2007 Ravenswood Zen of Zin Zinfandel

We have been drinking a pretty good bit of the 2006 Zen of Zin and it has been consistently very good.  We liked it enough to make it an everyday wine.  Yesterday I picked up a bottle of the 2007 to go with some grilled hot Italian sausage.

The 2007 is still very good, but it definitely shows that it is younger.  There is more fruit and less spice than in the 2006.  It is also a bit more full-bodied than before but I would still call this medium-bodied overall.

These are both good wines, but of the two the 2006 matches our palates better.

Cheers!

2006 Seven Sleepers

This was an interesting blend of Shiraz (40%), Petit Verdot (25%), Cabernet Sauvignon (23%), Grenache (7%) and Malbec (5%) from the Barossa Valley region of Australia.  Known to those of German heritage as "Siebenschlafer" which supposedly fortells the weather conditions for the next 7 weeks as of June 27th.  If it rains on this day, then the next 7 weeks will be rainy.  Likewise, if it is sunny on this day then the next 7 weeks will be sunny and pleasant.  Go figure... :-)

The nose was full of red cherry fruit with hints of some spice underneath.  On the front palate, the cherry was dominant but as it opened up some blackberry, licorice and currant showed.  The black peppercorn spice stayed in the background as a supporting role but never really stepped up and balanced the brightness of the fruit.

If you like a fruit driven red wine that also has good body, this could be a wine that you would like.

Cheers!

2005 M. Cosentino "Cigarzin"

Remember back in the 1990's when cigars were all the rage?  The first vintage of M. Cosentino's "Cigarzin" was released during the craze as a wine with the backbone and structure to standup to a great cigar.

This definitely was a big zinfandel but it did not blow me away.  There was a lot of bright red fruit early on, which gave way to a good core of spice and darker fruits.  Certainly not what I would call a fruit bomb, but I was surprised at how much fruit showed through.  The spiciness was well represented, but did not seem to carry the undercurrent and balance out the fruit.  The finish was somewhat short, leaving me to wonder where it went.

Definitely not a bad zinfandel for $17.99, but there are others out there that I would definitely recommend over this especially with a cigar.

Cheers!

1999 Chateau Rieussec Sauternes

This past weekend, Allison was out of town which gave me an opportunity to drink some wines that I know she does not really care for.  Some time back I happened to get to taste some Sauternes and fell in love with them and in particular Chateau Rieussec.  Since that time I have tried to add at least a couple of bottles per vintage to the cellar.  I also try to pick them up in half-bottle sizes (375ml) for two reasons... 1) Allison generally will not be sharing these with me and 2) just a little bit will do you!

So what exactly is a Sauternes?  You can read all about it on Wikipedia but in short it is a dessert (sweet) wine from the Graves region of Bordeaux.  The principal grapes include Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon and Muscadelle and they must be affected by Botrytis cinerea (Noble rot) to make Sauternes.  They tend to be sweet, and have an incredible lifespan.

Even though this one is 10 years old I did not expect that it would be anywhere near its peak, but I was not expecting it to be as closed down as it was.  The color was turning to a rich, golden honey color which is typical for older Saurternes.  I have seen some that were closer to brown than white.  The nose really did not show a whole lot, either upon the inital opening nor with over an hour of aeration.  The palate was sweet, but not as much as I expected.  It was not cloyingly sweet but rather reminiscent of honey and apricot.  The fruit definitely was there, balanced with a good bit of acidity but again very subdued.

I took a peek to see what Robert Parker (The Wine Advocate) or Wine Spectator said about this vintage but neither one rated the 1999.  My best guess for this is that it needs at least 5 more years in the bottle, and probably will last for another 20-25 years easily.

Cheers!

Redux Libby's Cafe and Bar - Sarasota

For valentine's day we had thought that we would head over the the Siesta Key Oyster Bar for dinner but upon arrival we found it to be quite crowded and rather chaotic with no clear process for getting a table.  We decided that we would look for dinner elsewhere and come back when perhaps it would not be quite as insane.  I whipped out the iPhone and launched OpenTable to see what we could find and Libby's had an opening that we decided to secure.

