Wine Club July 2021

Posted on July 17, 2021 by thewineraconteur

My local wine shop, The Fine Wine Source issued their two selections for the month.  I am proud to say that this fine institution probably survived during the economic upheaval of the last almost two years by our harridan’s fiats, because of their wine club.  We could make arrangements to pick up the monthly selections and also find some other gems or refill orders of our latest go-to wines.  Since they didn’t sell cigarettes, snack foods or lottery tickets, they were not considered necessary, except by their loyal customers.  They even became quite creative and one could book a tasting with all the appropriate distancing and plexiglass shields that were prevalent.  It became an adventure, and one that the loyal customers wanted to partake of, because of their tremendous customer service.  Through the entire topsy-turvy era, they still maintained the concept of having one Old World and one New World selection and they had to be affordable, great value and not to be found in every gas station, grocery store, pharmacy of corner party store. 

Thierry Delaunay “La Vignette” Rosé Touraine 2020 in the Loire Valley was the first wine in our monthly package.  The Loire is France’s longest river and many distinct wine regions are found there.  Touraine is one of the districts in the heart of the valley.  The city of Tours is halfway between Sancerre and Nantes. Touraine has its own appellation that covers white, red and rosé wines, both still and sparkling.  Whites are Sauvignon Blanc and Chenin Blanc, while the reds are predominately Gamay, Cabernet Franc (known locally as Cot) and Malbec. Thierry Delaunay has twenty-one hectares of vineyards that have been in the family for five generations and he also works with additional contract growers.  This wine is thirty-four percent Gamay, thirty-three percent Cabernet Franc and thirty-three percent Malbec and the wine is age on fine lees in Stainless Steel to maintain the freshness of the fruit.  The notes on this wine are a well-balanced salmon-pink wine with notes of red currants, strawberries and raspberries, that carry over into the taste in a creamy and supple wine on the palate.  Perfect for a summer meal of roast chicken or grilled shrimp, cheese and charcuterie.

Airfield Estates “Bombshell” Red Blend, Yakima Valley 2018 of Washington State offers a label reminiscent of the nose or fuselage art that was prevalent on the bombers used by the Americans during World War Two; the term Bombshell is probably archaic and unknown to the current generation, but it was appreciated by those that survived the war.  The roots of Airfield Estates go back to 1907 and H. Lloyd Miller.  The family leased property which became a flight school for hundreds of pilots and after the war, the family ended up with the property and started the Airfield Ranch. The property was still with the family and in 1967, they experimented with three different varietals.  In 1971, they had their first commercial planting after years of testing. In 1974, Mike Miller joined the family, in the wine production.  They have eight-hundred-thirty acres of wine vineyards and three-hundred-fifty acres of Concord juice grapes.  In 2005, Airfield Estates was founded, and they stopped selling their crops to other wineries and began making their own wines. This wine is forty percent Syrah, thirty-seven percent Merlot, eighteen percent Cabernet Sauvignon and five percent Malbec.  The notes on this wine offers a nose of bramble fruit and spices, the palate continues with these notes and offers secondary notes of boysenberry and pomegranate with a medium finish and a burst of fresh fruit. This is a fruit-forward wine that would probably best pair with steaks or pork.   

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Tank Garage Dinner-Final Courses

Posted on July 15, 2021 by thewineraconteur

Tank Garage Winery sent me some four bottles to sample and to review, and some people would have just enjoyed them when they received them.  I remember doing a virtual wine tasting and at least one of the reviewers admitted to drinking the wine before the event.  I don’t want to sound boastful, but I think that I could find a few bottles of wine to drink, between the moment that I receive the wine, to the moment that we actually taste the wines.  We decided to share and get some other viewpoints, which are always interesting to hear.  It also gave us some time to ponder a menu and tweak it towards the wines.  I also didn’t want my Bride to be in the kitchen the entire time of the tasting, so that was another concern.

