2006 Vincent Girardin, Vosne-Romanee Vieilles Vignes, Red Burgundy

Vincent Girardin is a pretty reliable producer in Burgundy, I was surprised by this wine specifically with regard to the fact that it seems to be dying a slow death or should I say fast.  While I know it is a Village wine (Burgundy has three levels of "quality," Village, Premier, and Grand Cru) I was expecting much more from a great producer, in a not so great year.  We will get into the wine in a few seconds.  It is worth talking a little about how Burgundy is classified.

I said "quality" above because in Burgundy you can have Villages that are better than Premier Cru's, and Premier Cru's that are better than Grand Cru's.  It's all in how the producer works his plot of land, which on average is very very small.  One owner will own say one row of vines while the vines behind his are likely owned by another producer, all within the same vineyard or field.  Therefore, within Burgundy you have a lot of producers, some better than others.  Instead of the producers being classified (like the Medoc of Bordeaux, it was the Chateau, typically one owner and large, that was ranked into first, second, third growth etc) the vineyards themselves are classified.

2006 Vincent Girardin, Vosne-Romanee, Vieilles Vignes, Burgundy
consumed May 14, 2011, Retail $39.99

On to the wine, it had a certain smokey haze in a deep garnet-ruby color.  The first thing I noticed was that the wine seemed to be evolving with a noticeable oxidized nose, smelling like sherry.  Behind this was a faint grab bag of tart cherry, raspberry, floral, violets, damp earth, cedar that seemed to disappear after about ten minutes of being open that is when the sherry like qualities took over and what seemed to be a pretty descent nose was gone.  On the palate, the tart cherry and cedar came through followed up by an abrupt finish. The wine showed a racing acidity with a tannic structure that gave the wine a strong backbone.  I am sure this wine was a great "value" wine three years ago (depending on what you consider to be value, as it was 40 bucks!).  At age five it seems to be just about finished.

Does this change my view of Vincent Girardin? Not at all.  I have had some excellent wines from this producer.  Maybe an off vintage and an introductory wine from his vast portfolio that wasn't meant to be aged five+ years?

**

 

  

2008 JM Boillot, Chassagne-Montrachet

As my trip to France rapidly approaches I find myself focusing on French wines and drinking as many as I can before leaving.  After a Queens of the Stone Age concert, and with my friend Mike in town, I thought, what better time to crack open a nice white Burgundy.  And here.....we.......go

2008 JM Boillot, Chassagne-Montrachet, 1er Cru, Macherelles, Burgundy
consumed April 11, 2011, with family/friends, Retail $59.99 (I think I acquired this on sale for $40)

I find myself more engaged in a wine when it reveals more than just fruit.  The fruit is the given, I mean, wine comes from grapes.  It's when you get into the mysterious or unexpected that my love for wine increases ten fold.  This is one of those wines.  The wine had this saltiness or brininess on the nose that was very interesting, with cinnamon, and nutmeg showing in the background.  This wine also has that "old world" minerality, reminiscent of wet stones.  In terms of the fruits, lemon custard, apple were prevalent.  Also on the nose was this elusive smell that I have never smelled in a white wine, it reminded me of tomatoes, but roasted and sweet, a little smokey as well.  It was crazy.  I have smelled it before somewhere but that is all I could think of.  As I write now I am still trying to locate the smell beyond what I described above.  Further, this full body wine tasted of apple, lemon and was framed with a strong yet integrated acidity.  The acidity took a second or two to hit and once it did the fruits seemed to really come out on the palate.  The wine had a nice long finish with the apple and lemon continuing on... and on... and on.
*****

My terrible camera work.

 

2008 Mountfair Inaugural, Virginia

A couple things to start off.  I'm trying desperately to keep up with my tasting notes every Wednesday, please excuse my tardiness.  I don't know why, days now, just seem to fly by (man I love when I rhyme)!  Between planning the trip to France, learning to cook, learning French, researching starting a business, drinking wine, eating at restaurants, working in the tasting room at the winery, I am barely keeping my head above water, I think I need a shallower pool. Whoa is me, haha, not really, life is great!     

