Neil's Wine, Food and Travel Journal

Wednesday, January 1, 2014

Happy New Year

Happy New Year to all. 2014 is looking good.

Do you have any New Year traditions? We get Peking Duck and Chinese dumplings and have Champagne. Sometimes we get the duck from the Peking Duck House http://www.pekingduckhousenyc.com/?page_id=274 in Chinatown, NY and sometimes, like this year, we get it locally. This year we had steamed vegetable dumplings, fried pork dumplings, dry sauteed string beans, vegetable lo mein and the Peking Duck. If you don't know, Peking Duck is duck that has been prepared so that almost all of the fat has been rendered out and the skin is crisp. The duck is slices so that some skin and meat or together. You then take a pancake/crepe/ burrito shell and put on some hoisin sauce(Chinese barbecue sauce) add some duck, sliced scallions and sliced cucumbers. fold like a burrito and enjoy. We love it.

The Champagne of the evening was Ruinart NV Rose. It was dry with a beautiful light red color. It opened up with food as apparently rose Champagnes are very food friendly. A very good Champagne but not on top of my list.

Mark Bittman is an excellent food writer for the NY Times. His article today about eating better in 2014 is quite good.http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/01/dining/sustainable-resolutions-for-your-diet.html?ref=todayspaper&_r=0 If you follow some of his suggestions, you will eat healthy, good tasting food.

I recently had the opportunity to eat at Fork, a restaurant in Philadelphia.http://www.forkrestaurant.com/
We had a great meal there. We ordered the set menu which was an appetizer, pasta course, main course and dessert. My appetizer was charred octopus.

Duck

Mini Brioches

Chickpea ravioli

charred octopus

mini bagels

mini pretzels

root beer float

duck meatballs; poached pears

It was quite tasty. The kitchen kept sending out small dishes of stuff. We had small bagels with some flavored cream cheeses and stuffed small pretzels. The house bread was thick crusted, chewy inside Italian bread that was insanely good. They make the bread at the restaurant.

My pasta dish was chickpea ravioli with raw artichoke slices. Very good. I also tasted the Burnt Grains Pappardelle with wild boar ragu. This too was delicious.

My main course, which I shared with a friend, was Peking Style Whole Muscovy Duck with a number of small dishes. Duck meatballs, a salad with duck bits and other assorted sides. The duck was excellent; the duck meatballs were not good.

My dessert was the Root Beer Float with chocolate mousse and other stuff. It was a not a typical root beer float but a concept dessert. It was OK but too fussy.

We had a Dolcetto d' Alba 2012 Schiavenza. It was medium bodied and fruity with good balance. Enjoyed it. We then had a Montebruno Pinot Noir 2011 from the Eola-Amity Hills ava of the Willamette Valley, Oregon. The wine was light but with good flavor and some terroir. A good basic Willamette Valley Pinot Noir. 2011 was an OK year in Oregon.

The chef at the restaurant Eli Kulp has been getting lots of positive press lately. The food was very good if not great. The dishes were generally flavorful and not over the top. Many chefs these days put lots of ingredients into every dish and the result is a muddled mess. The dishes at fork were precise and the chef know what he wanted to accomplish by way flavor. Having just returned from France, the food a Fork can be in the conversation with the food we had in France. It was by far the best food that I have had in Philly. The prices are not crazy either . The huge meal we had was $70 per person.

Had a chance to see Mandy Patinkin of Homeland recent fame and Taylor Mac http://www.taylormac.net/TaylorMac.net/Home.html in a 2 person show - on The LastTwo People Earth- an Apocalyptic Vaudeville. http://www.classicstage.org/about/archive/lasttwopeople/ No dialogue, just songs - Row, Row, Row, Your Boat, The End of the World (REM), Sondheim, Rogers and Hammerstein, eclectic music. The show was really good. Taylor Mac is a rising star. He was also in the Good Person of Szechwan. The play was directed by Susan Stroman and was presented by the Classic Stage Company at the Abrons Arts Center on the lower east side of NY. One of my few regrets in life is that I did not see the original Evita on Broadway starring a young Mandy Patinkin and a young Patti Lupone. My wife saw it and she never lets me forget it. Oh well.

2014 is here. Enjoy.

Friday, December 27, 2013

After Christmas

Had a fun Christmas and spent time with family.

Bought some wine for my brother. Tried to keep the price per bottle in the $10 to $15 range. Here is what I bought. Shopped at the Wine Library.