We wrote about our dining experience at Libby's earlier.  Since then we had slipped in for lunch and were very pleasantly impressed so felt like this would be a good venue for dinner.

We arrived about 40 minutes early and sat at the bar while waiting on our table.  Wow!  The drink prices for cocktails are absurd!  2 glasses of wine and 2 tanqueray-and-tonics = $40!

Once we got to our table, we were presented with both the regular dinner menu as well as the valentine's day special menu.  The special menu listed 5-6 appetizers and about as many entree's.  Allison went with a couple of items from the specials and I took a couple off the regular menu.

For starters, Allison had the Maine lobster and gruyere bisque, accompanied by a Florida State Fair lobster corn dog (more the size of a hush puppy).  She said it was very, very good.  Being allergic to cheese I skipped it but she said she could not taste any in it at all.  Interesting.  I opted for the Peachtree Farms deviled eggs with Mote Marine American Sturgeon caviar and chives.  Wow!  These definitely had a kick to them (from cayenne pepper) and were very, very tasty.  I would have preferred more caviar, but that is typical of me ;-)

For dinner I elected to try the yellowfin tuna "nori mignon": sashimi grade tuna with a mango-teriyaki and panko-nori crust, served with a sushi rice and Wakame cucumber salad and ginger-thai emulsion.  If the panko crust were 86'd this would have been perfect; as it was, it was just outstanding.  Allison choose duck breast served with foie gras and current tortellini, roast pear and port glace.  She found this to be amazing as well.

Libby's has become Allison's go-to restaurant, and I have to agree that I am glad we have given them another chance.  The food last night was absolutely perfect.

Cheers!

NV Egly-Ouriet Brut Tradition Grand Cru Champagne

About five or six years ago we happened upon a bottle of this in a wine shop in Atlanta for $19.99 a bottle.  We had never heard of it, so did not know anything about it but decided to take a chance.  It quickly became one of our favorite champagnes.  After we learned a bit about it, we believe that it was mis-priced because we have never found it anywhere near that price since and would immediately buy as much of it as we could if we did.

This is full-throttle champagne.  Full-bodied with lots of heady bread-yeast and white flower.  There are notes of crisp apple and brown-butter nuttiness that are balanced by firm acidity.  The bubbles are very tight throughout the bottle and the constant effervescence makes this a perfect food wine.

This one has steadily climbed in price, and we paid $69.99 a bottle for it recently.  While it is still one of our favorites, the price point is simply too high when you realize the you could be drinking 2 bottles of Schramsberg or Roederer for the same money.  Hopefully we can find some of this on sale in the near future as we do love it and would love to put some back in the cellar.

Cheers!

2008 Wente "Louis Mel" Sauvignon Blanc

The nose on this was quite a turn-off when I first opened this one up.  A lot of asparagus and green leaf dominated.  As it opened up over 15-20 minutes this mostly blew off, and gave way to some overripe melon, light citrus and a hint of pineapple.

The palate followed the nose pretty much hand-in-hand.  There was some acidity on the back of palate but it was not at all pronounced as you might expect.

This one goes into the "we've tried it, but won't buy it again" bucket.  At least it was only $7.99.

Cheers!

2007 Marquis Philips Shiraz

Marquis Philips produces a number of very reasonably priced wines that consistently seem to get really good reviews and tend to be wines that people like to snap up when they are released.  I had previously tasted several previous vintages of the Shiraz, and while I thought that it was a decent effort there was nothing that made it remarkable for me.

Notwithstanding this, I recently picked up a bottle to give it another try.  Unfortunately for me, this one was consistent with the rest.  It is a well made wine, with no major flaws yet it just does not show anything that would make it stand out.  In a blind tasting, I would not give this anything but an average rating.

The fruit is somewhat subdued, showing most red fruit characteristics and just a subtle undertone of some peppercorn spice.  The finish is fairly short and there is not a lot of depth to the wine.

At $11.99 a bottle, I think that there are certainly better ones out there but there are also plenty that are worse.  If you are looking for a moderate, medium-weight red wine that probably would not offend anyone this could be your ticket.

Cheers!

