Kronick Wino

The Cork Dorks Say ‘Ole!’ with Spanish Wines

Thursday, March 18th, 2010 | Food Pairings, Priorat, Rioja, Spain, Wine Tasting Notes, wine events | No Comments

A new month; a new destination: SPAIN

I don’t know if this is a theme, but for the second time we got together, it was yet another cold, rainy night at the good ol’ Bin 100 in Milford, CT.

All the more reason to drink some delicious reds from a bold and robust region that is Espana.

No bad surprises hit us this night - no corked bottles. And if anything, we had nothing but a wonderful turnout of fantastic cheeses and LAMB CHOPS! (Thank you chef for making the evening that more special!).

Wine #1: 2004 Loxelo, Gran Reserva, Cava - Penedes

We like to enliven our palates, so why not do that with some zesty CAVA from the Penedes region. This one did just that! The acidity was zingy and woke me up for sure. The texture was light, but the finish was dry and long. Being that this was a vintage Cava made it pretty special, as they tend to be few and far between. I was delighted by the nice green almond finish that reminded me of some Fino sherries I’ve tried in the past. There was a certainly a raw doughy nose, lots of yeast coming through with some lemon zest, but still rich and paired the best with some Robusto cheese we passed around the table. The cheese rounded out the finish with some smoky notes and showed more of a fruity finish than when I drank it sans food. I also drank this with some smoked oysters (of which Alek gagged…) that paired nicely.

Varietal: Chardonnay / Xarello / Macabeo

Imported by: Classic Wines, INC

Discovered at: New England Beverage Co., Orange, CT

~$25

Wine #2: 2001 CUNE Imperial Reserva, Rioja Alta

After 9 years, this wine was sheer beauty and showed the classic lines of Tempranillo and what is ‘old-world’ Spain in style.  The color was very clear and uniform showing a bright ruby / garnet hue. Not overbearing, just silky smooth, bright chocolate-covered maraschino cherry fruit, round tannins and tasty vanilla oak tones. Acidity was still very fresh and the Lamb Loin chops were deliciously paired with this wine. Additionally, some Midnight Moon Goat Gouda showed fantastically with this wine. The finish was coating, like a sugary candy and you could see that in the glass as well. In a nutshell: We all swooned.

Varietal: Tempranillo (maybe a little Mazuelo / Graciano blended in)

12 Months in French / American Oak (minimal)

Imported by: Pasternak

Discovered at: Amity Wine & Spirits, New Haven, CT

~$50

AND NOW WE GO BIG…

Wine #3: 2004 “CULMEN” by Bodegas Lan, Reserva, Rioja

This is serious wine, kids. And by serious, I mean complex, captivating, BIG, deep, intricate and the bottle was really really heavy. (I had to use 2 hands.)

We let this bottle breathe for about an hour, but didn’t decant, although that might have been ideal in our situation. Talk about opening slowly…. but when it did, things got interesting. I was mildly warned by the kind gentleman about this wine and the crazy flavors / aromas I might experience. He was even so bold as to tout the idea that I might smell PICKLES! (WHAT??) And he was right, except that I think what he was smelling was more of a soy sauce aroma and couldn’t put a finger on it.

Initial aromas showed dark fruit, like blackberries, some black peppercorn and balsamic.

About an hour after I poured my glass, I noticed bouquets indicative of dark forest flowers - lavender, violets, some Eucalyptus arising and lots of delicious, fresh-packed mint! Very pretty and beautifully layered. The color was super dark with a rich purplish color and very juicy.

Tannins are pretty strong on this wine, but structure made up for the snap in the cheeks. The acidity is definitely strong enough for a long lay-down period, but drinking well now with the appropriate cuisine. I’m imagining the amazing Balsamic glazed Hanger steak from Cafe Manolo with some dried fig / blackberry fruit to pair.