Spice Route Chakalaka 2011 $15.98 Have not had this vintage but this wine is a great Rhone style blend from South Africa.
Wyatt Chardonnay 2012 $9.98 Wyatt are California wines with sourced grapes. Doug Polaner puts the wine together. A Parker fav, I have enjoyed thier wines in the past. Have not tried this wine.
Puig Parahy George 2010 $13.97- Southern France blend that I have had in previous vintages and it is a good value. 2010 was a good year in Europe.
Vina Olabarri Gran Reserva 2005 $15.98 A Spanish Rioja. Highly rated but I have not tried.
Charles Smith Kung Fu Girl Riesling 2012 $10.98 Charles Smith makes all types of eclectic wines in Washington State and his wines are reasonable and good. I have this wine in previous vintages. #51 in the WS top 100 for 2013. A great value for an interesting wine.
Domaine Dupeuble Beaujolais 2011 $11.98 I am enjoying Beaujolais's again and 2011 was a very good year. Have not had this wine but since it is not a cru the price was right. It is estate bottled.
Guigal Cote du Rhone red $11.98 One of my favs from the Rhone valley in France.
The Curator White $9.98 A South African blend of Chardonnay and Chenin Blanc. Look interesting and South African wines are good values these days.
Dante Robino Malbec 2010 $9.98 Argentina Received a good WA review and the price was right. I am not a big Malbec fan but many people enjoy it as it easy drinking.
Chateau la Cardonne 2009 $15.98 A vg Bordeaux that is predominately Cabernet Sauvignon. I have had this several times and really like it.Great value.
Babich Sauvignon Blanc 2013 $9.98. I find many New Zealand SB's to be good but generic. Babich is always a good wine and the 2013 should be fresh. Remember Southern hemisphere wines are 6 months ahead of us in their vintages so the 2013's are out now.

Wine buying and drinking should be fun and you do not need to spend a fortune.

Made grilled butterflied leg of lamb last night. Marinate the lamb in olive oil, garlic, rosemary, salt and wine vinegar for a half an hour and throw it on the grill. Cook until it is the done to how you like it. Serve it with grilled eggplant and sauteed baby bok choi and grilled potato wedges. Microwave baking potatoes until almost done. Then cut into quarters the long way (wedges). Dip in olive oil and grill for about 4 minutes on each side.
Drank a Chalone 2010 Pinot Noir that I received on Christmas. The wine was great and it was a nice simple meal.

Looking to plan a trip this winter. Anguilla is on the short list again. Any other suggestions would be appreciated.

The New Year is coming up. Is going out on New Years Eve the thing to do again these days?

Enjoy.

Sunday, December 15, 2013

Tis the season to eat, drink and be merry

Recipes for Desserts

Speaking with a few of my friends, the subject of good seasonal recipes has come up. These are 2 of the best and easiest desserts one can find.

Poached Pears

Peel 2 pears. Comice pears are great. Bartlett work well also. Cut in half and cut out the core. You should have 4 half pears.
Take about 3 cups of red wine, pour into a 1-2 quart pot and add a cup of sugar. Also add 12 black peppercorns. Heat the wine mixture to a simmer and add the pear halves. Cook for about 10-15 minutes until a fork easily penetrates the pears.
Remove the pears and let sit in a bowl. Continue to simmer the wine mixture watching it carefully. As it cooks it will thicken into a syrup. When the mixture coats the back of a spoon (the mixture will be reduced by more than half), turn off the heat.
Serve the pears by slicing the halves on an angle and spread out he slices like a fan. Spoon some of the sauce over the pears. Remove the peppercorns before spooning the sauce.
Watch as you cook the sauce as it can become a real mess if you cook it too much.

Passion Fruit Desserts

One of my favorite websites is Aunt Lilikoi http://www.auntylilikoi.com/ This is the place to buy all things passion fruit. Lilikoi is Hawaiian for passion fruit. The unsweetened passion fruit juice is great. BTW shipping from Kauai is not very expensive. The juice keeps unopened for a long time.

Passion Fruit Pie

Make a graham cracker crust in an 8 inch pie pan. Follow the directions on the back of Nabisco Graham Cracker Crumbs. I use less butter than called for in the recipe.
Make a mixture of 1 can of condensed milk(14 ounces), the equivalent of 2 eggs of eggbeaters, and about a half of a cup of the unsweetened passion fruit juice. Add more to taste. Mix the ingredients well. Pour into the prepared pie crust. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes until set. Remove from the oven.
Let cool. Whip a cup of heavy cream and slowly add some confectioners sugar and some of the passion fruit juice. Serve with whipped cream.