2007 Casa Perini Marselan

Some time back we were invited to an open house for one of the local banks.  They were trying to get Allison's business as she was looking at purchasing her dental practice.  We of course signed up for the drawing of a gift basket, never expecting to win but lo and behold we did.  The basket contained 2 bottles of wine -- this one and a sparkling wine.

We have been very hesitant to open either of these, thinking that they were going to be sweet (based on what was being served at the open house).  Finally a couple of days ago we broke down and popped the cork on this one... and we were very pleasantly surprised!

I had never heard of Marselan, but a quick Google reveals that it is originally a French grape that is a hybrid of Cabernet Sauvignon and Grenache that was first introduced in 1961.  According to the Wikipedia entry for it, it typically produces medium styled wines but there is very little else about it.

We found it to be on the heavier side of medium bodied but it definitely was not as big as I would have suspected based on the pedigree.  Lots of fruit on the nose and early palate but balanced with some cassis, notes of leather and a touch of oak on the finish.  It was a decent bottle of wine, but not one that I think we would drink on a regular basis.

Probably would have been better with some food to go along with it -- maybe a slow cooked roast or perhaps grilled chicken.

Cheers!

2007 Pascal Jolivet Sancerre

Sancerre is the region in the Loire Valley that is know for its crisp white wines made from Sauvignon Blanc.  Unlike a New Zealand sauvignon blanc, Sancerre is generally a more chalky, minerally style of wine that shows more of the white flower notes and much less of the citrus fruit.

Pascal Jolivet  covers roughly 50 acres with vineyards near the villages of Bue, Verdigny and Ste. Gemme.  The grapes are grown in soils that are about 50% limestone, 30% chalky clay and 20% flint and the philosophy at the Domaine is to let the grapes speak for themselves without a lot of manipulation by the winemaking team.

This 2007 was definitely a home run.  The wine was acidic but not zesty.  The nose and palate definitely hit you with the flinty, mineral quality and the palate showed lots of white flower, a good dose of green herbs and just a touch of citrus on the finish.

Delicious by itself, I would also love to pair this up with some simple boiled seafood or perhaps some ceviche.

Cheers!

2004 Trinchero Family Merlot

If you ever saw the movie Sideways, you will remember that one of the main characters (Miles) had an absolute adversion to all things merlot.  To a large part I tend to relate to this, albeit for different reasons.  I just generally do not care for the typical bright, fruit forwardness of the grape particularly domestic ones.

So why is it that not too long ago when picking up some wines I decided to go out on a limb and pick up a bottle of this 2004 Trinchero Family?  Could it have been the clearance price of $6.97 (at Norman's Liquors in Bradenton)?  Most likely that was the main reason.  It could also be that I find we are drinking a lot of the same stuff and want to break that cycle.

I opened this without telling Allison what it was.  It is amazing at how easy it is to convince yourself that you do not like something if you know before hand that it is a grape that you generally do not care for (hey, I include myself in this category!).

We were both wowed by this wine.  First of all it is pretty full-bodied, but without the tannin that you find in cabernet based wines.  It was full of dark cherry fruit, with some light hints of licorice and mulberry.  The finish seemed to linger around the edges of the palate for what seemed like hours, giving subtle notes of chocolate.

I will definitely be looking to see if we can find some more of this next time I stop by.

Cheers!

By the way --- there is a bit of irony in the movie with Miles hating merlot... anybody know what it is?

2010 Forks & Corks

Last week was the 3^rd annual Sarasota-Manatee Originals Forks & Corks wine festival.  This event continues to get better each year.  The event encompassed a good number of wine dinners held at member restaurants as well as including several wine seminars including a blending class lead by Anthony Bell of Bell Wine Cellars.  On Sunday we were fortunate to once again attend the Grand Tastings which was once again held at the Ringling Museum.  Initially the weather was supposed to be cooler and overcast, and while it started out as such in just short order the clouds parted giving way to sunshine and warmer temperatures, which made for a great afternoon of tasting good food and wine.

