Incredible Disznoko Video

December 22nd, 2011

This French wine site’s videos are incredibly well done.  Even if you don’t speak French, there are spectacular images here of the Disznoko vineyards and winery.  And if you do speak French, Laszlo (both the winemaker and manager at the estate) gives wonderful insight into the history of the region, and what makes Disznoko – a single, contiguous site classified “Grand Cru” in 1772 – such a special estate.

A few highlights:

  • Laszlo notes that harvesting grapes for Tokaji is likely the single most labor-intensive harvest for any wine in the world
  • They take free run Eszencia from tank in the vineyard, pretty amazing to see
  • Near the end, you see the interior of the spectacular winery and cellars

Click on the image below to go to the site and see the video.

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Christian Seely’s Holiday Wine

December 21st, 2011

Winophilia asks of a number of producers, “What splurge wine (i.e., expensive, rare or just plain outstanding) are you looking forward to opening for the holidays, and what do you plan to serve with it?”  Christian Seely paints a wonderful picture:

Christian Seely, Quinta do Noval and Château Pichon-Baron (Portugal and France). I am not very good at planning the opening of bottles, and very dangerously we have a cellar underneath our house, so as the party develops trips downs the little stone staircase can become frequent, and any thought of deferring pleasure to a later date seems less and less sensible. So I usually don’t know in advance what we will open. But I do have a bottle of the Quinta do Noval Nacional 94 downstairs, and I think we will certainly open that on Christmas Day. I usually just allow vintage port to circulate round the table after lunch to anyone with the strength to carry on, and the only things I eat with it are a few walnuts—and if the children have disappeared into electronic heaven somewhere else I will smoke a cigar. This is Europe so it will be a Havana, probably a Hoyo Epicure No. 2. We have a fireplace in the dining room so I can smoke my cigar and throw walnut shells into the fire as the Nacional goes round the table, safe in the knowledge that it will come back to me: the decanter has a round bottom. Simple pleasures.

You can see the full piece here: http://www.winophilia.com/2011/12/15/special-wines-for-the-holidays/#more-4166

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Lucien Le Moine Puligny-Montrachet Folatieres at EWS

December 19th, 2011

About a month ago Executive Wine Seminars held a blind tasting of 2008 white Burgundies, and they have just posted the results on the Wine Advocate site.   They note that all 14 wines showed well, and we list the ratings they note just below, including the #2 wine, Lucien Le Moine Puligny-Montrachet Les Folatieres.  A great showing amongst some of the best white producers in Burgundy, as well as several Grand Crus.  For full notes, subscription to erobertparker.com is required.

Click on the chart below to download and look at the full results.


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Noval Cup in The PDT Cocktail Book

December 14th, 2011

November 1 was the official launch of Jim Meehan’s The PDT Cocktail Book, which features the Noval Cup cocktail he created with Noval BLACK.  Congratulations to Jim, first for finishing the book, and second for the monster reviews he’s getting.  See the reviews below, as well as the Noval Cup cocktail as featured in the book.

“I’d peg this as the gift book of the season for the serious cocktail fan: It’s extravagantly illustrated by artist Chris Gall, beautifully designed, fun to browse and possessed of a satisfying heft. And there are some 300 drink recipes, many extraordinary, to adapt as your own classic and new-classic cocktails.” –The Wall Street Journal

“Cocktails are evolving and becoming more culinary and with that evolution more skill is required from the craftsmen and women who make them. Jim Meehan of PDT is busily mapping the DNA of cutting edge cocktails and I am delighted he has decided to publish his delicious findings. The PDT Cocktail Book is a marvelous, classically illustrated book that I believe to be the book of the decade if not more.” –Dale DeGroff, master mixologist and founding president of The Museum of the American Cocktail

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More on disgorgement from Bruno Paillard

December 12th, 2011

A few weekends ago there was a big piece on disgorgement in the Financial Times’ “How to Spend It”.  Bruno Paillard is described as “disgorgement kingpin” and, as you might imagine, has a few words to say – he’s extraordinarily passionate about the subject and feels consumers should know where their Champagnes are in their evolution.  He also clearly believes that his high quality wines manage extended ageing beautifully.

Recently in Champagne, Bruno showed us a Brut that was disgorged 12 years previously, one that was disgorged 6 years previously, and our current disgorgement.  A completely eye-opening tasting, his Brut is simply outstanding, capable of standing next to the more “serious” cuvees of many other producers.

The whole piece can be found here:

http://www.howtospendit.com/#!/articles/6027-feature-popping-the-question

The site can be a little fussy, so we’ve also stored the pdf here.

While we were in Champagne we did some vineyard videos, and below you see a little video of Alice Paillard showing us a vineyard they just planted in Le Mesnil sur Oger.  The farming the Paillards does is rigorous, based on working soils to encourage biodiversity, and protecting the vines from any herbicides (or pesticides). The Paillard’s vines very clearly stand out from neighboring vines because of more rigorous training and the fact they let grasses grow between all their rows at this time of year.