I also make a hot passion fruit souffle that is a my favorite. Recipe at a later date or drop me a note. I also make cranberry nut bread, pignoli cookies, and anything chocolate including chocolate truffles.

I will publish the recipes with the most requests. Let me know.

Wine

This time of year is great for wine buying. It seems as if all of the wine sites are trying to out do themselves with deals. My wines of the moment are
2010 and 2011 Cru Beaujolais such Fleurie and Brouilly (around $20)
Champagne (try producers that you have never heard of ) and keep the price under $30
Guigal 2010 Cote du Rhone $12
2010 Chateauneuf Du Pape (These can be pricey but you can find them for around $30.
Lenz, Long Island, NY Merlot 2009. (Around $17) Yes it is a merlot.
Also 2010 Bordeaux. See Garys website http://garyswine.com/ . They have 25 2010Bordeaux wines rated 90 by someone for under $25.

Any of these wine would make great gifts. If you need any other wine gift suggestions, let me know. Good wine glasses are very useful. I find that good glasses make a difference and they make swirling fun. I am not a very good swirler as some of my friends will attest. Target has Riedel wine glasses that are reasonably priced. Remember that when using big wine glasses, pour small amounts of wine.

Enjoy!

Friday, November 22, 2013

Paris and Lyon Part 4; Caymus Wine Dinner

Day 6 Our train to Lyon left from the Gare de Lyon in Paris. I had bought tickets on line for the trip. The tickets were a relative bargain at $48 each and that was for 1st class. We took a high speed train that took about 2 hours. We got off at the second train station in Lyon, Perrache. It was a 10 minute walk to our hotel, Le Royal, Lyon.The hotel was in the center of middle Town Center part of Lyon, which turned out to be an excellent location.

I had researched hotels in Lyon and Le Royal appeared to be really nice. The hotel website had rooms for 350 Euros and breakfast for 35 Euros per person. I found a deal on Expedia where we paid about $250 per night including breakfast. The only catch was this was a nonrefundable rate. My solution was that I waited until the week we left to make the reservation. I don't like to make nonrefundable reservations for our trips.http://www.lyonhotel-leroyal.com/default-en.html

The hotel is also home to the Institut Paul Bocuse, meaning the food is good. When we were there they were completing the remodeling of the restaurant which was closed. However they had a breakfast room and the breakfasts were superb. The hotel is an older hotel that has been redone inside. Our room had high ceilings, large bathroom and was very comfortable.

The hotel is located on Place Bellocour, a large open square. The Lyon Metro is across the street and the main shopping area is a short walk away. Lyon is an interesting city with an old section and lots of restaurants and food shops.

View from our hotel room.

Breakfast at the hotel. Fresh passion fruit, my favorite.

The first night we ate at Le Potager Des Halles. lepotagerdeshalles.com It was recommended by the salesperson we met at a really cool wine shop where I bought 2 bottles of very interesting Champagnes. The food was supposedly typical for Lyon. Lyon has some of the best food in France. We had lamb and pork. The bread was great as it was in every restaurant we ate at. Bread has really come a long way in France. Again the wines available by the glass were excellent and reasonable. Dinner was about $110 and was good not great.

Lyon is a pretty city, at least the old parts and we had fun wandering around. There are 2 museums of note and we visited them. One is an art museum and the other is a fabric museum, since Lyon is famous for silk.Musee des Beaux-Arts de Lyon www.mba-lyon.fr Musee des Arts Decoratifs www.mtmad.fr

Lyon has 2 main rivers going through the city - the Rhone and Saone. There is an interesting church in the old city on a hill overlooking Lyon. We took a funicular up the hill to visit. We had trouble buying tickets to the Lyon metro and funicular. Our credit card would not work and there are no ticket booths with people in Lyon. We were about to give up when 2 young men asked if they could help. It dawned on us that our credit cards do not have the smart chips and thus do not work in many places in Europe especially for some reason train stations. Anyway the young men bought us tickets and we paid them in cash. We were very appreciative and thanked them profusely.

A panoramic view from the area near the church.

The second night we ate at a Michelin 1 star restaurant L'Effervescence, chef Christophe Hubert.

www.restaurant-effervescence.fr The restaurant was great. It was small and had about 14 tables. Apparently the chef is on the rise and the food was awesome. It was by far the best meal that we had in France and the price was reasonable. 2 courses 34 Euros; 3 courses 39 Euros. Again they had excellent wines by the glass. I had fish for the main course - baby salmon, baby clams and another white fish. My wife had pork. For dessert we had pear foam and ginger ice cream and a chocolate dessert.