A large number of the member restaurants once again were on-hand and provided a wide range of delightful samples.  We managed to taste at a good number of their tables.  Without meaning to slight anyone, because everything I tasted was great, there were a couple of items that really stood out for me – the crab cakes from Siesta Key Oyster Bar, the lobster bisque from The Lobster Pot and Ceviche de la Casa from Ceviche (a wonderful cold ceviche of shrimp, scallops, squid and fish marinated in lime juice and tossed with tomatoes, scallions, peppers and cilantro).

The liquid side of the tasting included both beer and wine from around the globe.  I would have loved to taste everything but there were simply too many choices, not enough time and a drive home to think about.  As is my custom at these events, I tried to focus on a couple of things – wines from smaller producers and/or regions that I am less familiar with as well as wines that I have had in previous vintages but maybe have not tasted recently.  While I try and focus on these, I also will find myself tasting other wines as well, particularly those that I know and love.  I also try my best to sip and spit but as the crowd grows it can be difficult to get to the dump bucket (plus the fact that some of the wines I want to enjoy completely!).  I also try and get the pourer to give me just “a splash” so that I am not tempted as much.  Sometimes this works and sometimes it doesn’t.

Unfortunately, it was very difficult to juggle everything I had in my hands – tasting sheet, gift bag, wine glass, plate, pen, etc. – to get really good notes and it was also tough to stand there and try to jot a lot down as people want to get to the table and get their own taste, and unlike a lot of people (hint, hint!) I will generally try to move out of the way so that others can move up.  (I’m off my soapbox now about that).

Here are some the highlights that I did manage to get some notes about:

·         NV Star Tree Nouveau Blanc (South Africa, $9.95) – I do not remember the grape that she said was used to make this but it was very light and refreshing.  Very similar to a Moscato d’Asti but without the effervescence.

·         2006 Baileyana Chardonnay (California, $23.95) – a very nice, balanced chardonnay.

·         2005 & 2006 Dunn Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon (California, 2006 $107.95) – Wow!  Big, full throttle cabernet that had solid, dark fruit and well integrated tannin structure.  Both of these need some time to really come into their own, even though they are pretty fantastic now.

·         2005 Keenan Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve (California, $94.95) – I asked the owner, who was pouring, the difference between this and his regular cabernet that he was also pouring.  His answer was the he puts the juice in a different bottle and charges double!  Of course he was not being serious with this answer… the real answer is that it is very select grapes from limited parcels.  Both showed very well, with dark fruit and balanced structure.

·         2006 St. Clement Oroppas (California, $41.95) – a blend of 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot this was a very nice Bordeaux style blend with lots of cherry fruit, herbs and a hint of chocolate on the finish.

·         2008 The Four Graces Pinot Gris (Oregon, $13.95) – A refreshing white with floral notes and a flinty mineral finish.

The best part of the wine tasting had to be the Bordeaux section.  There were several Chateaus present, each pouring a current (generally 2006) bottle as well as an older bottle (generally 2000) which gave tasters an opportunity to see how aging a wine can change it completely.  Of course you tasted the younger wine first and then the older to get this perspective.  Everybody that I talked to thought that this was a fantastic idea and absolutely loved it.  I was not able to taste all of them but here are the ones that I managed to get to:

·         Chateau Beychevelle (St. Julien) – 2007 and 2006 (although the wine list showed 2000, he said he did not bring any because that was for collecting)

·         Chateau Camensac (Haut-Medoc) – 2006 ($32.95) and 2000 ($54.95) – both very, very good with dark fruit in a bit of a lighter style.  The 2006 seemed at times to be a bit disjointed but probably will meld together nicely with a couple of more years on it.  The 2000 was drinking very well.

·         Chateau Ferriere (Margaux) – 2006 ($44.95) and 2000 ($76.98) – Margaux is my favorite Bordeaux region so I was really excited to taste these.  At this point in the day my note taking was beginning to suffer but here is what I jotted down (and this is verbatim): 2000 “wow!”, 2006 “wow! Young but lots of potential”.  I think that sums these up rather nicely.

Looking back through the tasting sheet I see that there were a lot of wines that I either missed getting some notes on as well as a good number that I just did not get to taste and wish that I had.  What I did taste I generally liked although, as is to be expected, there were some that I just did not care for.

I am already looking forward to next year’s event.

Cheers!