It should come as little surprise that my recent week off from work and a week away from the blogosphere hardly meant a week off from wine. However, in keeping with Brooklynguy’s recession busting advice – brew your own coffee, pack your own lunch – it did mean carting along some wines from the home cellar rather than exploring the downstate wine shops in search of new finds. It also meant a week of much more casual note taking than usual (which is to say none…) so the following quick write-ups are based mainly on raw impressions.
Traisental Grüner Veltliner “Hugo,” Weingut Huber 2007
$10. 12% alcohol. Stelvin. Importer: Boutique Wine Collection, Philadelphia, PA.
Certainly the beachiest of the bunch. Relatively generous yields show through in Hugo’s relative lack of concentration but I challenge you to find another $10 Grüner Veltliner that shows as much quality as this. Crisp, fresh and light, it bursts with flavors on the citrus and grassy side of the GV spectrum. Not at all vinous or serious, just a good, refreshing quaff and a worthwhile alternative for anyone tired of drinking inexpensive Sauvignon.
Longuicher Maximiner Herrenberg Riesling Spätlese, Carl Schmitt-Wagner 2005
$17. 9% alcohol. Cork. Importer: A Terry Theise Selection, Michael Skurnik Wines, Syosset, NY.
It was hard to pass up at the price but this is the second ’05 from Schmitt-Wagner that I’ve been a little under whelmed with in recent months. A soaked through cork hinted at the possibility of poor provenance, which may explain the dulled flavors of the wine. It wasn’t without appeal, showing pleasant, baked apple fruit. But its length was shorter, its acidity softer and its minerality less pronounced than I would have hoped. More than drinkable but less than memorable.
Touraine “Cuvée Gamay,” Clos Roche Blanche 2007
$16.50. 12% alcohol. Neocork. Importer: Louis/Dressner, New York, NY.
After reading rave reviews about this from both Neil and Mike recently, I expected to be wowed. Instead, I was a little let down, a particularly coincidental experience as I’d just defended Clos Roche Blanche in response to Neil’s posting. High expectations are always hard to meet, so I should say that this was far from bad wine. It was just a touch flat, showing hints of the aspartame character I sometimes find in direct, simple Gamay as well as a touch of the plastic flavor I’ve found in some wines – is it just my imagination? – sealed with Neocork/Nomacorc. An off bottle? I’m not sure, but I’d love to see CRB (and other producers) switch to screw caps instead of synthetic stoppers.
Champagne Verzenay Grand Cru Brut, Jean Lallement & Fils NV
$40. 12% alcohol. Cork. Importer: A Terry Theise Selection, Michael Skurnik Wines, Syosset, NY.
Without question, this was the wine of the week. Even though the price has crept up closer to $50 in some markets since I purchased this, it’s still a damn good value in grower Champagne. Creamy, succulent and showing lovely phenolic concentration up front, it finished with a grippy, pithy twist of the tongue, showing fantastic acid backbone, even a suggestion of a little tannin. Flavors of yellow peaches led into fresh raspberries and cream. The finish brought a return to peaches along with red apples – the skins rather than the flesh. Really compelling bubbly.
Chinon “Les Picasses,” Olga Raffault 2002
$20. 12.5% alcohol. Cork. Importer: Louis/Dressner, New York, NY.
We took this and the Lallement to dinner at a Rehoboth restaurant called Nage. My wife summed it up something like this: “That Champagne was delicious. This is… hmmm… hmmm… this is good wine.” The young sommelier, who had never tried Chinon before, found it sour. You know what? They were both right. Leaner and quieter than I expected and, yes, even a little sour on the finish but an excellent food wine. Red currant, black tea, thyme and olive characteristics were carried on a narrow frame. Delicate tannins, high acidity and a little on the austere side, albeit quite supple in feel. This one requires some devotion but is worth the effort.
Showing posts with label Schmitt-Wagner. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Schmitt-Wagner. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Friday, July 18, 2008
A Young Riesling and an Old Cabernet
A few notes from not long ago, when I cooked up a simple dinner of pork chops, roasted potatoes and salad for a co-worker/pal and myself. Just for the heck of it, really, there was no occasion whatsoever. It was late – and a school night – so we didn’t go crazy opening stuff but did end up with a couple of interesting if oddly matched wines.