The leaves in the pear dessert were coated with sugar and were crunchy and delicious.

The next day we were somewhat tired of Lyon so we managed to book a tour of the Beaujolais wine area. Best decision we have made in a while. The tour was great. Before the tour we went to the Bocuse food hall in Lyon. Wow. 56 food places under one roof.

Unreal. We bought some food for lunch and met the van for our wine tour. The tour had 2 other couples from Canada and Mexico. We had North America covered. We used Kanpai tours. The tour was wonderful. http://www.kanpai-tourisme.com/Our tour guide was the owner of the company Olivier Delalande. Olivier was knowledgable, intelligent, patient and just a great guy. He took us to the cru Beaujolais areas and we went to wineries in Fleurie and Brouilly.

The first winery was Chateau de La Chaize. We toured where they made the wine and we spoke with the owners. We then had a tasting of their wines including a rose, which I had never seen. The wines were a revelation as I had not had Beaujolais's that were so good. Techniques are improving and we had vieilles vigne wines which are "old vines". They were great. We bought a 2011 vieilles vigne for 15 Euros.

We were there during the harvest time and it was fascinating. They were bringing in the grapes and pressing them. The vines still had some grapes which we tasted. Beaujolais is made from the Gamay grape and the grapes are good to eat.

We next went to Domaine De La Madone which makes Fleurie wines. The do not import to the United States. We tasted about 8 wine under 2 labels. The wines were funkier than I ever have tasted in a Beaujolais but some of the wines were very good. We bought a 2010 vieilles vignes Fleurie for around 13 Euros.

We returned to Lyon but had to encounter the worst traffic jam I have ever seen. Every road was not moving in every direction. It took about 4 hours to get back. Olivier was so patient.

For our last night in Lyon we ate at a Bocuse bistro Le Sud.www.nordsudbrasseries.com It was large and modern. The food was bistro food and was reasonably priced. I had duck breast and my wife had Moroccan chicken baked inside filo dough. Everything was good but not great although my wife really enjoyed her chicken.

We left Lyon the next day and headed for home. Four bottles of wine in our luggage and lots of great memories.

Caymus wine tasting dinner

I had the priviledge to attend a Caymus wine dinner with Chuck Wagner. I had fun and had the opportunity to speak with Chuck. He is the winemaker and owner of the winery and has been making wine since he was 19. Caymus is an iconic Napa wine and we tasted a number of wines. They have divided the wine into separate wineries run by family members. There is Belle Glos which makes Pinot Noirs. Mer de Soleil which makes Chardonnays; Conundrum which makes a red and white blend and Caymus which makes 2 Cabernet Sauvignons - the regular bottling and the special selection.

Chuck told me that Michel Rolland, wine consultant and Robert Parker have been big influences in Napa. They like big ripe wines. Chuck prefers red wines with low acid. We tasted:

Conundrum White 2012 $18 Nice blended wine that I liked better than previous vintages. Low acid and fruity.

Mer Soleil Silver Chardonnay 2012 $20 Nice chardonnay with good acid and nice balance.

Belle Glos Dairyman Pinot Noir 2012 $40 Big grapey Pinot Noir. Young but not my taste.

Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon 2011 $65 Very young with tannin and fruit not yet integrated. Chuck explained that years ago no one would try such a young wine but that these days the wines are more approachable young.

Caymus Special Selection Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 The star of the evening and a surprise pour. The wine was balanced, light but flavorful. Just a great wine. It has gotten excellent reviews from the critics as well. Everyone at our table really enjoyed it. The only downside is that it is very expensive.

Conundrum Red 2011 $18 A sweet wine that was not to my taste but it was served with dessert.

Any questions on France, let me know. I have been trying as many Beaujolais' as I can find. I will report on them at a later date.

Happy Thanksgiving, my favorite holiday. Love turkey.

Enjoy.