When we shifted to the Dining Room, it was now time for the second half of the dinner.  We started off with an imposter, my Bride did a commercial Caesar Salad, and may I say “never again.”  It is alright to try a Brand X when one is out and about, but not at home.  We had a marinated Pork Tenderloin using Garlic, Rosemary and aged Balsamic and a side of sauteed diced fennel and onions as a side.  We paired this dish with Tank Garage Winery Dopamine Red Wine Sierra Foothills 2019.  Dopamine is a medication form of a substance that occurs naturally in the body, and it improves the pumping strength of the heart and improves blood flow to the kidneys, and I thought that was a unique name for a wine.  This wine was sixty-one percent Tempranillo, twenty-six percent Graciano and thirteen percent Syrah and it had a nice blood color to it, if I can interpolate.  The wine was aged for fifteen months in neutral oak and there were three-hundred-fifty cases produced.  This wine got everyone’s attention with a nose of strawberry and huckleberry mentioned by almost all.  It had a fruit forward offering of red fruits, mostly dry with a nice finish.  It paired very with the pork, but it also was delightful with the fennel and the onions. 

For the last course of the meal with had a classic version of Lamb Chops with Italian Herbs and Garlic and a course of baked potato slices with Parmesan Cheese.  Our last bottle of wine was Tank Garage Winery Wild Eyes Red Blend Napa Valley 2017, and just to clarify, I may be a mediocre photographer, but the label is printed to make it look like I had one too many.  This wine was a blend of fifty-one percent Malbec, forty-seven percent Cabernet Sauvignon and two percent Merlot.  It was aged for nineteen months in French Oak, a mix of new and once or twice used.  There were seven-hundred-forty-four cases made of this wine.  If the last wine was greeted with kudos, this wine was over the top for the evening.  The nose of dark fruits coupled with a taste of dark fruits, tinged with Blackberries, some notes of Chocolate and Vanilla.  I would definitely say that this group was more partial to big in-your-face wines, which the last two wines demonstrated.  In case, you think it ended, my Bride went and made Bananas Foster for dessert, and once again a thank you to Tank Garage Winery for their generosity.  They may be a bit more avant-garde, and we are a bit Old School, but the two worlds meshed very well for a couple hours of good food, wonderful wines and great friends.

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Tank Garage Wine Dinner-Opening Courses

Posted on July 13, 2021 by thewineraconteur

Courtesy of Tank Garage Winery, we had a dinner focused on four of their wines, I found myself surrounded by Insurance people, and thankfully I can speak “insurancese.”  With Tank Garage Winery furnishing the wines, for my honest review, my Bride and I decided on a menu that would pair with the wines.  The trick was getting a menu that would relatively time with the schedule of the tasting, and my Bride gave it her best shot and it worked out.  We had my Bride, Ms. Yoga, The Caller and the newest member, but a friend for ages The Euchre-Foodie (since everyone is a foodie, these days I had to append some other significant descriptor to his nom de plume).  The good thing is that even though I was surrounded by insurance people, no one sold life insurance.

We started in the living room having appetizers.  Our first course was Baked Brie with Caramelized Onion Jam, baked baguettes and Shrimp Cocktails with a medium-heat horseradish sauce.  We paired this with Tank Garage Winery “Boys Cry” El Dorado County 2020, their Carbonic White Wine.  Carbonic Maceration is a technique, used basically for red wines.  They take whole clusters of grapes in a covered tank and pump in carbon dioxide, which removes oxygen.  Slowly the grapes release an enzyme that converts the grape sugar in to alcohol, bursting the berries without the addition of yeast, then gravity starts removing the juice and then the clusters are pressed using a traditional press.  The wine is a blend of forty-three percent Roussanne, thirty-two percent Vermentino and twenty-five percent Petit Manseng.  Roussanne is mostly associated in the Rhone Valley, but there are a couple of wineries that have had great success with it, and it was often misidentified or assumed to be Viognier.  Vermentino is found to be successful in several countries and known by its local name, and is likened to Viognier as well.  Petit Manseng is most often found in southwest France, a thick-skinned berry that has high acidity and can handle a long growing season and the berries can actually become “raisin-like” on the vine creating intense sugar.  El Dorado County AVA was awarded in 1983 and is basically the foothills of the Sierras, and vineyards have been planted to face all four directions and many different wines are created here.  There were three-hundred-sixty-two cases made of this wine.  Several people at first thought the wine was a Vermouth, because of the floral and herb notes on the nose.  As they started to taste and dissect the wine, the common notes were apricot, peach, lemon and lime zest and acidity.  The wine was not a wine that anyone would go and buy for their own consumption.