I was looking back through my tasting book and I stumbled on some early tasting notes, while I will admit I am certainly still an amateur (hence the Wine Immersion at CIA) this tasting note is one of my earliest and around when I decided to pursue wine full on.

There seems to be a lot going on in the world of viticulture in the United States.  As we are a fairly young nation compared to the rest of the world, so is our viticulture.  Yes, we have California, and have Oregon and Washington State however there seems to be new plantings and vines coming to age in places like Virginia (tasted), Arizona (tasted), Texas Hill Country (haven't tasted) to name a few.  The wine I am about to talk about is from Virginia, specifically just west of Charlottesville.  Thomas Jefferson had struggled to grow vines at his Monticello estate (which is beautiful).  There seems to be a new lease on the wine coming from Virginia.  If I recall this Mountfair that I tried was the wineries first efforts hence the name Inaugural I suppose.

2008 Mountfair Inaugural, Cabernet Franc/Merlot, Monticello, Virginia
consumed sometime in 2009, $20.00

If I recall this wine was pretty good for the price and I probably drank it way too young.  A blend of 66% Cabernet Franc and 34% Merlot sweet, plum, vegetative (from the Cab Franc), spice, a little damp earth.  A nice ripe fruit blast in the front palate, mid and finish were lacking.  I wrote down that it was quite oakey, possibly too much oak? For the price of $20.00, I called it a good buy.

For all of you east coasters near Virginia, here are a couple wineries I remember liking and that I'd love to revisit so send me some!!  Barboursville winery (Barboursville Wine), Virginia, try their Octagon, I remember it being pretty dang good back then.  Also, try Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyard, Maryland, west of Washington, D.C. maybe two hours (Sugarloaf Winery).   Happy tasting and Happy Friday!

Sugarloaf Mountain Winery

Sugarloaf Mountain Winery

2006 Saint Damien, Gigondas

2006 Saint Damien, Southern Rhone Blend, Gigondas, France
consumed February 2011 with family, Retail $29.99

This wine was a purchase on a whim really.  I had never heard of the winery and did absolutely zero research on the winery itself.  A total impulse buy, part of a bigger buy from one of my favorite wine shops.  They were having a bin clearance so I purchased the wine for a really good deal.  The price above reflects what retail is currently according to some online sites.

A stunning wine from the Southern Rhone and is on the list of wineries to visit on my trip!  Unlike the Northern Rhone which is comprised of 100% Syrah, the Southern Rhone is typically blended with any combination of 13 red grapes.  In Gigondas, the wines can be made with a maximum of 80% Grenache, a maximum of 10% of other Rhone varietals minus Carignan, and a minimum of 15% Syrah and/or Mourvedre (Gigondas AOC)

The Saint Damien (Vieilles Vignes, they have multiple wines, this is their 'base' wine)  is a beautiful full bodied powerful but restrained wine.  It is a blend of 80% Grenache and 20% Mourvedre, yes, no Syrah which is typically in Rhone wine both North and South.  Prior to drinking the wine I had no idea what the blend was but assumed that there was at least some Syrah in it.  Upon opening the wine it was rich, red fruit, blueberry, raspberry, and jammy.  A deep intense maroon color, quite opaque, full in the mouth, with a nice smooth structure, and a peppery/fruity mid palate and finish.  After tasting and smelling the wine I realized that it was different, I noted that it was different from Syrah, is Syrah in the wine?  As mentioned above, no, there wasn't any which explains how the wine was totally different than anything I have tasted.  I have noticed that typically a jammy noise with a lot of fruit like this wine is typically high in alcohol.  Unfortunately, I didn't write down what the alcohol content was on this wine but I can say that it was beautifully balanced and not too overpowering.  Don't get me wrong it's a bold wine and would likely go with gamey meat or simply a nice steak.  I will say that the 2006 was still quite tannic and probably could age for sometime if you're willing to wait.  I couldn't!
**** 

             

2009 Layer Cake, Shiraz (G's Tasting Series)

2009 Layer Cake, Shiraz, Australia
consumed January 2011, with family, Retail $12.99

I don't even know where to start with this, this is going to be a quick post.  I love the idea of trying to find deals that also are descent wines.  This is not one of them.  The wine was unbalanced (too much acid), "hot" (too much alcohol), and nothing really going on.  I am sure there a tons of Syrah (Shiraz is Syrah) out there for that price and at a higher quality.  I will be on a quest to find that.  Look for a post coming sometime in the future about a Syrah or Shiraz for 12.99 or lower that will be worth buying. 