2012 Château Pesquié Côtes du Ventoux Terrasses Red Rhone Blend more	1/15/2014 - I like this wine: 90 points Solid CDR. Nice balance and good flavor. Will drink again. Comment(18 views)
	Red	2012 Bodegas Borsao Garnacha Campo de Borja more	Options 1/26/2014 - I like this wine: 90 points (Edit) Great value. The 2012 is a good wine. On the verge of being grapey but it is not grapey. A big wine at 14.5% alcohol but it does not taste hot. Love this wine and its consistency. Good fruit and balance. Comment (25 views)
	Red	2010 E. Guigal Côtes du Rhône Red Rhone Blend more	Options 1/29/2014 - I like this wine: 88 points (Edit) Wine drinks easily but no real character in this bottle. Maybe bottle variation or my mood that night. Usually like this wine alot. Very balanced. Comment (36 views)
	Red	2002 Canoe Ridge Merlot Horse Heaven Hills more	Options 1/29/2014 - I wrote: flawed (Edit) Wine is way gone. Comment (24 views)
	White	2012 Cave de Lugny Mâcon-Lugny Les Charmes Chardonnay more	Options 1/30/2014 - I like this wine: 90 points (Edit) Good wine with great mouth feel; medium bodied not typical, light Macon. Nice balance of fruit and acid, no oak. Missing that slight honey taste that would make the wine great. Great value for a white Burgundy. Would drink again. Comment (26 views)
	Red	2009 Brewer-Clifton Pinot Noir 3-D Sta. Rita Hills more	Options 1/25/2014 - I like this wine: 91 points (Edit) VG Cali Pinot Noir. Beautiful nose, light in color but lots of flavor, somewhat high in alcohol but it dissapated as the wine opened up. Good fruit with complexity. Could use some terroir. Expensive wine. Comment (87 views)
	Red	2011 Francesco Boschis Dolcetto di Dogliani Vigna Dei Prey more	Options 1/24/2014 - I wrote: 87 points (Edit) Interesting wine, tannic and somewhat heavy, but fruit began to emerge as time went by; Not what I expected; drank with pork chops; would not buy again. Comment (65 views)
	Red	2003 Château Haut-Gardère Pessac-LéognanRed Bordeaux Blend more	Options 1/24/2014 - I like this wine: 92 points (Edit) Good stuff. Fruit, balance, complex, not high in alcohol, drank with roast chicken, just a very good wine. Nice how a Bordeaux can age. Comment (94 views)
	Red	2011 Bibi Graetz Casamatta Toscana IGT Sangiovese more	Options 1/22/2014 - I wrote: 85 points (Edit) Drank with pizza. Tasted somewhat over the hill and nondescript. OK for the price but WS score is over the top. Decent fruit and tannin. Comment (243 views)
	Red	2001 Souverain Cabernet Sauvignon Alexander Valley more	Options 1/18/2014 - I like this wine: 91 points (Edit) Good wine. Experimented to see how this wine would age. Tasted fresh. Balanced with good fruit. Surprised as to how good it tasted. Enjoyed with a steak. Guess I can't find any more although the stats show a good amount of this wine is still in cellars. Comment (85 views)
	White	2010 Marc Colin et Fils Saint-Aubin 1er Cru Les Combes Chardonnay more	Options 1/20/2014 - I like this wine: 93 points (Edit) This wine was very good. Fruit, acid, balance, and complexity. Great mouth feel; medium bodied. That touch of honey but never sweet. Nice integration of oak. I bought the wine by mistake thinking it from the other Colin but these Colins make a great wine. Apparently it is hard to find so I guess I was lucky. It also seems like I got a bargain. Tastes alot like Chalone Estate Chardonnay 08. Comment (91 views)
	White - Sparkling	NV Kirkland Signature Champagne Brut De Bruyne - Janisson Champagne Blend more	Options 1/20/2014 - I wrote: 87 points (Edit) This bottle had flavor. We enjoyed with flounder and clams. Good bubbles and a full flavor with nice balance and decent finish. Seems as as if this wine is different bottle by bottle. Comment (170 views)
	Red	2011 Château de Lacarelle Beaujolais-Villages Gamay more	Options 1/17/2014 - I don't like this wine: 82 points (Edit) Cherry aroma and taste with not much else. OK to drink but would not drink again. I had high hopes as 2011 was a good year in Beaujolais but oh well. Comment (38 views)
	Red	2011 Château de La Chaize Brouilly Gamay more	Options 1/11/2014 - I like this wine: 88 points (Edit) 2011 in Beaujolais was VG. This wine has body, balance and some complexity. Good fruit and just a very enjoyable wine. The old vines of this wine is off the charts if you can find it. Comment (38 views)