The next course of appetizers for the evening was grilled Salmon with a Bourbon glaze.  We paired this with the Tank Garage “Little Secrets” El Dorado County, Barsotti Vineyard 2020, their Carbonic Gamay wine, and one of the few wines that they make that is not a blend.  Gamay is the fruit forward grape that has found its home in Beaujolais.  This wine was aged for three months in neutral oak and four-hundred-sixty case were produced.  Rose Petals and Cherries were the notes for the nose, and blood orange and peaches were the taste that most could agree on.  The wine reminded me of Beaujolais wines of the Sixties and Seventies, before they became a gimmick in the Fall.  It paired quite well with the Salmon and this wine was appreciated and accepted.  We were now getting ready to go into the Dining Room to finish off the meal and the other two wines. 

 

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“Never Dream Alone”

Posted on July 11, 2021 by thewineraconteur

I have written and reviewed some wines from Tank Garage Winery and through social media we have an association.  On social media, I think it works best when there is give and take.  I guess they noticed that I write about a lot of different wines, including their wines.  I only follow someone, if they follow me, as I feel that it is more respectful.  One day they asked me, if I would like to review some more wines of theirs.  I thanked them and I am sure that they saw my post on “Samples.” I don’t want anyone to think that I am a rubber-stamp-approval-service, just looking for free wines.   It is not worth my integrity.  They asked me if I had any requests, and I told them to surprise me, thought I did mention what I had wrote about in the past.

Tank Garage Winery is a partnership between Napa wine veterans James Harder and Jim Regusci.  They had actually worked together earlier both at James Cole Winery and T-Vine Cellars.  They opened up what many people think is the coolest winery in Calistoga, in a former gas station, and truth be told, it may have been a gas station, the last time I was in Calistoga.  James Harder was from the Edmonton, Alberta area in Canada, worked for Vincor International, which is now part of Constellation Brands, including time at Inniskillin Winery, famed for their Ice Wines.  Jim Regusci is a fourth generation Napa Valley resident and associated with Regusci Winery on a ranch that his grandfather purchased in 1931.  In 1985, he oversaw eight acres and thirty years later he oversees twenty-three-hundred acres and Regusci Winery was formed in 1996.

They released their first vintage in 2011.  They specialize in blends, rather than pure varietal wines.  Originally aiming at productions of one-hundred-fifty cases of a particular wine.  While the tasting room is located in the gas station in Calistoga, the majority of their wines are sourced from fruit in vineyards outside of Napa Valley.  They have quite a following, almost like a cult, in a very good sense, because of the unique and fun labels, not to mention the names of the wines that they create.  They are true fans of marketing, with ancillary products and they even go out of their way to get vibrant and lively employees especially for customer service in the tasting room.  As they claim, the winery was based on a dream and not a boardroom decision.  They are also partial to the F-word, so Joe Pesci and Quintin Tarantino would have no problem working or tasting there.  With four bottles to sample, we decided to have another wine dinner and share our good fortune among our wine loving friends.   The next two articles will be about the wines and of course the dinner as well. 

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A Lunch That Ended Well

Posted on July 9, 2021 by thewineraconteur

We were meeting a friend out in Brighton for lunch the day after Independence Day.  We picked up the friend at her house and had some bubbles before we went out for the actual lunch.  We had made a reservation, because I was just happy to find a restaurant open on a Monday, since our state is still suffering from the problems incurred by the lockdown.  We got to the restaurant and I opened the door to let them enter, and this woman in a Polo Shirt Dress took advantage that I was still holding the door open and almost knocked the women over trying to get to the desk and pulled her weight as a regular to get this table overlooking the pedestrian traffic in the town.  My Bride had set her eyes upon that table and she was miffed to put it mildly.  We were taken to a nice booth and my Bride complained to our waitress, but told her that it would not affect our feelings towards her service.  Our waitress went and got one of the owners and she attempted to alleviate the problem with some comped dishes and that was not what my Bride had in mind and told the owner, that was not her goal. 