Until then happy hunting! 

2008 Apothic Red, California (G's Tasting Series)

The last couple posts have seen some extraordinary/pricey wines however this wine will not damage the credit score!

2008 Apothic Red, California
consumed Sunday January 2, 2011, with family/love, Retail $9.99

A wine that won't break the bank and will please the palate.  The wine is big fruit.  The wine itself is a blend of Zinfandel, Syrah, and Merlot, the first two I love.  The Merlot simply rounded it out nicely.  Red fruit and a little chocolate on the nose with a nice bright cherry down the guzzler and that's what you are getting with this one.  The wine was also well balanced and enjoyable to drink.  Again, a nice easy going wine for any budget.  The wine really surprised me for a cost of 10 bucks.
***
 

1999 Chateau Haut-Brion, Bordeaux Blend (G's Tasting Series)

Thomas Jefferson loved this wine and so do I.  In fact Jefferson was the first person to import a First Growth Bordeaux to the United States.

This wine is from the Graves region of France and the only wine in the region to be given the Premier Cru Classes (First Growth).  It is also the only wine that uses the Pessac-Leognan appellation.  Haut-Brion tends to have the most Merlot and Cabernet Franc out of any First Growths.  Typically somewhere around 30 percent Merlot and 20 percent Cabernet Franc.

1999 Chateau Haut-Brion, Bordeaux Blend, Pessac-Leognan, Bordeaux
consumed Thursday, December 30, 2010, with family/love, Retail $149.99 (half bottle)

People in the wine industry seem to always ask, "how did you catch the wine bug?"  You typically hear answers like, I was drinking X and it came to me that I need to be in this business or I was drinking this wine while sitting a top a vineyard and looking out over the ocean or I had a wine that brought me back to a place, a place that is ingrained in my head.  I've never really had a story quite like that, or what the majority of stories are, which is a little intimidating I guess.  I guess my story is more about friendship and a dream which is really central to this blog.  A friend of mine, Mike, emailed me one day when I was working at my last job and simply said, "in 5 years, if I got into wine, would you join me and manage the money." It was probably a little more animated than that.  For the people that know Mike, you can only imagine! ha.  That is when I really started to think of taking my passion for wine and turning into a way of life.  That is my story.  Okay, so what's the point?  If you've read my 'Welcome to my journey' post then you know what's up.  So the reason for saying it again, is that I now have two answers to the question, how did you catch the wine bug?  One is unconventional, at least in terms of the stories I have heard (read above if you haven't been paying attention :)) and the other answer is a 1999 Chateau Haut-Brion (well technically there are 3 answers, a 1992 Rochioli West Block as well)!  So I guess I have an arsenal of answers, sense I am wordy as can be seen by this very blog, I will use all 3 answers.  And after that long winded explanation of things.... here is my tasting note.

This wine, for me, is why I love wine and why wine is so different.  It is truly an expression of the land, all it is is fermented grapes that is it, nothing else.  If terroir were a wine, this would be it.  As we saw with the Chateau Pavie, this wine has just layers and layers of complexity.  However, this complexity does not cause it to be out of control.  It is balanced perfectly.  The first smell gives way to a beautiful bouquet: sweet, sweet, candy cherry, a little raspberry, pepper.  Then a layer of earth washed over me, and as I focused on this smell all I could come up with was gravel, then stone.  It was subtle, it just reminded me of rocky soil.  Then I remembered reading something in the Wine Bible about the soil in Graves, and yes, Graves is named after it's gravelly soil.  It was so exciting trying to figure this out and gratifying, I was just going nuts when I started to sniff it out.  As I look at my tasting note this is exactly what I had written, "gravel, dirt? soil, what's the soil? earthy, I can smell the soil, gravel, stone, check book (Wine Bible)."  I finally got around to tasting the wine, and it was just as good as it smelled.  Fruity on the palate, flavors concentrated, slight pepper.  The finish was long and sweet.  One quick note, it wasn't as tannic as the '99 Pavie from Saint Emillion, coming out of a 375ml bottle, this wine was ready to drink.  It was silky smooth.  What a great wine!
******