	Red	2013 Domaine des Terres Dorées (Jean-Paul Brun) Beaujolais Nouveau Cuvée l'Ancien Vieilles Vignes Gamay more	Options 1/3/2014 - I like this wine: 87 points (Edit) Second bottle and just as good as the first. Amazin for a nouveau. Good fruit but with some tannin and backbone. Brun wines should be on the top of your list. Comment (49 views)
	White	2010 Chalone Vineyard Chardonnay Estate Grown more	Options 1/10/2014 - I like this wine: 89 points (Edit) Typical Chalone Chardonnay; oak is nicely integrated with the fruit; could use a bit more acid; will see how this develops; Comment (132 views)
	Red	2005 Tenimenti Ricci Brunello di Montalcino Sangiovese more	Options 1/16/2014 - I wrote: 88 points (Edit) Agree with my prior note. Good fruit and balance and initial taste is very nice but a big, heavy wine and the alcohol while not noticeable, catches up with you. Not very complex. We drank half the bottle and really did not want more. Drank with baked ziti. Would like to try other Brunellos. Comment (139 views)
	Red	2007 Bodegas Caro (Barons de Rothschild / Catena) Amancaya Malbec Cabernet Sauvignon (Gran Reserva) Mendoza Red Bordeaux Blend more	Options 1/13/2014 - I like this wine: 92 points (Edit) Wine was very good. It surprised me as I had it in my cellar for a number of years. The wine was beautifully balanced with nice fruit. It was medium bodied, not heavy. We drank with steaks. I have had this wine before and had several vintages but this bottle was much better than I have remembered. Will check out more recent vintages. Comment (208 views)
	White	2013 Matua Wines Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough more	Options 1/10/2014 - I like this wine: 88 points (Edit) Good NZ Sauvginon Blanc. Typical but lighter and dryer finish than most NZ SB's. Nice fruit. Drank with chinese chicken with vegetables. Would drink again. Comment (83 views)
	White	2012 Badenhorst Family Wines The Curator Swartland White Blend more	Options 1/6/2014 - I like this wine: 86 points (Edit) Good white wine blend and a good value. The finish is very dry. Not overly complex. The wine opened up as it warmed up. It went well with salmon. Would try again. Comment (77 views)
	Rosé - Sparkling	NV Ruinart Champagne Brut Rosé Champagne Blend more	Options 12/31/2013 - I like this wine: 90 points (Edit) Drank for New Year's Eve with Peking Duck. The wine opened up nicely and was very food friendly. Not a big Champagne, very dry, beautiful color. Not sure it is worth the price. No real complexity. We enjoyed the wine. Comment (535 views)
	Red	2011 Argiolas Monica di Sardegna Perdera more	Options 1/7/2014 - I like this wine: 87 points (Edit) Smoother than I imagined. Nice fruit and good balance. Enjoyed with pork fajitas. Good value. Somewhat dull. Comment (60 views)
	Red	2013 Domaine de la Madone Beaujolais-Villages Nouveau Le Perréon Gamay more	Options 1/5/2014 - I like this wine: 85 points (Edit) Good wine. Looks like 2013 may be a good year in Beaujolais. This is the second Nouveau that we have tried and both were real wines. This wine had a medium body and good fruit with nice balance. BTW there is another winery by this name in Fleurie. Comment (46 views)
	Red	2009 Château Grand Barail Montagne-St. Émilion Red Bordeaux Blend more	Options 12/30/2013 - I don't like this wine: 75 points (Edit) Not a good wine.Disjointed. I have another bottle to try. Comment (138 views)
	White	2010 Lenz Chardonnay Gold Label North Fork more	Options 12/28/2013 - I like this wine: 90 points (Edit) Good chardonnay. Oaky but not overly so. It drank nicely with lobster tails. Not high in alcohol and good depth of flavor with a medium body. Would drink again. Comment (54 views)
	Red	2004 Château Valrose St. Estèphe Cuvée Alienor Red Bordeaux Blend more	Options 12/27/2013 - I like this wine: 88 points (Edit) Good wine; medium to heavy bodied with nice mouth feel. Not high in alcohol but we did not finish the bottle. Nice balance with fruit and terroir. Have had this wine several times and it needs to be consumed in the near future as the fruit is leaving. I have one more bottle to go. Comment (168 views)
