of years I enjoyed a lot of Rioja wines, especially since they were a fourth of the price of a Claret, back then, and as a student I was not rolling in money, that part is still true.

Reserva 904 La Rioja Alta 1959

As I was rereading this little pamphlet, one thing I noticed right away, that is so different from today’s publications; there was not a single mention of varietals, and all the emphasis was on the wine region and the type of wines offered. Today it seems that the varietal is at the forefront, as compared to the easy going days of the Sixties and Seventies about wine. They mentioned the different wines from the district, a Rose, a Rioja, a Rioja Clarete, and a Reserva, They also talked about the how the Rioja vintners formed an association back in 1560 to regulate and guarantee the quality and origin of their wines. To this day, there is a little emblem that looks like a small postage stamp on the labels of Rioja wines. The only thing I was surprised that wasn’t mentioned in the pamphlet was the curious “chicken-wire” mesh wrap around a lot of the bottles. Originally this was a way to prevent unscrupulous people from tampering with the wines, and now it is continued more as a trademark and perhaps a marketing tool.

Rioja Clarete La Rioja Alta 1966

When I red about the different wines, I remembered there being a Rose wine that is made from red grape varietals, but I never tried one, because back in the day I was not into lighter or anything that I thought would be sweet. The Rioja Clarete listing threw me for a loop, and I had to go back to my wine labels to see if I had ever had one, and there it was, I had tried one. I had bought two bottles produced by La Rioja Alta, S.A. a winery that was founded in 1890 in Haro and they are still in existence, still producing wines. I had a bottle of Rioja Clarete 1966, and it was an orange colored wine, and after some research I discovered that it is made from red and white grapes, namely Garnacha and Viura. While the Rose (Rosado) wines even though they are made from red grapes are made like a white wine, the Clarete is made like a red wine, even though it has white wine grapes. After I looked at the label, I remembered that I was not impressed with the wine, so I never had another, but I am sure that it was my youth and inexperience that caused that decision, and I hope that one day I shall try the wine again.

Discovering the Wines of Rioja

The other wine that I had from the same producer was a Reserva 904 1959, and the two wines were probably bought at the same time or at least within the same year. For years vintages were not a big deal in Rioja, and their finest wines were always considered for long cellaring time. The “904” actually refers to 1904, which was a stellar vintage year for the Rioja district in general, and a big business year for the firm, and they have been labeling the wine Reserva 904 for years, the only change is that now it reads Gran Reserva 904. This wine is historically made from the two varietals Tempranillo and Graciano, and I am sure that it is the case for the wine that I had. Looking back, for all the Rioja wines that I have enjoyed, there are only a few Gran Reserva wines that I have had.

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My Latest Shipment from A Taste of Monterey

Posted on December 14, 2014 by thewineraconteur

I just received my latest wine club shipment and it is like an early Christmas present, except that it is not really a gift from them. I am always like a little kid though, when the carton arrives as I cannot wait to open up the package and see what new treasures are enclosed. The wines are limited by this club to products from the Monterey area, and then we belong to the “private reserve club” which entails three better wines each shipment, my thinking when we signed up, was it was better to get some wines that I may not be able to find here in Michigan, because the more popular price wines may be produced in larger volumes and they may actually find their way here through the normal channels of distributing.

Galante Ace High Malbec 2010

The first wine is from Galante Vineyards of Carmel Valley. Galante “Ace High” Malbec 2010 and I have already written about and am a fan of this wine from the 2009 vintage, so I am a happy camper. In this newsletter there was a little history of Jack Galante and it states that his great-grandfather was the founder of the town of Carmel, and built the Pine Inn and the Highlands Inn. The family started a cattle ranch in the valley in 1969, and started planting Cabernet Sauvignon in 1983. There were 214 cases of this wine produced and the estimated aging potential is for eight to nine years. I am sure that it will not stay in my cellar that long.

Silvestri Bella Sandra Chardonnay 2011

The next wine is from a new producer to me. Silvestri Vineyards “Bella Sandra” Chardonnay 2011 is also from Carmel Valley. The fruit is pressed and put into stainless steel tanks, then is racked to French Oak for primary fermentation. After the primary fermentation the wine is inoculated to begin the malolactic fermentation, which produces a buttery, creamy character. The wine is stirred approximately every ten days for several months, then barrel aged for about ten months. The “Bella Sandra” Chardonnay is all fruit from a specific block in the vineyard that contains the Robert Young clone; it is barrel selected and fermented in half new and half in one year old French oak barrels. This is one of the largest productions of wines that I have received, as there was 1,310 cases produced of this wine, and even with this large production the estimated aging potential for this Chardonnay is five to seven years.

Cima Collina Reserve Pinot Noir 2007

The third bottle is one that I may have to tempt my Brother-in-Law with as it is a Pinot Noir from the Santa Lucia Highlands. The Cima Collina Private Reserve Pinot Noir 2007 is from a very new winemaker as there first harvest was in 2005. The harvesting was done by hand and aged in French oak, 40% new, for eleven months. The wine is unfined and unfiltered, and the winery claims that it will benefit from bottle aging and decanting to aerate the wine. One of the things I found interesting about the winery, is that their tasting room was once the post office for Carmel Valley. There were 233 cases of this wine produced, and the estimated aging potential for this wine is six to ten years. I think I have another winner here.