1999 Chateau Pavie, Bordeaux Blend (G's Tasting Series)

Wowwy Wow!  It's Wednesday.  It's a little late in the day to be posting this but I was up in Healdsburg and Napa for most of the day!  Ahhh!  Wine Country.

As promised here is the first of two tasting notes on some super good Bordeaux's.

After much searching, I finally was able to get my hands on a couple premier grand crus from the Bordeaux region of France.  This is one of those bottles, well a half bottle to be exact.  It's a 375ml, which is a half bottle so the price that I will reveal below reflects that.

Chateau Pavie is a "right bank" Premier grand cru classe B wine from the Saint-Emillion region of France.  It lies just southeast of the village of St. Emillion.  The wine is comprised of roughly 60% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Franc, and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon.  By law Bordeaux red wine must contain 1 or more of the following grapes, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec (yes the French did it first), Merlot, and Petit Verdot.  Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot are the two major grapes while the rest are used in smaller amounts for blending.

1999 Chateau Pavie, Bordeaux Blend, Saint-Emillion, Bordeaux
consumed Monday, December 20, 2010, with family, Retail $72.99

Upon releasing this wine from its prison, I recall that, in fact, in 1999 I was just a Junior in High School and had never even thought about drinking wine.  I was just a punk kid haha.  I snap back to the bottle in hand, I pour it into the decanter to let the thing breathe.  I mean it's been locked away for 11 years.

This is possibly one of the main reasons I love wine.  This wine, this wine, was just so splendid.  Layer after layer revealing deep intense aromas. Once you figured out one smell something else would come out in punch you in the face, it was that intense.  The new aromas were subtle at first but once I focused on the smell it came out in a big way.  The first aromas that came to mind were pepper, raspberry, and earth.  Earth is hard to explain but it was as if I could smell the soil, fresh soil and stone.  As a secondary note, I began to smell the ever slightest bit of licorice and a bit of leather.  After an additional hour of the wine beginning opened a started to get a slight chocolate note.  Near the end I swear I was starting to get a little eucalyptus or mint on the nose and at that point I decided to actually taste the wine and enjoy it! 

The mouth feel was brilliant.  The wine was so vibrant on the tongue, just lovely.  Bright red fruit, a little spice, and leather which lingered through the retro nasal (after taste) pleasantly.  I swear I was tasting that wine for the rest of the night even after it was gone.  I was also surprised that the wine was still pretty tannic, meaning it can probably age even further and continue to develop in the bottle.  The wine also had beautiful color, opaque blood red. and a more orange burgundy color at the edge of the glass.  Just an awesome wine, I cannot wait to visit France!
****** 

Next week, 1999 Chateau Haut-Brion!

2009 Charles Shaw, Merlot (G's Tasting Series)

Wooo, it's Wednesday!  Time for an exciting tasting note!

The venerable Charles Shaw or better known to us Trader Joe junkies as simply "Two Buck Chuck" is an interesting wine for the price of $1.99.  Yes, it is still $1.99 in California, where on the east coast I believe its a little more these days.  I wanted to do a real tasting note on Charles Shaw in order to compare to many of the wines that I have had over the last year or so.  First, here is a couple facts about Charles Shaw, the label is owned by Bronco Wine Company, headed by Fred Franzia (formerly of Franzia Brothers wines), yes that Franzia, the box wines!  They make all sorts of wines from the Charles Shaw label, including Cabernet Sauvignon, White Zinfandel, Merlot, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and Shiraz (Wiki Charles Shaw).

And....

