Meandering

A Lesson on Chianti

mhattrup — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 01:53:54 +0000

Here’s a quick rundown on Chianti. Chianti isn’t actually a grape. It’s a region and type of wine, a lot like Champagne. These days, in order for a wine from the region to call itself chianti, it has to be made from at least 80% sangiovese grapes. The typical aging is 4-7 months. For riserva, this aging period extends to 38 months. There are further requirements to be called a superiore. The cheap stuff makes for great table wine. With Italian food, I’ve found chianti to always be a solid choice. Pop a bottle and check it out yourself.

Jordan Russian River Valley Chardonnay

mhattrup — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 02:48:21 +0000

It seems I can’t escape the Russian River Valley lately. I may have a small problem drinking a chardonnay that comes from another appellation, but that’s okay. In my opinion, it’s a terrific experience to taste your way through a region and discover the subtle and sometimes significant variations between wineries.

The family and I enjoyed a bottle of 2007 Jordan Chardonnay with dinner on Sunday. It was a bit of a celebration as it was our final dinner together after a long weekend reunion. Dinner consisted of bacon wrapped scallops with American caviar to start, seafood fettuccine with crab, shrimp and lobster and roasted chicken quarters. The creaminess of the wine was an excellent accompaniment to a meal full of rich flavors and textures.

I just read through the winery’s description and couldn’t agree more with their claim of, “delicious balance of rich, aromatic fruit and crisp acidity.” The wine was listed at $60 at the restaurant. Compared with a $35 retail, it was quite a steal.

I’ve enjoyed a couple bottles from Jordan in the past and will certainly be enjoying more in the future.

Clos Du Bois Russian River Valley Chardonnay

mhattrup — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 04:12:20 +0000

Terrific juice out of Sonoma County. Russian River Valley is renowned for it’s chardonnay. Buttery. Some oak. Great experience.

Coppola Diamond Merlot

mhattrup — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 21:43:08 +0000

Merlot is an often overlooked variety. Some say this is largely due to the movie Sideways in which Paul Giamatti’s character exclames, “I am not drinking merlot.” I’m not so sure that is the cause. In my opinion, cabernet is hands down the king of reds in the US and pinot noir is really hot right now. The popularity of these two varieties has more to do with the struggle to sell merlot than Sideways.

Regardless of the cause, folks should give merlot a look, particularly Coppola’s Diamond Merlot. Don’t worry too much about the Coppola name on the bottle. You’re not just paying for a Hollywood vanity brand. The juice is good. I’ve had this bottle from several vintages now and always enjoy it. It’s easy drinking with jammy, dark fruit flavors and a nice mouthfeel. Great value for the price. Check it out.

Casal Garcia Vinho Verde

mhattrup — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 02:32:17 +0000

Great on a hot summer day. Shared this bottle while sitting by the pool. Very light and crisp. Certainly something that is a bit left of center for my palette. I typically like my wines with more body, but on a hot day like today, this hit the spot.

Most popular varieties.

mhattrup — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 03:51:23 +0000

According to scan data, chardonnay is hands down the winner.

Hess Winery

mhattrup — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 22:50:38 +0000

Had the opportunity to meet with the folks from Hess today, including their winemaker Randall Johnson. Very interesting to hear what they’re doing in Argentina. They’ve decided to forgo property in the popular Mendoza region and instead focus on the Northwest corner of the country closer to Salta.

I get the impression from Johnson that they’ve chosen this location for the sheer challenge of making wine there. According to him, a couple of their properties aren’t even on an electric grid and lack paved roads. One of their wines is appropriately titled, “Amalaya,” which translates to, “hoping for a miracle.” In addition to Amalaya, they also have Colome. After tasting the wines, I’m sure they’re on track to make juice that lives up to the Hess heritage.

Tasted through the entire Hess Collection, including the Hess Collection 19 Block Cuvee and Hess Collection Cabernet both from Mount Veeder and their Sequana Sarmento Vineyard Pinot Noir from the Santa Lucia Highlands in Monterey and the Sequana Dutton Ranch Pinot Noir from the Green Valley of the Russian River. All four were outstanding. My favorite was the Dutton Ranch Pinot Noir. The 2008 vintage that I tasted was just awarded a 91 from Wine Spectator. It’s made from all Dijon clones and showed really well. At $40, it’s a great value as well.

Paris 1976

mhattrup — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 01:44:51 +0000

This was the tasting that established California as a premier wine region. It was set up by an Englishman who scouted California vineyards and put the best of the area against the best of France. In both the white and red, California wines took first place among all French judges. Stag’s Leap won with their Cabernet and Chateau Montelena took first with their Chardonnay. Until this time, the opinion of Northern California was that it was a backwoods wine experiment, but not a place that could produce outstanding wines. Obviously, the region has done nothing but explode since that time.

Genesis Syrah

mhattrup — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 02:38:17 +0000

Genesis is an imprint of Hogue. This Syrah comes from the Columbia Valley in Washington. Had it with Thai food. May have been a poor accompaniment for the wine. The curry had a bit too much heat which battled with the wine making everything taste hot. A wine with a touch of spice would have been a better selection.

Fortunately, I had a glass prior to the meal and it was quite delicious. The label lists its flavors as currants and strawberries with some cinnamon toast and cherry. The currant and strawberry is spot on. I really dig the cinnamon toast flavor. Not so much because I can actually taste it. More because it’s listed at all. Curious to know if that came from the winemaker or the marketing department. Either way, it’s certainly a wine flavor that I’ll be storing away to drop at a future cocktail party.

Picking Out Champagne

mhattrup — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 22:27:00 +0000

Extra Dry is sweeter than Brut. Champagne only comes from the champagne region of France. It’s not the name of any grape variety. Champagne is the blend of several grapes.