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My Introduction to Les Amis du Vin

Posted on December 12, 2014 by thewineraconteur

This article could have just as well been written for the Monthly Wine Writing Challenge for the topic “serendipity.” I did mention the organization Les Amis du Vin in that article as well as the article that I linked to it for a wine tasting evening with Harry Waugh. Les Amis du Vin means The Friends of Wine, and while I am no Francophile, nor can I speak the French language, I can translate that phrase. While I was in college, I was working my way through, one of the high school part-timers that I was training for the store told me about his girl friend’s Father who really enjoyed wine. I tend to hear that quite a bit, and I tend to take remarks like that with a grain of salt, of course he really was into wines. He was the state director for Les Amis du Vin and he had the finest wine cellar, I had ever seen amassed at that point in my life.

Ch Ausone 1957

He gave me information and an application for joining the society, but at that time, it was an expense that I thought I could forgo, as I had other fixed expenses that were necessities, and even though I thought of wine as a necessity, I could live without the society. The society offered a magazine that was published bi-monthly. They also offered a wine of the month, with no obligation to purchase. There were also wine tastings to encounter, and they even had travel excursions at times to places like France, Italy, Spain and Portugal. These were all a little heady for me at the time and perhaps still too heady as I am thinking of retirement.

Les Amis du Vin Application

One of the grand moments of meeting this gentlemen, was that he invited me to his home to have a bottle of wine, so that we could talk and get to know each other. He told me that he had a bottle of wine that he wanted to check how it was doing, as he still had another case of the wine resting. He was very nonchalant about the wine, but when I saw it, I was not, even at that point in my wine knowledge; I knew a classic when I saw it. We were sharing a bottle of Chateau Ausone 1957 from Saint-Emilion. Even today there are only four wines that are considered Premier Grand Cru Classe and they are Chateau Ausone, Chateau Angelus, Chateau Cheval Blanc and Chateau Pavie, of which I have had all save Chateau Pavie. I do enjoy the wines from this district and I still think that they are a bargain for the most part as compared to the Medoc. Chateau Ausone is a rather small vineyard and it is planted half and half with Cabernet Franc and Merlot. The other unique aspect of this famed vineyard, because of its size, is that the harvest can be done at the most optimum point in time, because the fruit can be harvested in two afternoons. The gentleman was very happy with tasting of the wine that evening and he did allow me to leave with the empty bottle, and he knew that he had still plenty of time to enjoy the wines that were still in storage.

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The Money Tree

Posted on December 10, 2014 by thewineraconteur

I recently got into a conversation about the old days of downtown Detroit, and I am sure that it will not surprise my regular readers that eventually the topic of restaurants came up. We started to mention some of the restaurants that were on the top of everyone’s list back in the day, but they have not survived, which is a shame. One of the restaurants that came up, and it wasn’t by me, but I do remember dining there once was The Money Tree. The name was catchy, and it was on the main floor adjacent to a bank, in what was then known as the financial district of downtown, whether the district is still called that, I can not say, but back then it was a lively area. It was an era when business attire was still expected in the better restaurants, and that I do recall. It was a very modern and airy restaurant, quite different in appearance from most of the fine eateries of the day. There was a flautist and a guitarist furnishing background music the night I was there.

Ch Pape Clement 1970

The restaurant was very continental in its approach to dining, which to me means French cuisine. I remember wanting to try the escargots, but I went with a plate of assortment of pate instead. I really was not sure what I was eating, but I enjoyed it, especially the chicken liver, which I could identify, after all I was still a youth and just discovering what food could be. One of the specialties of the house was Braised Veal Sweetbreads in Madeira wine, but I was not that brave, and to be truthful, I still am not that brave. Everyone assures me that it is a wonderful entrée to enjoy, but it is just too far off the beaten track for me, even though I love Foie Gras, so go figure, and I have also enjoyed liver and kidney dishes, but the pancreas somehow is beyond my comfort level. Of course I did find a dish that I could enjoy, and it was a duck dish. The duck dish was different all the time, or at least that is how I recall it being stated on the menu, it was the Chef’s call each night, and since I only ate there once, I cannot state it as gospel. I just recall that I had the duck, prepared very well, and much to my happiness it was not a sweet dish that evening, which would have made me look for another dish. I guess I am still quirky about food, but a bit more open to trying something different at times.

MI The Money Tree Logo

That evening I guess I splurged a bit for the wine, but it was not that expensive for what it would be today, especially with today’s markups in the restaurant business. I had a bottle of Chateau Pape Clement 1970, a Grand Cru wine of Graves. It is the oldest winery in Bordeaux and its name is from the owner who was originally the Arch-Bishop of Bordeaux and later became the Pope, and I believe the same Pope, who created the new estate near Avignone which is known as Chateauneuf du Pape. This wine is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, but they are also know for a white wine, and have in later years created secondary wines, to maintain the Grand Cru wine as something extraordinary.

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