The table calmed down and it took a while to order our lunches, just because we were so busy chatting.  The two ladies eventually settled on the Blackened Salmon Salad with mixed greens, arugula, bleu cheese, red onion, pumpkin seeds, dried Michigan cherries and edamame in a Maple Vinaigrette topped with Brussel Sprout chips.  Each salad would have sufficed a party of four with shared plates, so both of the ladies immediately requested a take home box and they actually put more than half in the box and it was still over-kill for both of the ladies, especially with the nice dinner rolls.  I went with their New England Lobster Roll with Old Bay Tarragon Aioli, baby arugula and pickled red onions on a Brioche roll with a side of cracked pepper kettle chips.  When all was said and done and we were calling for our bill, the restaurant sent over a huge slab of their Carrot Cake and a Crème Brulee as well. 

During the early portion of the meal as we were getting everything ordered, I had ordered a split of wine, as it was the only way the wine was offered and it sounded it interesting.  It turned out that the bartender, who usurped the hostess and gave the table to the obnoxious impatient woman, could not find the wine and our waitress asked if I would make a second selection, which I did.  When she came back to serve the wine, she had my original selection, the owner found the wine, that the bartender could not find and I was informed that there was a second split, if we needed it, and we did eventually.  We had Terra Alpina by Alois Lageder Pinot Grigio Dolomiti 2018 from the Alto Adige region in northern Italy.  Alois Lageder is a reknowned wine producer from the Alto Adige region and the winery was established in 1823 and has been family owned ever since.  The winery has one-hundred-ten hectares of vineyards spread across the region.  The top wines are from their “Masterpieces” series, followed by their “Compositions” and then some classical grape varieties.  Then they have two collections Riff and Terra Alpina and the fruit is harvested from partner-growers in the area.  Vigneti delle Dolomiti IGT designation is basically from the Trentino-Alto Adige region with a bit in the Veneto district as well and is named for the Dolomite Mountain range which is the main range. The IGT was introduced in Italy in 1997 and for this region covers red, white, rosé, blend, varietal, dry, still, sparkling and sweet wines.  The majority of the white wines are from Pinot Grigio or Chardonnay, this was a charming and easy drinking Pinot Grigio that had some character and a nice finish, so it was easy to understand why we ended up having a second bottle of the wine, as it evaporated so quickly; that really is a problem with splits.  Our final verdict is that we will go back to the restaurant as our waitress was wonderful and the owner did a great job as well and the food was delicious and plentiful.

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Two Summer Wines

Posted on July 7, 2021 by thewineraconteur

There are days when I walk into my local wine shop The Fine Wine Source and every wine is a winner.  Actually, that is every time I stop in, because they don’t carry the usual run-of-the-mill wines that are found in gas stations, pharmacies, grocery stores, department stores and convenience stores.  I would have to say that close to one-hundred percent of all the wines that they carry, they have actually tasted.  Another unique aspect, is that if they really like a wine, they may try to corner the market on it, in the state.  And if that does happen, he still doesn’t try to gouge, because sometimes he can get a better price and he in-turn gives a better price to his customers. 

What a perfect wine to start the day then, having Les Maîtres Vignerons de Vidaubanaise “La Plage” Rosé du Var IGP 2020 and la plage translates to the beach.  The producer is also known as La Vidaubanaise.  The cellar was founded in 1912 in the town of Vidauban, and operates a cooperative of vineyards in the Var Department of the Cotes de Provence.  They mainly grow Syrah, Grenache, Cinsault, Mourvedre, Cabernet Sauvignon and Rolle.  They have also attained the highest level of environmental agriculture in France.  They maintain six-hundred hectares of vines which are between fifteen and thirty-five years of age, planted on soil of sand, clay and limestone.  The wine is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache, Carignan and Merlot.  The wine is fermented and aged in Stainless and bottled in February after the harvest.  The nose offered ripe cherries and raspberries and delivered a bright refreshing taste that gave me watermelon and cherries with a short finish of minerals.     