Varietal: 85% Tempranillo / 15% Graciano

Imported by: Monsieur Touton Selection LTD

Discovered at: Harry’s Wine & Liquor, Fairfield, CT

~$60

Wine #4: 2004 “A’ALTO” by Bodegas Aalto Sa Quintanilla, Ribera del Duero

So in an effort to drift away from Rioja for a moment, we delved into this bottle of wine from Ribera. The color was super dark and red, like deep crimson. First swirls indicated it was a little ‘hot’ on the nose….and then I looked at the bottle: 15% alcohol! whoa.

The first sips created a very lush and velvety sensation with loads of DARK chocolate with currant notes. An overwhelmingly rich mouthfeel ended with a sweet bing cherry aftertaste. Loads of oak and cedar notes came out on this wine as well.

As much as I want to say I liked this wine, we had it paired up against the other reds and it was just too strong on the nose with the alcohol and cedar tones. This wine needs to settle itself down for a couple years. I think if we come back to it in 2-3 more years, or even 5, it will be spectacular.

Varietal: 100% Tempranillo

Imported by: European Cellars, LLC

Discovered at: Amity Wine & Spirits, New Haven, CT

~$60

Wine #5: 2004 ‘Les Eres’, Vi de Guarda, Priorat

Want to know a personal weakness of the Kronick Wino? Priorat wines.

Here are 2 reasons: Carinena / Garnacha (Carignan / Grenache french varietals)

These grapes always over-deliver for the price, age beautifully and have some of the BEST quality available on the market. If you’re not into Priorat wines from Spain, then you haven’t lived.

When chef busted out the dessert pairings of the night, I immediately took to the dark, flourless chocolate torte because this wine IS the dark, flourless chocolate torte in a bottle! This wine was superb! Rich, big, dark, a beautiful rose petal perfume on the nose, some lavendar, deep raisin and cinnamon spice was all around. I could have smelled this wine for hours before sipping it. Around 45 minutes later, some minerality started to show graphite and slate nuances on the palate. Never-ending finish and smooth mouth-feel made this wine remarkably rich and velvety and delightful. The wine was also aged for about 18 months in New French oak barrels. Only 7200 bottles were produced (~700 cases), so get your hands on a bottle and drink now or keep in the cellar for some time. This has some wonderful aging potential over the next decade and beyond.

Varietal: 55% Carinena from 99 year-old vines! / 30% Garnacha from 89 year old vines / 15% Cabernet Sauv from 26 year old vines.

Imported by: Slocum & Sons

Discovered at: One of the wine bins at Bin 100. Luckily, Elena decided not to throw this one out.

~$80

THE WINNER: A TIE!! CULMEN vs. Les Eres

None of us could decide the winner between the two, but we could decide that we all needed to be rolled out the door after in-satiating ourselves with the rich tannins and juice of Spain.

Until next time….

Cheers!

Kronick Wino

Tags: Gran Reserva Cava, high-end spanish wines, Priorat wine, Riebera del Duero wines, Rioja Alavesa Wine, Rioja wine, Spanish Cava notes, spanish wine and lamb, Spanish wine food pairings, spanish wine notes, Spanish wines over $50, Vintage Cava

The Cork Dorks Embark On Their First Mission: France

Thursday, February 4th, 2010 | Food Pairings, Wine Stories, Wine Tasting Notes | No Comments

On a cold, dark, wintry night in January we gathered. Just a few of us, hand-picked by the finest at Bin 100 in Milford, CT to partake in the first, ever, high-end BYOB wine tasting.

First stop: France.

The idea is simple; bring a bottle between $50-$90 from any region of the country selected and drink it!

But on a more ideal note, to be able to find some gems, dust off some bottles in the cellar you forgot about and share a story or two….oh, and to listen to Mr. C sing a tune while he sips away on bubbles.

Bottle #1: 1998 Louis Jadot Chapelle-Chambertin

Verdict: Epic Fail…. the bottle was corked upon opening. (Que sounds of Alek kicking a champagne bucket in the background.) Moving on….