	White - Sparkling	NV Tendil & Lombardi Champagne Blanc de Noirs Pinot Noir more	Options 12/27/2013 - I like this wine: 91 points (Edit) Interesting wine. 100% pinot noir and it tastes different than most Champagnes. It opened up as the temperature of the wine warmed up. Dry with with good flavor not fruity but we enjoyed. Good complexity. Drank with lobster; will drink again; vg value Comment (201 views)
	Red	2010 Chalone Vineyard Pinot Noir Limited release Founder's Club exclusive more	Options 12/27/2013 - I like this wine: 91 points (Edit) Excellent bouquet; good fruit and light to medium bodied; not Burgundy, not Oregon, not typical California; a bit more terroir would make the wine great; maybe it needs some more time in bottle but it is drinking nicely; high in alcohol 14.5% but the alcohol was not noticeable. We enjoyed the bottle and drank it with butterflied leg of lamb. Like the wine and will be drinking more. Not sure what the difference is between this wine and the regular Chalone bottling. Comment (65 views)
	Red	2009 Trinchero Cabernet Sauvignon Chicken Ranch Vineyard Rutherford more	Options 12/25/2013 - I don't like this wine: 80 points (Edit) Tannic with no fruit. Drank with steak at Christmas dinner. Comment (236 views)
	Red	2006 Silver Oak Cabernet Sauvignon Alexander Valley more	Options 12/25/2013 - I wrote: 85 points (Edit) Tannic wine that opened up slowly and showed some fruit. Drank with steak at Christmas dinner. Nothing special. Comment (1,357 views)
	Red	2010 Jean-Marc Despres Fleurie Cuvée Prestige Gamay more	Options 12/21/2013 - I like this wine: 92 points (Edit) Bought this wine at the winery in Fleurie -Domaine Madrone- good nose, excellent fruit with terroir, tastes almost like a Burgundy; a revelation for a Beaujolais, highly recommend but unfortunately this wine is not imported to the US. Would drink again. Cost about $15 at the winery. Comment (53 views)
	Red	2007 Montes Carménère Alpha Colchagua Valleymore	Options 12/22/2013 - I like this wine: 92 points (Edit) First carmenere wine. Not much bouquet but the wine was balanced and somewhat complex. The wine is high in alcohol but does not taste like it. Nice fruit without being grapey. Enjoyed the wine and was pleasantly surprised. Drank with vegetable lasagna. Would drink again. Comment (267 views)
	Red	2012 Schiavenza Dolcetto d'Alba more	Options 12/17/2013 - I like this wine: 90 points (Edit) Fruity but not grapey; good balance; drank at restaurant; $55. Enjoyed and would drink again depending on retail price. Drank with octopus and ravioli. Comment (114 views)
	Red	2011 Montebruno Pinot Noir Eola-Amity Hills Willamette Valley more	Options 12/19/2013 - I wrote: 89 points (Edit) Light color; nice fruit with good balance;drank at a restaurant and it was $80. Drank with duck. Nice Oregon pn but pricey in restaurant. Would drink again depending on retail price. Comment (119 views)
	Red	2005 Malvira' Roero Trinita' Riserva Nebbiolo more	Options 12/14/2013 - I like this wine: 90 points (Edit) Good wine but not great. Nice balance with delicate fruit and good acid. It opens slowly. Not sure if there is much more development on this wine. Drank with veal chops, spinach and pasta. Comment (118 views)
	White - Sparkling	NV Codorníu Cava Brut Champagne Blend more	Options 12/12/2013 - I like this wine: 85 points (Edit) Good fruity cava that is starting to get harder to find and more expensive. This bottle tasted a touch sweet but we still like it. Nice fresh wine with lively bubbles. Comment (77 views)
	Red	2010 Espelt Garnacha Empordà Old Vines more	Options 12/11/2013 - I like this wine: 91 points (Edit) Wine was drinking great tonight; balanced, seamless from start to finish; good fruit but not overpowering; good middle for a granache; a bit unusual for a granache; enjoyed and wish I had more. Comment (1,011 views)
	Red	2009 Lenz Merlot North Fork more	Options 12/10/2013 - I like this wine: 90 points (Edit) This is a good wine; fresh tasting, good fruit with terroir and balance. Like this wine consistently. Good value; low alcohol and very tasty with good mouth feel. Would drink again. Comment (95 views)
	Red	2010 Kirkland Signature Meritage Napa Valley Red Bordeaux Blend more	Options 12/9/2013 - I like this wine: 87 points (Edit) Again a good wine, not too grapey, it has some balance and drinks nicely. It tastes fresh. Would drink again.