I followed up with Ixsir Winery Grand Reserve Rosé Batroun, Lebanon 2020.  Ixsir Winery was founded in 2009 in the northern part of Lebanon in Batroun which is a coastal area.  They are a mountain winery, and one of the highest in elevation for the Northern Hemisphere.  The name Ixsir derives from the Arabic word “Iksir” the original Arabic word for “elixir.” History has recorded that man has searched for the perfect elixir for eternal youth and for love.  The winery is very progressive and has been named one of the greenest buildings in the world.  The winery owns one-hundred-twenty hectares in the Batroun with several different vineyards capitalizing on the terroir.  The winery grows Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Tempranillo, Caladoc, Cinsault, Merlot, Obeidy, Viognier, Muscat, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Semillon.  Quite impressive for a young company, as far as I am concerned. This wine was forty percent Mourvedre, forty percent Cinsault and twenty percent Syrah.  This was done in Stainless Steel for both fermentation and aging to maintain the fresh fruit of the wine.  A beautiful floral nose with flavors of red fruits, bright and firm acidity and a nice lingering finish of terroir for a lighter wine.  Perfect on a summer day with barbecued lamb, and a couple of more bottles chilling on reserve.

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En Primeur Reds – Part Two

Posted on July 5, 2021 by thewineraconteur

If I was this excited just tasting a selective sample group of En Primeur wines, if and when the world opens up again properly, those lucky souls that will be there, will be in Seventh Heaven.  I have read and lived vicariously through some of the other En Primeur seasons by writers that I admire.  To be even this close, through the generosity of my local wine shop The Fine Wine Source, is a trip to Heaven for me.  As you may have surmised from plenty of my articles, The Fine Wine Source is not a corner store, it is a destination trip for me and the majority of the customers. 

This tasting of wines was over the top for me, and while I have never learned the fine art of “spitting,” partly because so many of the wines that I taste as a lay-person are just too good, not to savor.  I also apologize for my lack of descriptors when faced with great wines.  I grew up and was mentored when one didn’t need Roget’s Thesaurus to describe wines.  They would educate me, by saying this is a classic example of a Pauillac, or they would say this Saint-Julien is too young and needs another ten years in the cellar.  I would like to appear erudite and sophisticated in discussing these wines, but it would never sound like me, and I think a couple of words can truly suffice when talking about quality, because I can certainly ramble on, about other subjects.  I guess that I will always be the Damon Runyon of wine writers, so without further ado, here are the last six wines that I had the good fortune to taste.

Blason d’Issan Margaux 2020, the second label and the younger vines of Chateau d’Issan Margaux, a Third Growth.  This is a blend of forty percent Cabernet Sauvignon, thirty-seven percent Merlot, three percent Petit Verdot and the balance is Cabernet Franc and Malbec.  I have a six pack of an earlier vintage of this wine, that I am cellaring.  This is a perfect example of younger vines, more fruit and a wonderful youthful Margaux; and I have had the good fortune of probably having more Chateau Margaux vintages, as well as other wines from this famed commune than any other commune.

Chateau Ferriere Margaux Third Growth 2020, one of the smallest vineyards of the Classified Growth and bought by the Villas family (Chateau Haut-Bages Liberal in Pauillac) in 1988 and they did major renovations in the winemaking side in 2013.  A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.  This wine even though it is still aging in the barrel has some very sensuous and serious tannins and I feel that after a few years in the cellar it will be excellent, as the tannins mature and the wine develops more layers of interest.

Chateau Pape Clement Rouge Pessac-Leognan 2020 a Classified Wine from Graves and part of the Bernard Magrez group of estates.  It is one of the oldest estates in Bordeaux.  It is basically fifty/fifty of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, but they do add a touch of Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc into the mix.  James Suckling gave this wine a score of 97-98.  Right from the start without any fuss, this wine was big and chewy with a great finish of terroir. 