2009 Charles Shaw, Merlot, California
consumed Wednesday, Dec. 22, 2010, with my brother, Retail $1.99

Well, there really isn't much going on with the Charles Shaw.  It has aromas of red fruit, green pepper, a little black currant, but mostly just the smell of alcohol and maybe a little wine!  The wine itself tastes under-ripe, probably due to the fact that the grapes are likely from all over California where varying growing conditions exist.  There was no finish with the wine aside from an unpleasant jolt of green or under-ripeness which is present through out the front and mid palate.  However, for the value, it is an okay buy.  If you are just looking for a wine that will taste like wine and that you will drink that night and really don't want to spend too much money on, this will work.  One of the rather depressing realizations about tasting this wine was that it tasted as good as some of the red Michigan wine I have tasted and paid way more than $1.99 for.  Out of maybe 10 red wines I have tried from Michigan, maybe 3 tasted better than this Charles Shaw.  However, this will not shake my confidence in the Michigan wine industry and its potential.
*

I am working hard on the other tasting notes for the Bordeaux first growths.  There is just so much to digest and convert into a blog post.  I promise at least one will be up next Wednesday!

Family, Friends, Wine, Hockey, Restaurants.... Michigan! (G's Tasting Series)

Happy Holidays!  I must admit that I am a little behind on writing, so here is a recent trip to Michigan and Michigan wine tasting to cover the Wednesday G's Tasting Series!  Enjoy.

I recently ventured to the mother land known as Michigan to taste more wine, see family, see friends, partake in the Big Chill, and to check out one of the boldest restaurants/wine bars I have seen in Michigan, let a lone West Michigan.

I arrived in Grand Rapids, escaping the giant snow storm hitting Minneapolis.  I got in pretty late so I just went back to my Dad's and went to bed.  I went to bed giddy, feeling like a kid going to bed on Christmas Eve.  I knew that Friday would be a day filled with wine and food!  We left for Reserve (Reserve, Grand Rapids) around 3 in the afternoon in order to get there before the after work rush and traffic.  It was a success.  The menu was unlike anything I have seen in Michigan.... ever.  Cheeses, smoked fish, cured meats, pork fat fries, just the craziest stuff you could possibly imagine.  Definitely for those who are culinary explorers and want something out of the box... so I hate using this word... but, well it's for the "Foodies."  I'm not going to get into my tyrad about Foodies, well maybe a little.  I believe everyone, yes everyone is a Foodie, even if you don't know it.  If you like food in any way, you are a Foodie, if you like to try new food, you are a Foodie, if you eat food, you are a Foodie... you get my drift.  Foodie, Foodie, Foodie, blah.

Back to Reserve, the place was very modern, sleek but cold.  When modern is over done, for whatever reason, it feels cold to me.  The food was amazing, we had a couple cheeses, some prosciutto.  We also place an order for the Smoked Fish Trio which consisted of Lake Superior White Fish, Lake Michigan Trout, Wild Alaskan Salmon and was served with Kohlrabi and German Butterball Potato Salad, two words, Smokey Deliciousness!!  I also had to have an order of the Pork Belly, which is hard to mess up..... it was rich, fatty, and yumyum.  Sooo good!  Just melted in my mouth.  The food was absolutely superb!

View from out table on balcony.

Of course since it was a wine bar/restaurant I ordered some wine.  Had the below in the picture, since I was out with family and just wanting to enjoy myself I didn't really take any tasting notes on the wine just sipped and sort of decided in my head what I thought of them.  I do remember that the star of this "Western Pinot" trio was the Vision Cellars out of Sonoma County, very interesting (Vision Cellars).

From left to right, Scherrer, Ghost Hills Cellars, and Vision Cellars, all Pinot

I was also impressed with their 100+ by glass wine options.  How is this possible you ask?  Well they have the largest Cruvinet (Cruvinet Link) Wine Bar System in Michigan and the first and largest I have seen in person.  It basically preserves a opened bottle of wine for much longer than just opening a bottle and putting one of those stoppers in it.  This allows the wine bar to offer slightly lowers prices (if it chooses to) and also offer a wider selection as the chance of the opening a wine and it not being drank is lower.