Friday, January 31, 2014

Cold, Snow and the Super Bowl

2012 Château Pesquié Côtes du Ventoux Terrasses

1/15/2014 - I like this wine: 90 points

2012 Bodegas Borsao Garnacha Campo de Borja

1/26/2014 - I like this wine: 90 points (Edit)

2010 E. Guigal Côtes du Rhône

1/29/2014 - I like this wine: 88 points (Edit)

2002 Canoe Ridge Merlot

1/29/2014 - I wrote: flawed (Edit)

2012 Cave de Lugny Mâcon-Lugny Les Charmes

1/30/2014 - I like this wine: 90 points (Edit)

2009 Brewer-Clifton Pinot Noir 3-D

1/25/2014 - I like this wine: 91 points (Edit)

2011 Francesco Boschis Dolcetto di Dogliani Vigna Dei Prey

1/24/2014 - I wrote: 87 points (Edit)

2003 Château Haut-Gardère

1/24/2014 - I like this wine: 92 points (Edit)

2011 Bibi Graetz Casamatta Toscana IGT

1/22/2014 - I wrote: 85 points (Edit)

2001 Souverain Cabernet Sauvignon Alexander Valley

1/18/2014 - I like this wine: 91 points (Edit)

2010 Marc Colin et Fils Saint-Aubin 1er Cru Les Combes

1/20/2014 - I like this wine: 93 points (Edit)

NV Kirkland Signature Champagne Brut De Bruyne - Janisson

1/20/2014 - I wrote: 87 points (Edit)

2011 Château de Lacarelle Beaujolais-Villages

1/17/2014 - I don't like this wine: 82 points (Edit)

2011 Château de La Chaize Brouilly

1/11/2014 - I like this wine: 88 points (Edit)

2013 Domaine des Terres Dorées (Jean-Paul Brun) Beaujolais Nouveau Cuvée l'Ancien Vieilles Vignes

1/3/2014 - I like this wine: 87 points (Edit)

2010 Chalone Vineyard Chardonnay Estate Grown

1/10/2014 - I like this wine: 89 points (Edit)

2005 Tenimenti Ricci Brunello di Montalcino

1/16/2014 - I wrote: 88 points (Edit)

2007 Bodegas Caro (Barons de Rothschild / Catena) Amancaya Malbec Cabernet Sauvignon (Gran Reserva)

1/13/2014 - I like this wine: 92 points (Edit)

2013 Matua Wines Sauvignon Blanc

1/10/2014 - I like this wine: 88 points (Edit)

2012 Badenhorst Family Wines The Curator

1/6/2014 - I like this wine: 86 points (Edit)

NV Ruinart Champagne Brut Rosé

12/31/2013 - I like this wine: 90 points (Edit)

2011 Argiolas Monica di Sardegna Perdera

1/7/2014 - I like this wine: 87 points (Edit)

2013 Domaine de la Madone Beaujolais-Villages Nouveau Le Perréon

1/5/2014 - I like this wine: 85 points (Edit)

2009 Château Grand Barail

12/30/2013 - I don't like this wine: 75 points (Edit)

2010 Lenz Chardonnay Gold Label

12/28/2013 - I like this wine: 90 points (Edit)

2004 Château Valrose St. Estèphe Cuvée Alienor

12/27/2013 - I like this wine: 88 points (Edit)

NV Tendil & Lombardi Champagne Blanc de Noirs

12/27/2013 - I like this wine: 91 points (Edit)

2010 Chalone Vineyard Pinot Noir Limited release Founder's Club exclusive

12/27/2013 - I like this wine: 91 points (Edit)

2009 Trinchero Cabernet Sauvignon Chicken Ranch Vineyard

12/25/2013 - I don't like this wine: 80 points (Edit)

2006 Silver Oak Cabernet Sauvignon Alexander Valley

12/25/2013 - I wrote: 85 points (Edit)

2010 Jean-Marc Despres Fleurie Cuvée Prestige

12/21/2013 - I like this wine: 92 points (Edit)

2007 Montes Carménère Alpha

12/22/2013 - I like this wine: 92 points (Edit)

2012 Schiavenza Dolcetto d'Alba

12/17/2013 - I like this wine: 90 points (Edit)

2011 Montebruno Pinot Noir Eola-Amity Hills

12/19/2013 - I wrote: 89 points (Edit)

2005 Malvira' Roero Trinita' Riserva

12/14/2013 - I like this wine: 90 points (Edit)

NV Codorníu Cava Brut

12/12/2013 - I like this wine: 85 points (Edit)

2010 Espelt Garnacha Empordà Old Vines

12/11/2013 - I like this wine: 91 points (Edit)

2009 Lenz Merlot

12/10/2013 - I like this wine: 90 points (Edit)

2010 Kirkland Signature Meritage

12/9/2013 - I like this wine: 87 points (Edit)