Bottle #2: Pierre Peters Grand Cru Blanc de blancs – NV

Verdict: DELICIOUS. So pristine and smooth, I actually had to take a picture of the single stream of tiny little bubbles making their way to the top to reach me. See image below.

This little number delighted us with aromas of sweet, yeasty bread dough, similar to that of sweet Portugese bread. The flavor exhibited creamy toffee with a rounded mouth-feel and light, delicate bubbles on the tongue. A tone of tasty apple crisp with balanced acidity made this a winner. It was a little multi-dimensional, but the layers didn’t quite meld together. It was still a great champagne for the price.

Bottle #3: 2002 Cuvee Frederic Emile Trimbach Riesling from Alsace

Verdict: A first, there was a thought the bottle might be corked, but later it turned out that the minerality was just very intense. As it opened up, the opinions changed.

The first smell was intense petrol. It then opened up to some pretty sweet apple fruit and minerality of limestone and slate. ‘Great finesse and pleasantly dry’, were the words of one of us. After about an hour, you could get a better grasp of lovely orange blossom, honeysuckle, quince fruit and honey. The consensus was there were many layers being exhibited on this classic-style Riesling, but they never quite married. It was, however, pretty nice to be able to taste them all on their own.

Bottle #4: 1999 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru, Cote D’Or

Verdict: Sensational and traditionally characteristic of this producer of great Burgundies.

Nothing struck me more than the overwhelming aromas of a smoky-sweet, soy-laden, BBQ sauce on this wine. Soy and smoked meats were all over the nose with a touch of brown sugar. (Getting hungry as I write this…. ribs, please!) A bit of char and smoky notes filled my nostrals as I embarked on the first sip. A strong taste of dark cherry fruit and dried plums hit my tongue. It was fantastically gamey and leathery with smooth and supremely food-friendly tannins. I noshed on some pork pate and gruyere as I sipped this bad-boy. This would be the ultimate bbq chicken with sauteed shitake mushrooms to play into the earthy tones. Some pheasant or seared duck breast with fresh blackberry fruit might do, and even Ostrich or Buffalo loin would be ideal.

We all seemed to give this one 90+ points based on sheer brilliance and flavors. It’s definitely ready to drink, but could age another 5-7 years in the bottle.

Bottle #5: (and yes, we still had active taste-buds) 1998 Louis Jadot Clos Vougeot, Grand Cru

Verdict: THE WINNER!

This wine apparently originates from grapes out of a 50-hectares (~123 acres) vineyard, so, relatively small. I think we were all floored when we started smelling and sipping on this beauty. It had such a fruity/floral perfumish aroma, it took me a while to even take the first sip. The wine showed good, deep concentration and color. The aging lines are thin and can only get better, I think. It was drinking perfectly, but the fruit and acidity was still very strong and could continue to age. Ok, but seriously, the nose was showing some nice damp earth and rich soil, like digging in a fresh garden. I picked up on a lot of great mushroom and fungi notes, like oyster and shitake and just a very light truffle note. The wine was still REALLY fresh in terms of acidity, but all earth. Fragrant dirt, floral nose of violets and sweet rose petals with a hint of lavender. I could go on, but it doesn’t do this wine justice.

93+ points – Wonderfully gorgeous and in 5 years will be even MORE amazing!

Bottle #6: 1999 Nuits-St.-George Aux Chaignots, 1er Cru, Faiveley (Cote D’Or)

Verdict: Loved it, but after the Clos Vougeot, nothing quite compared. This wine was still beautiful and drinking great as well. My camera died at this point, so I’ll have to entice with words…

Nice dried cherry nose, bright garnet-ruby red color in the glass. I picked up a bit of a fromage nose, like that of a nice hard cheese rind; something earthy in that regard. Definitely showcasing truffles, damp earth (a theme here…) but not nearly as complex as the previous wine. It was nice and bold with strong tannins. Kind of a sexy wine by my taste…. didn’t let down in flavor or finish and coated the month wonderfully with a chalk dry finish to wrap it up. A bit tight at the end, so some aging will do this one some good. What a catch, though.