Chateau Les Carmes Haut-Brion Pessac-Leognan 2020 was once part of Chateau Haut-Brion, but in 1584 gave this land to the Carmelite Order, hence Les Carmes.  This wine is a blend of Cabernet Franc and Merlot, with just a touch of Cabernet Sauvignon, and a rather unique blend for Graves.  James Suckling awarded this wine 92-93.  I only wrote one word, and my partner in the tasting agreed, when I wrote “delicious.”  I don’t think I could expand on it, at all.

Domaine de Chevalier Rouge Pessac-Leognan 2020 is one of the Classified Growths of Graves and owned by Oliver Bernard.  Through the course of centuries, they have been able to maintain the name Domaine instead of Chateau, even though it sounds like it should be in the Burgundy region.  A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.  James Suckling gave it a score of 96-97.  The first impression was that this was a sweeter and riper wine compared to the others, there was also less oak, it was very fresh, and I would definitely give this wine some time in the cellar to mature.

Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte Pessac-Leognan 2020 is a Classified Wine of the Graves and presently owned by Florence and Daniel Cathiard.  This wine is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot plus a dash of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.  James Suckling gave this wine a rating of 99-100, and I only saw these numbers that I am listing after the tasting. The two of us doing the tasting were joined by the owner to repeat this wine that he had just the night before.  I have had another vintage of this wine, but all I can say and it was concurred by my tasting partners is that wine is “BIG” and hit all the notes for what makes a Bordeaux wine stellar.  After tasting these sixteen wines, I was more than satisfied and I didn’t need another wine, as I was savoring the memory. 

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An Arneis and a Turbiana

Posted on July 3, 2021 by thewineraconteur

All the years that I was in retail, I enjoyed the customer relationships and I think that is why I really like my local wine shop The Fine Wine Source.  When I walk in, they all know me by name and there is never an urgency to get me to the register, in fact there are plenty of times that I don’t make it to the register.  I know that it sounds odd, but when you are in retail, you discover that not every customer is a purchaser, but he or she is still a potential customer. The purchases far exceed the non-purchase visits, but there are always new wines to learn about.  Some times they pour me a glass of wine, that they are thinking about, and that bottle is a sample that they have received from one of their many suppliers.  I offer my thoughts on the wine and I am sure that they have already made their decision, but a second outside voice is always reassuring.

Vite Colte Villata Roero Arneis DOCG 2020, which is owned by Terre da Vino in the heart of the Piedmont.  I have to admit that I did not know about Roero or Arneis, but even at my age there is still time to learn.  Roero DOCG is a small district in the hills of the Piedmont, known for its refreshing whites made from Arneis, and for their bold red reds made from Nebbiolo. The district is named after the Roero family, who were powerful bankers in the Middle Ages.  The classic Roero Bianco must be at least ninety-five percent Arneis, the other five percent can be any other local white varietal.  They tend to grow the on the northern slopes of the hills, while Nebbiolo grows on the southern side.  For a while, the grape almost became extinct, as all the interest was in the red wines.  The grape can be difficult to grow and was often grown along side the Nebbiolo, because its fruit was sweeter and the birds would feed on the white grapes and leave the red grapes alone.  Traditionally a dash of Arneis was added to the Nebbiolo to soften the tannins, similar to how Viognier is used in parts of the Rhone. It is easy to understand why it was unknown to me.  This wine was made from hand harvested grapes and it undergoes cold maceration and spends ten days on the lees in Stainless Steel.  The wine is a pretty straw color, and the nose offered pears and apricots.  The wine was very crisp and fresh with the notes of fruit and a tinge of hazelnut with a touch of minerals in the finish.  Just a delightful wine, and since the bottle was a sample, they gave me the balance of the bottle to let my Bride try it. 