Cruvinet System

Overall, this place is a great place to out and adventure into wine and food in Grand Rapids, MI.  I will warn you that it is expensive for what you are getting as it is probably the only place in the state that is like it.  Well worth it in my opinion

After Reserve we headed back to my Dad's for some Michigan wine and dinner.  I selected three wines at a local wine shop and that were recommended to me by a friend that works at one of the wineries up in Northern Michigan.  I wanted to revisit Michigan wines after tasting my way through many of California's wineries over the last 4 or 5 months.

Since it is Wednesday, here are some brief tasting notes for G's Tasting Series.  I have high hopes for Michigan wines as I hope to one day maybe return to open a winery.  I hope that as the years go by the wine gets dialed in.  I havent really tasted any Michigan wine of superb qualitiy however I have had some that were interesting and show serious promise.  I am still in the infancy stages in tasting and also tasting Michigan wine so here we go!

2009 Chateau Chantal, Pinot Gris, Old Mission Peninsula
consumed Friday, Dec. 10, 2010, with family, Retail $21

A nice wine.  Aromas of freshly cut apples erupt out of the bottle.  The wine is crisp, acidic, a little tart.  It has a nice mouth feel and was very pleasant.  I could only see myself sitting on a deck in the summer relaxing with this wine.  Unfortunately as I tasted it I was starring out to the Michigan winter!
***
2009 Chateau Chantal, Pinot Noir, Old Mission Peninsula
consumed Friday, Dec 10, 2010, with family, Retail $16

Another nice wine from this producer.  It has some out of a harsh nose open open but settled in after breathing some oxygen.  There really wasn't much going on in the bottle off the first sniff but want on to reveal some tart cherry and some what of an earthy aroma.  Also, apparent was what seemed to be a little smoke.  Overall, again, a pleasant wine from the region.
**

The white wines from Northern Michigan seem to fair much better than the reds.  One thing is for sure, I will continue my quest to find amazing wines in Michgain.  I have found good wine but not that wine that just says, WOW!!!

Saturday was spent with family and friends in Ann Arbor to watch the "Big Chill" which was an outdoor hockey game played at U of M stadium between Michigan State and U of M.  It was great to be a part of it.  The game set the world record for attendance at an outdoor hockey game and it set the record for highest attendance at Michigan Stadium ever!!  A hockey game set the record for attendance (113,411, I think) at a football stadium, being a hockey player, I love it.

Have a great New Year!  Coming up on G's Tasting Series, will be the highly regarded first growth Bordeaux's!!!  As one of my friends told me, "A cork tease is someone who constantly talks about the wine he or she will open but never does."  I love that saying, but it's not me, I drink the stuff.  Look out for these two tasting notes!!!

2008 Erath, Pinot Noir (G's Tasting Series)

Bam, its hump day.. tasty time.

Ahhh, Oregon, supposedly the closest thing we have in the states to Burgundy, France.  I am fairly inexperienced in tasting Oregon wines so I revisited this Oregon Pinot that I tried back when I first really started to get into this wine thing.  I remember the first time I had it I was pretty impressed.

2008 Erath, Pinot Noir, Oregon
consumed Friday, Dec. 3, 2010, with friends, Retail $21

After much anticipation this wine really fell short from what I remembered it to be maybe 6 months prior.  It was thin, watery, and lacked any structure.  It had nice aromas of sweet cherry, damn earth, and a little pepper.  For the price point it was an okay wine, I'd like to taste some of the single vineyard designations to give the winery another shot.
**

One thing I think I've mentioned before about purchasing Pinot Noir (Pinot Noir Memoir post) is that you really need to spend some money in order to get a good one.  Pinot Noir is difficult to grow and make wine from, its finicky, and needs to have the right terroir in order to make it an awesome wine.  A nice Pinot, in my opinion, is the best wine in the world.  If Pinot Noir is a Ferrari then Cabernet Sauvignon is a Ford F-150.

Happy Holidays!

2001 J. Rochioli, West Block (G's Tasting Series)

BamBam, Happy Wednesday ya'll!  Enjoy.  

Another heavy hitter from J. Rochioli, this West Block selection is probably their more known wine in the international community.  Once again, one of the best wines I have had.  My personal favorite is the East Block.

