Ponzi Pinot Noir 2007

This wine is from the Willamette Valley of Oregon, one of the best regarded Pinot noir regions in the US, and is new to Anthony's wine menu. Apparently this region of Oregon is at the same latitude as the Burgundy region of France, which may account for how well these very difficult grapes grow and the success its winemakers have had.

We have tried quite a few Pinot noirs lately and as always my first comment was 'grapey' or 'fruity'. To which Anthony scoffs. Rightly so, I suppose. I think it is a fairly light bodied wine, which is typical of Pinot noirs, and is fairly smooth, without a lot of spice or bite to it. Perhaps it is the cherry and red currant undertones that I taste. You are also supposed to sense violet and smoked meat and cedar, though I'm not sure that I got all of those. Pleasant but not particularly memorable? This may be more due to my mixed feelings about Pinot noirs in general than the merit of this particular wine.

Still, I did like the wine, and would drink it more often...were it not for the price. ;) Anthony thought highly of it - of course.

Peter Lehmann Barossa Shiraz 2006

This is a marvelous Shiraz from one of the most famous wine makers in Australia. According to their website, the Barossa escaped the scourge of phylloxera, and consequently many of the vineyards remain planted on their own roots, direct descendants of cuttings brought to Australia in the early 1800’s from Hermitage in the Rhone Valley. This makes the Barossa the envy of the wine world.

Butter is the first thing I thought of when I tasted this wine. It seems to have a smooth buttery flavor at the start, but packs quite a punch at the finish. Apparently this is the result of it being 'firm with powdery tannins'. I can't say that I taste the chocolate and dark plum in the wine but it certainly has spice and flavor.

I really enjoyed the wine and would definitely drink it with my husband's fabulous fillet. Yum!

San Polo Mezzopane Sant' Antimo DOC 2004

Anthony finally brought home some wines for us to try. I was excited. And once again he didn't let me down. The first one we tried is a blend of 65% Merlot and 35% Sangiovese and is from Montalcino, which is in the Tuscany region of Italy. It is a dark, earthy wine, which Anthony, and I have found that I, really enjoys. I am definitely finding that I prefer the Old World Wines over the New World Wines and this is a perfect example of that. I can sense the cherry in the bouquet but it is by no means 'fruity' and has a fine, tanniny taste. It has a pleasant, clean finish which doesn't linger in your mouth but does make you want more. I think this might be one of my favorite things about it. I think I could definitely drink this one often - if it wasn't so spendy.

Chateau Cantenac Saint Emilion Grand Cru Bordeaux

I was recently invited to enjoy dinner with the owners of the restaurant Anthony works at. It was fun, casual affair and the owner suggested I pick the wine for dinner. Gasp. I honestly don't feel qualified for picking wines, especially for other people to enjoy with their dinner! So of course, I just punted.

I thought a bordeaux sounded like an interesting one to try, and one I don't believe we've had. I also vaguely remembered that Grand Cru meant something, and so my choice was made. It was a good one. This was a very good, what my amature palate might call full-bodied, red, with what seemed like chocolate flavors and maybe a little spice. It went very well with my chicken and with everyone elses hanger steak.

So I decided to look up what exactly Grand Cru meant. According to fabulous Wikipedia it 'is a regional wine classification that designates a vineyard known for its favorable reputation in producing wine. Although often used to describe grapes, wine or cognac, the term is not technically a classification of wine quality per se, but is intended to indicate the potential of the vineyard or terroir. It is the highest level of classification of AOC wines from Burgundy or Alsace. ' However, it notes that wines from the Saint Emilion region were not included in the standard classification system so Grand Cru in this case means something else. Still a very good wine.

On a side note - I think a little history from the Saint Emilion area is interesting. Saint-Émilion's history goes back to prehistoric times and is a World Heritage site, with fascinating Romanesque churches and ruins stretching all along steep and narrow streets.
The Romans planted vineyards in what was to become Saint-Émilion as early as the 2nd century AD. In the 4th century, the Latin poet Ausonius lauded the fruit of the bountiful vine.
The town was named after the monk Émilion, a travelling confessor, who settled in a hermitage carved into the rock there in the 8th century. It was the monks who followed him that started up the commercial wine production in the area.