About two weeks later, they called me that the wine was in and I went to get some.  While I was there, I mentioned a wine that was getting a lot of comments on one of my Social Media sites.  I said I had never heard of a grape varietal Turbiana, I felt foolish, but we looked it up and it is the local name for Verdicchio, the white wine that has suffered from over production from some of the big houses.  They opened up a bottle right from the shelf, it was not chilled, but so that everyone could try it.  It was a bottle of Azienda Agricola Ottella “Lugana” DOC 2020.  In 1964, the family discovered a book about a winery in the region that grew Turbiana at the turn of the last century and they really got into the project and by 1967 Lugana DOC was created with the local grape Turbiana.  This was also the period that the winery was growing and creating their own brand.  The name Lugana refers to the clay vessels that the winery that they read about used for aging their wines.  Verdicchio is probably the most planted white varietal in Italy, and there are wineries that are striving to restore the honor that the grape has lost in the past fifty years.  Some of the other names that will be used instead of Verdicchio is Trebbiano di Soave, Trebbiano di Lugana, Trebbiano Valtanesi, Marchigiano and Turbiana di Lugana.  The wine uses soft pressing of the whole bunch, and some with gentle destemming by oscillation.  Then temperature-controlled fermentation for five months on fine lees.  This wine had the straw color, with the telltale marks of quality Verdicchio, which is notes of almonds, honey and marzipan and high acidity with a touch of lemon and grapefruit in a crisp, dry finish.  I had to get some of this wine while I was there, and they told me to take the bottle that we drank at room temperature home with me as well for my Bride.  You don’t get this type of attention at the big wine shops.   

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Father’s Day Dinner 2021

Posted on July 1, 2021 by thewineraconteur

My Bride always makes sure that I am remembered on Father’s Day, and half the time, even though I usually select the gifts for me, I tend to forget.  She also claims that I am a very expensive habit, high maintenance and stuff like that.  She doesn’t say it in a mean or derisive manner, but I would rather have one item, instead of five items, unfortunately the one item usually cost more than the other five items combined.  With men’s wear, I have always thought it was a good investment, because fashions last for a long time, if you avoid the really trendy stuff.  I also believe in age-appropriate attire, as I am not sure that a Peewee Herman skin-tight suit with petal pusher pants would be the right clothes for me.  Actually, I can’t think of a time, when it would have been appropriate.  So, I probably do drive my Bride crazy, but after all of these years, she has adjusted to my peccadillos.  After brunch, we went out shopping, not that either of us need anything, but it is an activity, and it also guarantees that the gifts for whatever holiday is in the future, will be the right size. 

If you think that I am only a raconteur when it comes to wine, it occurs with other subjects as well, and if I am in a men’s wear establishment and I discover another old veteran from the glory days, we can actually talk about brands, stores, fashions, sales representatives and especially quality.  My poor Bride would sometimes like to put me on a leash, so that she could drag me out of a store.  I guess that she is happy that I don’t want to shop that often.  Then again, I am not going to take assistance from a clerk that can’t coordinate colors and patterns and who looks slovenly.  I am old enough to be a curmudgeon and I want to deal with a salesman or a consultant, not someone that is perpetually in a job-searching mode.  We actually finished shopping, and had a chance to talk to our other two children a couple of time zones away and all was good.  Parents always get concerned about their children and grandchildren, especially if we have a chance to proffer some ideas.  We got home, and my Bride decided that we were going to have filets for dinner along with a salad, potatoes and vegetables.  She is always trying to keep me healthy, perhaps a filet is that not healthy to some, but I am sorry, I still enjoy a steak, and with a filet, there is no waste. 