And finally….

Bottle #7: 2006 M. Chapoutier Crozes-Hermitage ‘Les Meysonniers’, Cotes du Rhone

Verdict: After all that Burgundy drinking, a little change of pace was needed. Nothing quite completes a French tasting like some good ol’ Rhone wines. The old-world Syrah/Grenache blends are just tres beau! This one was 100% Syrah.

This wine exhibits some earth funk: barn-yardy, leather, manure (I think we agreed it was cow) on the nose. I personally found a lot of good earthy mushroom flavor going on overall. The flavor was vibrant and rich. Strong acidity with some smoke, blueberry and sweet blackberry fruit. A touch of floral notes, like sweet rose petal and even chocolate made this wine smooth, elegant and dark. Great on it’s own to drink, or with some balsamic glazed hanger-steak. I wouldn’t have minded a few dark-chocolate covered blueberries either.

And that concludes the first night of riff-raff…er, tasting.

Next time: ESPANA!!!

Cheers,

Kronick Wino

Tags: 1998 Burgundy, 1999 Burgundy, Alsace wine notes, Burgndies nder $100, Chapoutier tasting notes, Cote D'Or, Cotes du Rhone 2006, Crozes-Hermitage, French Syrah, French wine $50 plus, French wine food pairings, French wine tasting notes, high-end French wine tasting, Louis Jadot, Riesling Alsace

La Battistina Gavi 2007 - Wine Notes

Friday, January 22nd, 2010 | Food Pairings, Wine Tasting Notes | 3 Comments

Tonight - something different. GAVI.

I’m venturing out. I NEVER hit up the Italian section at the store because much to my dismay, I’m kind of clueless in that area. My love is Spain, but I like to live on the edge, so random Italian wine it is!

I had a list of ‘menu items’ lined up for my dinner, but what white to drink? I made some tapas and wanted something crisp, fun, citrusy and clean. My first choice was going to be a white from Umbria, as I’ve tasted quite a few of those these days and they seem like a nice food-pairing wine. To no avail, my local W&L mart (wine & liquor…) did not carry such a thing. So, GAVI. And, on a gracious suggestion by a good friend who knows his Italian whites, I ended up with la Battistina’s Gavi 2007.

First smell was one of crisp, citrus fruit, like lemon and some pineapple, leading into a little green apple. The taste is crisp, clean, good rounded acidity and a continuation of the aromas. But this little number only gets better with FOOD! (I mean, if you think about it, what do the Italians like to do? MANGIA!)

I made a little roasted garlic bulb, some gambas al ajillo (shrimp in garlic sauce) and used a little of the Gavi for the sauce on that one, good life choice by me! I also roasted some asparagus spears topped with some black truffle butter and shaved pecorino romano, and had a warm pulpo potato salad on the side. All-in-all everyone was a winner. The wine holds up GREAT to the shellfish / octopus, and the asparagus brought out some clean green grass on the wine. Everything else just rounded out the finish!

As I asked myself, what is Gavi?

It’s from the Piedmont region in Italy that uses mainly the grape varietal, Cortese. According to my awesome De Long’s Wine Grape Varietal Table (because I’m an avid wine geek), the Cortese grape is listed as such: “refreshing, melons, grapey, extremely ancient variety” and it sits in the moderate-to-high acidity rating with a light yellow straw color.

My seemingly first experience went well! These are supposedly the most expensive Italian white wines shipped to the U.S., but I still paid under $20 for the bottle! Bottoms up, my friends!

Cheers.

Kronick Wino

Tags: gavi 2007 wine, gavi food pairing, gavi tasting notes, Gavi wine, italian white wine, italian wine under $20, la battistina docg, la Battistina gavi