2001 J. Rochioli, West Block, Russian River Valley
consumed Friday, Nov. 26, 2010, with friends, Retail $120

Well first of all, I about had heart attack after cutting the foil off of the bottle.  I could see where a little wine had reached the top of the cork usually a sign the wine is corked.  Meaning oxygen has gotten into the wine prematurely and basically spoiled it.  As I dug into the cork with the wine opener, more problems arose, since the wine had made its way all the way to the top the cork and the fact that it was 9 years old, the cork screw was just shredding the cork, luckily we got enough of it in to where we could wiggle it out of the bottle.  The true test came with a little sniff of the wine....... my heart pounding....... expecting it to smell like wet socks (smell typical of a corked wine)....... I was delighted to smell a tight wine ready to open!!  Phewwwww!  Not only was it the wine that I was worried about but all during Thanksgiving I had been talking up this wine to my girlfriends family and was excited for them to try it so luckily it was good!

With older wines (and even high quality younger wines) you should really let the wine sit for at least an hour before enjoying.  Since I am impatient and trying to educate myself I jumped right in!  The aroma upon opening was subtle, and what to me felt like a Christmas present waiting to be opened.  Everything great about the wine was there, however, it was closed off waiting for something to kick in the door.

Meet oxygen, after about 30 minutes the wine really hit it's stride, I mean really.  It's interesting to taste the wine as it goes through this process.  The wine opened up with big bright red fruit, (Russian River Valley at it's finest) bing cherry, raspberry, a little licorice, the wine was pleasantly balanced, and the finish lingered forever.  This is why I have fallen in love with wine!
******

2008 M. Chapoutier, Petite Ruche, Syrah (G's Tasting Series)

Today is hump day and with hump day comes a tasting note!  Enjoy!  

During the same visit to the local wine store when I purchased the Bernard Latour (see older post) I purchased this wine from M. Chapoutier.  A much larger producer with wines from many areas in the Rhone this wine is from a lesser know area, Crozes-Hermitage in the Northern Rhone region where the red wine is made from 100% Syrah.  In a very general sense the wines from the Crozes-Hermitage are lesser quality then the wines from Hermitage and Cote-Rotie.  Still a place where you can likely find hidden gems.... however, this M. Chapoutier is not one of them. 

2008 M. Chapoutier, Petite Ruche, Syrah, Crozes-Hermitage
consumed Saturday, Nov. 20, 2010 with love, Retail $28.00

The wine itself was okay and the price was not.  I enjoyed the Bernard Latour from the Southern Rhone much more and for $10 dollars less.  As I venture deeper and deeper into wine I'm really starting to get a little understanding on pricing.  I will elaborate here, these are my own opinions and what I think in this particular case.  M. Chapoutier produces wine from basically every appellation in the Rhone.  The different labels and wines are quite many.  For instance, a 2007 Chapoutier Ermitage le Meal Syrah (Hermitage) can fetch $170 dollar bottle depending on where you are buying it.  After some research I found that you can get the wine I had above (Petite Ruche) for around $18, in my opinion, more in the likeness of its apparent value.  I think the place I purchased this wine from took advantage of the name behind the bottle and marked it up quite nicely.  Do I feel ripped off?  Not really, I had been wanting to try a M. Chapoutier wine for some time after reading about the Rhone in my wine bible, I was able to find that wine at a local wine store and purchased it on impulse.  I came to the wine store not looking for anything in particular and then I saw the Chapoutier.  I paid for the luxury of buying that wine, that day, and consuming it that night versus purchasing it, and having it shipped.  Okay, what's the point?  Wine prices don't necessarily reflect the actually quality of that wine.  Wow, that was a little more long winded than expected.