Since it was Father’s Day and only the two of us for dinner, I went to the cellar to look for something interesting in our collection of splits.  I thought a bottle of Chateau Latour “Les Forts de Latour” Pauillac 1998 was the right selection.  Chateau Latour is probably one of the most famous wine producers in the world.  It was a foregone conclusion that it was a First Growth in the Medoc back in 1855 and it hasn’t faltered since then, perhaps even getting more desirable year after year.  The site goes back to 1331 with a fort and a garrison to protect the estuary and it started with several small vineyards.  It eventually cobbled all the small vineyards and began getting recognition in the 16th Century.  One family owned the estate for almost three-hundred years and they survived the French Revolution and eventually got the estate back together back in 1841. Chateau Latour is currently owned by Francois Pinault and his Groupe Artemis. The vineyard is eighty percent Cabernet, the rest basically Merlot with just a touch of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.  Chateau Latour is only made from the vineyard plots surrounding the domain as platted in 1759.  “Les Forts de Latour” which is their second label is made from younger vines.  There is a bit of an inherent chance of trouble with older splits, so I went and used The Durand corkscrew, which we got strictly for older corks.  As you can see, the cork was in pristine condition and I was really all set to have to decant the wine through a filter, because of a crumbling cork, but it was perfect right from the bottle and the nose filled up the room, perhaps even more than the filet and the dinner.  I have had the good fortune to have enjoyed two vintages of Chateau Latour and this was my second bottle of “Les Forts de Latour.”  Perhaps this Street Somm is out of it, but this twenty-three-year-old wine was still full of life, the tannins were robust, the fruit was still tempting and the finish was nice and lingering.  One can’t really ask more from any red wine and if there were any tears in my eyes, it was because the wine may have been good for another ten plus years in the cellar, and it was the only bottle I had of this wine.  C’est la vie.

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Father’s Day Brunch 2021

Posted on June 29, 2021 by thewineraconteur

I am really curious what the new approved wording will be for Father’s Day will be.  Right after Mother’s Day we found out that it is now “birthing parent” and for that alone, I pray to God, for taking my mother years ago, as I can just imagine going into a Hallmark store to buy a birthing parent card.  I will pass and forego another instance of being politically correct and still use the term “mother.” We took our son and his wife out for Father’s Day brunch and found a restaurant out in this direction, and afterwards my Bride and I were going to do some shopping. 

We went to Bill’s, which on the face of it sounds like a corner eatery, and there is nothing wrong with that, but Bill actually owns several very fine restaurants and this was his latest venture, and we tried it long after the dust had settled and this was the only one left that we hadn’t tried.  It was where the old Fox and Hounds was located, and Bill’s capitalized on that and made a gentrified setting that was very comfortable. My Bride had a very fancy interpretation of Avocado Toast which seems to be the rage across the country and it was topped with two poached eggs. She just about always eats healthier than I, my brain still thinks that I am an immortal teenager.  I had Braised Short Ribs Hash with crispy diced potatoes and two poached eggs.  I adore Braised Short Ribs, though it is easier to let the restaurant do all the work and this dish is becoming my normal Brunch selection when possible.  Our son and his wife basically ordered the similar dishes, and then the four of us ordered two different desserts and we shared.

My Bride and I started the day, just like any other Sunday with Mimosas.  The restaurant I guess doesn’t get too many heathens, so they don’t offer a version of Bottomless Mimosa, and it was more economical just to order a bottle and carafe of orange juice.  We had a bottle of Bocelli Family Prosecco Extra Dry NV, and they have been producing wine for about three hundred years in Tuscany.  In case you were wondering, this is the same Bocelli family that has the famous opera singer Andrea Bocelli.  Also, in case you were wondering, in 2011 they acquired vineyards and contracts further north to produce both a Pinot Grigio and a Prosecco wine.  The Prosecco is made using the bulk method or the Charmat Method. For Mimosas it was perfect, as I had to try some neat before I adulterated it with orange juice.  During dessert, I splurged a little bit and had a glass of wine from Famille Sichel, their Maison Sichel Sauternes 2017.  The Maison Sichel collection is from their negocient side of the business.  The wine is a blend of ninety-five percent Semillon and five percent Sauvignon Blanc from vines that are about fifty years of age.  The wine is aged for ten to twelve months and they recommend that eight to ten years of cellar time before drinking, and that did not happen here.  The wine is very balanced and was rather refreshing, which was a good thing to discover at Brunch and it had a beautiful nose and color, what one would expect from a Sauternes. My curiosity was piqued, because one of our go-to wines at the house is Famille Sichel Sirius which is a Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon blend.  The day was starting off beautifully. 

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