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

A Taste Of Time - Duckhorn Merlot Across Three Decades

Sunday, February 7th, 2010 | Wine Tasting Notes, wine, wine events | 1 Comment

Starting with 1985 (on the far left), there was still a strong influence from Europe in the way California growers kept their grapes. At that time, the old-world style of letting the grapes show their fruit and allowing an extended lay-down on the bottle was apparent when I took my first waft of the red and orange-tinged liquid in my glass. I wasn’t detecting a big fruity merlot most of us are used to; I was sensing something close to an old-world style Bordeaux!

TASTING NOTES

1985 Napa Valley Merlot ‘Three Palms Vineyard’– 75% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon (~12.5% alc.)

Good dark leather, cherry fruit on the nose with a hint of tobacco, cedar and a little vanilla spice. Flavors of sweet soy sauce with solid tannic structure, but not big at all in the mouth. The fruit is still fresh, despite the age.

1985 Napa Valley Merlot (my favorite of the two) – 78% Merlot, 15% Cabernet, 7% Cab Franc

Some chocolate-covered cherry on the nose, cedar and oak, dark spice of lavender and violet. Soft tannins, a good balance of fruit, some leather in the flavor. About an hour later in the glass: very smoky and rounded spiciness. This opened up beautifully!

Jumping to the 1995 vintages, everything changes. The wine is bigger, fruitier and toastier. The increase of alcohol levels during the 1990s was very common and only continued to grow into the 21^st century. Both of the merlots are drinking beautifully now and could be cellared for a few more years, but definitely at a peak.

TASTING NOTES

1995 Napa Valley Merlot ‘Three Palms Vineyard’ – 76% Merlot, 18% Cab Franc, 6% Cab Sauv. (13.4% alc.)

Aging nicely with bright blackberry and blueberry fruit on the nose. Lots of cherry and strawberry on the palate, milk chocolaty and toasty vanilla tones. There is an underlying current of minerality and slate through the Three Palms merlots.

1995 Napa Valley Merlot – 82% Merlot, 13% Cab Sauv, 5% Cab Franc

Rich ruby red color with more earth and mushroom, black cherry and coffee on the nose. It was smooth, with dark, intense juiciness. Needed to blow off the alcohol for a little bit, though. Black cherry and cassis flavors came out beautifully balanced with the oak towards the end of the tasting.

The 2005 vintages lead us into what is predominately in the market now and ready to drink. The difference leading up to this point is that the tasting went from letting the grapes display their elegance, to big, juicy fruit bombs that are manipulated with oak, some sugar to raise the alcohol levels and much richer drinking. Upon first sips, I forgot I was drinking merlot and feeling more like a cabernet sauvignon had been placed in front of me. In fact, had this been a blind tasting, I would have failed miserably. The only tell-all was the lack of black pepper on the nose that is common in Napa cabs.

TASTING NOTES

Three Palms Merlot – 77% Merlot, 14% Cab, 6% Cab Franc, 3% Petit Verdot (~14+% alc.)

Very pretty nose of flowers, like sweet rose petals and violets (indicative of the petit verdot). Some orange peel, sweet fruits of cherry and boysenberry came out on the palate. This wine had a nice dark color, good cedar aromas, some mustiness and lots of cherry-vanilla hues. This was my absolute favorite! Tremendously LUSH.

Napa Valley Merlot – 86% Merlot, 13% Cab, 5% Cab Franc

Lots of raspberry, red licorice, clove spice, leather and strong, rich tannins made this a wonderful wine as well. It was chewy, presented a big mouth feel wine that would be fantastic with some herbed lamb chops. It was showcasing full acidity and lots of black pepper! A little bitter at the end would be rounded out nicely with some aged cheeses for sure.

Finally, we reached the most current vintages that are not quite out on the market, or soon will be by the time this article reaches some of you. The 2006 Three Palms merlot and the 2007 Napa Valley merlot are not the merlots of old. These are what most of us have come to expect out of Napa, CA. However, please don’t take these comments as negative. It’s become clear to many winegrowers of California that they have a certain terroir to introduce, and have spent the last 30 years honing in on those characteristics. What I tasted out of these two vintages was just that…

TASTING NOTES

2006 Three Palms Merlot – 75% Merlot, 13% Cab, 7% Cab Franc, 5% Petit Verdot (Not on the market just yet)

This was an expected aroma of new wood oak barrels, like freshly cut timber. This wine shows strong acidity at the front, some strawberry and red berry fruit flavors on the tongue with strong minerality and a long jammy finish. It was nice to drink now, but absolutely needs some time in the bottle; say, 3-5 years.

2007 Napa Valley Merlot (another favorite) – 89% Merlot, 10% Cab, 1% Petit Verdot

A lot more pepper this time than the Three Palms was showing and also darker in color. I picked up a lot of tobacco flavors, cherry pie with a tinge of anise or sweet licorice. Some plum and vanilla lingered in the background. Fig fruit, almond and cedar came out on the finish and a bit of doughiness from the oak aging. Very sold wine in terms of structure. This is great to drink now, but I think in about 5 years, this is going to be phenomenal wine!

It’s clear that the folks at Duckhorn know their grape and will continue to create beauty in a bottle. It was so surreal to taste wines that have been around about as long as I have and to grasp what each one revealed over a course of its life. Well done!

Cheers,

Kronick Wino

Tags: duckhorn 1985, duckhorn 1995, duckhorn 2005, duckhorn library wines, duckhorn merlot, duckhorn tasting notes, merlot boutique wines, mohegan wine events, Mohegan wine festival, Mohegan winefest 2010, napa valley merlot, new-world napa, old-world napa, three palms vineyard merlot

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