The Tasting:
The wine had nice red fruit on the front, cherry, with a little plum, and a earthy aroma.  The finish was short and sweet with an odd after taste.  I couldn't pin point what the taste was, just bitterness. Overall, an okay wine not worth $28.  It will not deter me from trying another Chapoutier, however.
**

2001 J. Rochioli, East Block (G's Tasting Series)

Hailing from the esteemed Russian River Valley in Sonoma County near the city of Healdsburg is this beautiful pinot noir.  The Russian River has some of the best conditions for growing pinot and chardonnay in the United States and the world.  This area and in particular Healdsburg, holds a special place in my heart as it is where I lived during harvest this year.  If you find yourself visiting wineries in Sonoma Country you have got to visit downtown Healdsburg, one of my favorite cities (well villages I guess, its not that big).  As one winemaker told me, "we are just a bunch of hillbillies making great wine."  That statement, for me, in it's purest form, is exactly what making wine and life is about around here.  It is not 'hillybilly' in a negative connotation but rather a way of living: laid back, caring, sustainable, fresh food, open, approachable, friendly, and romantic.  I have never felt at home in a city more than I have with Healdsburg and Sonoma County.  And on to the tasting.......

2001 J. Rochioli East Block, Russian River Valley 
consumed Friday Nov. 12, 2010, with friends, Retail $159.99

One of the top pinot noirs in California and the world.  In fact for the single vineyard selections (like this East Block) there is a 5-6 year wait to get on the buying list direct from the winery so to obtain these bottles you must go the retail route (typically boutique wine shops).  However, you can get their Estate (entry level) pinot noirs directly from the winery.  

This 9 year old wine was absolutely stunning.  By far the best wine I have ever had the pleasure of drinking.  It was bright fruit dancing on the tongue, black cherries, velvety, rich, smooth, refined, pretty, earthy, and had a long structured finish.  YUMMMMMMMMM!  Great drinking wine, ready now!
******

2007 Bernard Latour, Domaine de L'Espigouette (G's Tasting Series)

Every Wednesday, or as much as an unemployed person can afford, expect weekly tasting notes on wines that I have recently tried and what I think of them.  About 70% of what you smell in wine, is what you are going to end up tasting, that is why you see people out and about swirling (aerating) and sniffing their wine.  It's all part of the sensory experience and it will allow you to enjoy the wine that much more.  I must say it does take time to smell what you smell in the wine as our noses are not used as intensely as they did when we were all cavemen and women (have to be PC these days, haha).  So don't get discouraged, just keep trying, really think and blurt out what you are smelling in the wine!  There is no right or wrong way to eat a Reese's (ha or what you smell/taste in wine).  And here we go.............

As my trip to France gets closer with each passing day (as it naturally would right? ha) I have been reading a lot about the French wine regions (Wine Bible by Karen MacNeil) and beginning to think about what areas of the country I want to visit.  I have drank a lot of Burgundy wine as pinot noir is certainly my favorite varietal so I decided to venture to the Rhone and specifically a 2007 Bernard Latour, Domaine de L'Espigouette, Cotes du Rhone.

2007 Bernard Latour, Domaine de L'Espigouette, Cotes du Rhone
consumed Friday Nov. 19, 2010, with love, Retail $18.89

Wine from the Cotes du Rhone (Southern Rhone) are typically blends of several varietals.  The grapes from the Cotes du Rhone can be from anywhere in the Rhone but are typically from Southern Rhone as the Northern Rhone sub-region is covered by a number of well known appellations (e.g. Hermitage).  The primary varietals in Southern Rhone are Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre, Carignan, and Cinsault.  The most famous appellation in Southern Rhone is Chateauneuf-du-Pape.

On to the wine tasting, upon first opening the wine and pouring it into the glass I immediately noticed the inky deep plum color and an aroma of jam, almost like a blend of raspberry and blueberry jam.  That is all that I could really sense in the wine so I left the wine in the glass to open up a little as I went back to making dinner.  After letting the wine breathe for maybe 20 minutes I returned to the wine and it had really opened up.  I immediately thought of the holidays after swirling it and smelling it.... but why.... and then ah-ha, nutmeg... it smells like nutmeg, reminding me of eggnog, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and family.  The wine also went on to reveal notes of vanilla and hints of cinnamon.  The finish was pleasant but short however for 18 bucks you can't really expect it to be perfect.  Overall, a very nice wine for the price and it would go great with Thanksgiving dinner!

Happy Holidays and safe travels!