David Hickinbotham Paringa Shiraz 2007

This is an interesting Australian red that Anthony brought home to try. It is from a large winery group in Southern Australia that also provides grapes for the famed Penfolds wines. I wasn't sure if I liked this wine at first but it is definitely growing on me. I can taste the slight chocolate and coffee flavors and I like that. The pepper in it is not apparent at first but does show up in the back of your mouth. It is one of those wines that doesn't have a lot of spice but still seems to open up your sinuses. I do agree that it has a long finish, with a very fruity flavor left in your mouth. Overall a drinkable wine, but I'm not sure I'd drink it every day.

Via Vecchia Winery

I'm seething with jealousy right now. As I write this, Anthony is visiting Via Vecchia Winery in Powell, Ohio. This winery boasts that it produces wine the 'old way'. They don't add any chemicals, any lab-created yeasts or sugars, colorings, enzymes, preservatives and only minimal sulfites. They say for filtration of the wine, they rely on sedimentation and the Moon! :) Interesting, huh?! They offer 4 red wines and I am really excited to try them. Hopefully he'll be decent enough to at least bring some back!
This is their website. They also have a blog called We Stomp which would lead one to wonder - do they actually stomp?? Because that would be so cool to see! And even more awesome to participate in! Looks like a very interesting little operation and one I'm hoping to get a chance to see for myself sometime soon!

Bodegas Montecillo Reserva Rioja 2000

We went to Anthony's restaurant for dinner for our anniversary and he pulled out a bottle of this Rioja from his reserve stash. It was really good. I think we've had it before but I guess I've never written about it.

Bodegas Montecillo is apparently one of the oldest wineries in Rioja, Spain. This Rioja is made from carefully selected Tempranillo grapes and then aged at least 3 years. At least half of that time is in French oak barrels. This is a very full-bodied, round wine that went really well with my Peppered Filet with Sun-Dried Tomato Demi and Anthony's Roasted Peking Duck.

Apologies

Well, I certainly have not done the best job of keeping my New Year's resolution and maintaining this blog. We have continued to enjoy a number of wonderful wine however I have not taken notes as fast as we have finished the bottles. So I thought I would list some of them and encourage people to try them. They have all been wonderful, though in different ways.

Fattoria Montellori Chianti 2006. And Italian red wine from Tuscany.

Echelon Pinot Noir Vin de Pays D'Ocs 2006. A red wine from France, Vin de Pays means 'country wine' and is classified just above table wine. Echelon imports, blends and bottles this wine in California.

Fuedo Arancio Stemmari Pinot Noir Sicilia 2007. Sicilian red wine produced on 1,500 acres on the southern coast of Sicily. A full-bodied peppery red with hints of strawberries and wood.

Col Solare 2005. Col Solare is a collaboration between Washington's Chateau Ste. Michelle and Italy's famed winemaker, Marchese Piero Antinori. It is a mixture of New World and Old World. I liked this one because I could taste a bit of the chocolate or cocoa in it. It is a mixture of 71% Cbernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot and 4% Cabernet Franc.

Finally, Bodegas Vinedos de Aldeanueva Cortijo Tinto 2007. This is what I'm drinking now. It is 80% Tempranillo and 20% Garnacha and is from around the town of Hormilla, Spain.

Merlot Taste Test

So the other night Anthony brought home a couple of Merlot's and made me play 'Pick the Chef's pick'. His wine rep had dropped off these two wines and Anthony was picking one to put on the menu. I was to guess which one.