 

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Hospices de Beaune 2011

December 12th, 2011

The Hospices de Beaune is a wonderful event for a wonderful cause – you can read the background here on the auction and the Hospices itself.  Mounir Saouma, owner/oenologist of Lucien Le Moine, has become one of the largest buyers at the Hospices the last several years, as he uses it as an opportunity to bring his importers and friends together and celebrate and promote all the wonderful things about Burgundy.  Below you can see a few videos, of the Hospices itself, the tasting in the Hospices cellars, and finally a picture of the auction.

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Telmo Rodriguez Gago 2007 – WS Top 100

December 12th, 2011

Telmo Rodriguez’ Gago 2007 was selected as one of the Wine Spectator’s Top 100 Wines of 2011, a wonderful recognition.  As with all of Telmo’s wines, Gago is a unique and individual wine – Telmo was one of the first to rediscover vineyards of decades-old, bush-trained vineyards in Toro, and works specifically in the coolest southerly area of the region.  The distinctive red soils produce a Tinto de Toro (the local clone of Tempranillo) with tremendous fruit concentration, ripeness, and structure  The key is to conserve acidity and freshness, both through site selection and vinification.  Fermentation takes place in large cement casks, and ageing in a combination of foudres and smaller barrels.

The official Wine Spectator review is as follows:

Sleek and firm, this red delivers a firm core of cherry and berry flavors, with accents of smoke, cocoa, mineral and herb. More dense than broad, with lively underlying acidity. Drink now through 2018. 91 Points


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Chateau Boutisse 2008 – Best Bordeaux over $16 (£10)

December 9th, 2011

Chateau Boutisse 2008 was rated the #1 Red Bordeaux above $16 in the Decanter World Wine Awards – ahead of wines like Branaire Ducru 2008, Phelan Segur 2008,  Cambon La Pelouse 2008, Greysac and other wines, many well known and more expensive.  Very impressive, and attention-getting.

The piece below talks about how quality distinctly improved since Xavier Milhade and his son, Marc, have made important investments in the vineyard and their cellars.  A wonderful acknowledgement of the superb quality at this estate.

 

 

 

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Bruce Sanderson Visits Sandrone

December 6th, 2011

Wine Spectator Editor Bruce Sanderson recently got back from a three-day trip to Barolo, where he visited Sandrone and a few other select Barolo producers. Here is an excerpt about the visit from his blog on Wine Spectator.com:

“Le Vigne 2008, in bottle now for 10 months, offers cherry and herb aromas and flavors supported by a firm structure. Cannubi Boschis 2008 is perfumed, with floral and strawberry notes, in an elegant, racy, linear style. The ’08s are lighter in profile than either 2009 or 2007, with present tannins and a vibrant feel.

At lunch, we tasted the 2007s and two older vintages, Cannubi Boschis 2001 and Le Vigne 1999. The 2007s are rich, with Le Vigne offering fruity aromas, licorice and mineral flavors wrapped in firm tannins. Cannubi Boschis is elegant, perfumed and spicy, showing finesse and fine length.

Cannubi Boschis 2001 features cherry, raspberry, spice and rose elements matched to a sweet, rich palate. Almost exotic in its fruit character, it delivers excellent balance and a long finish. The Le Vigne 1999 is more reserved on the nose. It’s elegant—a spicy, direct, linear red, complex, subtle and long.

Le Vigne is the more masculine and structured of the two Barolos, Cannubi always seductive and charming.”

Read the full article here (subscription required).

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Chateau Montelena Winery: A California Icon

December 6th, 2011

On November 21, 2011, Wine Peeps posted a blog on Chateau Montelena’s historic performance at the 1976 Judgement of Paris and the winery’s growth since then.  Wine Peeps also comments on Chateau Montelena’s 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon and the “excellent and indicative” quality of wines they continue to produce.  Take a look at the blog below:

“Chateau Montelena Winery, located in the Calistoga District in California’s Napa Valley, propelled onto the world stage during the famous 1976 Judgment of Paris. At the competition in Paris, four white Burgundies were tasted against six California Chardonnays. The French judges awarded the top honor to Chateau Montelena’s 1973 Chardonnay. It was a remarkable triumph and showed the world that California wines had come of age. The story of the competition was depicted in the 2008 film Bottle Shock, some of which was filmed at Chateau Montelena.

Founded in 1882 by Alfred Tubbs, Chateau Montelena was non-operational from the early 1900’s until 1972 when Jim Barrett purchased it. Barrett restored most of the original vineyards and completely refurbished the winery. At the time of the purchase, Jim’s son, Bo, had just graduated from high school. He has been involved ever since and was named winemaker in 1982. Today, his official title is Master Winemaker. Cameron Parry joined the winemaking team at Chateau Montelena in 2004 and was named winemaker in 2008. Cam now manages all of the winemaking operations under Bo’s direction. Chateau Montelena produces 35,000 cases annually.

Recently, we had the opportunity to taste the current release of their 2008 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon in a blind samples tasting. It is excellent and indicative of the quality wines that Chateau Montelena continues to produce.

2008 Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley, California): 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, and 2% Cabernet Franc. Deep red in color. Nice nose with blackcurrant and oak aromas. Blackcurrant, black cherry, oak, and leather come through on the palate. Full-bodied with lively acidity and medium to high, chewy tannins. Well-balanced with a long finish.
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)”

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