Longuicher Maximiner Herrenberg Riesling Kabinett, Carl Schmitt-Wagner 2005
Though I don’t do it nearly often enough, I love starting with a Mosel Kabinett as an aperitif. They carry the added benefit of being one of the few wine styles that actually work with, as opposed to begrudgingly sit with, the salad course. At first glance, this was muted, aside from a healthy dose of sulfur on the nose, and seemed poised to disappoint. Luckily, it became more and more interesting with time in the glass. Intensely apply, with ripe gala and golden delicious fruit, cut through by a vein of pungent, slate-laced minerality. Though not as nervy as I tend to like, it had a pleasantly round acid profile, soft yet still uplifting on the finish. Peach nectar and orange oil emerged on the mid-palate. Lovely if slightly simple aperitif-style Kabinett and a surprisingly good value in the increasingly expensive world of German wine. $16.50. 8.5% alcohol. Cork. Importer: A Terry Theise Selection, Michael Skurnik Wines, Syosset, NY.
Santa Cruz Mountains Cabernet Sauvignon "Bates Ranch," Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard 1987
This was my dining buddy’s contribution, a cellar holdover from an earlier era. The label art, which surprisingly hasn’t changed much since 1987, actually makes the Schmitt-Wagner look new school. And the wine was correspondingly old school. Not unlike the Riesling, this started out a little muddy and unfocused, showing possible signs of being a little worse for wear. But like the Riesling, it opened up to reveal some definite interest. Wild red cassis fruit, a little bay leaf and black spice and a spine of rocky earth came to the fore. Tannins were fully resolved with acidity in good balance. On the off chance that you’re holding any of this, it’s definitely time to drink. But it remains a compelling example of hillside Santa Cruz Cabernet and a taunting reminder of times past. Just try to find 12.5% California Cab today…. 95% Cabernet Sauvignon from Bates Ranch and 5% Merlot from Bien Nacido Ranch, all dry farmed. Release price unknown; current vintage is $28 from winery. 12.5% alcohol. Cork.
Update: By freak coincidence, Joe Manekin over at Old World Old School wrote-up a bottle of Santa Cruz Mountains Vineyard 1979 Cabernet on this very day. Check out his post.
Longuicher Maximiner Herrenberg Riesling Kabinett, Carl Schmitt-Wagner 2005
Though I don’t do it nearly often enough, I love starting with a Mosel Kabinett as an aperitif. They carry the added benefit of being one of the few wine styles that actually work with, as opposed to begrudgingly sit with, the salad course. At first glance, this was muted, aside from a healthy dose of sulfur on the nose, and seemed poised to disappoint. Luckily, it became more and more interesting with time in the glass. Intensely apply, with ripe gala and golden delicious fruit, cut through by a vein of pungent, slate-laced minerality. Though not as nervy as I tend to like, it had a pleasantly round acid profile, soft yet still uplifting on the finish. Peach nectar and orange oil emerged on the mid-palate. Lovely if slightly simple aperitif-style Kabinett and a surprisingly good value in the increasingly expensive world of German wine. $16.50. 8.5% alcohol. Cork. Importer: A Terry Theise Selection, Michael Skurnik Wines, Syosset, NY.
Santa Cruz Mountains Cabernet Sauvignon "Bates Ranch," Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard 1987
This was my dining buddy’s contribution, a cellar holdover from an earlier era. The label art, which surprisingly hasn’t changed much since 1987, actually makes the Schmitt-Wagner look new school. And the wine was correspondingly old school. Not unlike the Riesling, this started out a little muddy and unfocused, showing possible signs of being a little worse for wear. But like the Riesling, it opened up to reveal some definite interest. Wild red cassis fruit, a little bay leaf and black spice and a spine of rocky earth came to the fore. Tannins were fully resolved with acidity in good balance. On the off chance that you’re holding any of this, it’s definitely time to drink. But it remains a compelling example of hillside Santa Cruz Cabernet and a taunting reminder of times past. Just try to find 12.5% California Cab today…. 95% Cabernet Sauvignon from Bates Ranch and 5% Merlot from Bien Nacido Ranch, all dry farmed. Release price unknown; current vintage is $28 from winery. 12.5% alcohol. Cork.
Update: By freak coincidence, Joe Manekin over at Old World Old School wrote-up a bottle of Santa Cruz Mountains Vineyard 1979 Cabernet on this very day. Check out his post.
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