The first one is a Washington Hills Merlot 2007. I think this wine is not a true Merlot, but rather 76% Merlot and the rest Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc grapes. This combination makes for a very smooth, almost light-bodied red, with very little bite or spice. Anthony thought it was interesting because it had the legs of a medium-bodied wine but feels like a light-bodied when you get in in your mouth. I would call it the Merlot for people who don't necessarily like Merlot. Very drinkable. When I saw that it was a screw-top bottle I suggested that this may be the one he didn't pick, to which he said 'oh, I don't care about that'. Sigh. On to the other wine.

The second wine is Lockwood Vineyards 2005 Merlot. This one is a true Merlot and it is amazing how different it is from the first one. As opposed to the other wine, this Merlot seems to be lighter-bodied in the glass but more fulfilling in the mouth. It definitely presents the characteristic spice that you look for in a Merlot and bouquet smells wonderful and complex. The interesting thing about this winery is that they say they grow their own grapes and only use those grapes to create their wines. This is, of course, the wine he chose to put on the menu. He says it will go really well with the lamb on his menu.

He also gave me his copy of 'Great Wine Made Simple' by Andrea Immer which I have begun reading. Look forward to more educated and informative posts in the future! Haha.

Mas Carlot Marsanne-Roussanne Cuvee Tradition 2003

This is a white wine that Anthony got along with a box of 2005 vintage. It is bottled in a 'red' wine bottle and has a nice yellow straw color. It is 60% marsanne and 40% roussanne French grapes, a common pairing. I spent some time just trying to smell the bouquet of the wine as I didn't really think it showed up very much - Anthony said 'of course it does'. :) It has a smooth minerally but not too acidic flavor. Anthony thinks of wet grass and maybe peach or honey. I am still in search of a white that would bring me back to whites and this one doesn't do that, though it is passable. It apparently retails for around $34, although it looks like it's a difficult wine to get a hold of.
On a side note, Anthony very helpfully pointed out that if I inhale at the same time that I am taking a sip of the wine, I can get a different, perhaps more complete taste of the bouquet. When I tried this, I found that the wine tasted completely different - much smoother. Anyway, I thought that was interesting. Basic, I know, but I'm interested and excited to try new things. :)

Chateau La Pierre Levee Cotes de Castillon 2005

This is apparently a fairly popular wine and vintage as I've found it noted on quite a few food and wine blogs already. I can definitely see why. This is a Bordeaux so I was excited to try it. It is a mixture of Merlot and Cabernet Franc, the top two grapes grown in the Cotes de Castillon area of Bordeaux. It is a smooth, tannony but not too acidic. I felt that I could definitely taste the fruit flavors - like cherry and maybe plum. It had an oaky taste to me and a medium-bodied feel. I really enjoyed the bottle and found myself finishing it off in one seating rather than dragging it out as I often find I do. For around $15 a bottle, it is a steal, in my opinion. If you can find it.

Bottle Shock

I am very ashamed at how long it has taken me to add a post to this blog. We have tried so many wonderful wines over the last couple of months and even attended a super fun wine tasting, so there has been no shortage of things to write about. There is no excuse. I pledge to try to be better.

I must rave about a great wine movie we saw recently. Bottle Shock is about a wine shop owner who in 1976 decided have a blind tasting competition in France to see if the new California wines could compete with the French. It is a really good movie and I recommend it to anyone who loves wine. Occasionally the owners of the inn Anthony works for will give him a bottle of wine for a gift. We were excited to note that one of the wines we were given is from the winery that won the competition. Stag's Leap Wine Cellars won for their 1973 Cabernet Sauvignon. Anthony hasn't let us open our bottle yet. Rent it! It's a good movie!

This is the wine aerator that my parents gave Anthony for Christmas and he loves it! 'When wine is poured in the vinturi, its design creates an increase in the wine's velocity and a decrease in its pressure. This pressure difference draws in air, which is mixed with wine for perfect aeration.' I would suggest it for anyone who drinks a fair amount of wine and appreciates a good glass. It even comes with a little stand and a bag to carry it in. My dad has one too. You like yours, right Dad? :)