Crowded House Sauvignon Blanc 2016, Marlboro, NZ

Marlborough, a region in New Zealand known for its pitch perfect Sauvignon Blancs, has done it again. This is a softer and rounder vintage compared to recent years because of a warm and dry summer. And because the grapes were sourced from various spots in the region it allowed for a wider range of flavors and aromas. The fruit was fermented in stainless steel tanks and further texture was added by extended lees aging.

Aromas range from a mild tangerine citrus to ripe summer fruits and flavors showing clear resins, hinting guava notes against an herbaceous backdrop. Clean acidity and a freshness that is clearly indicative of the region and a long smooth finish make this a great value at about $13.

Loveblock Pinot Noir 2013, Central Otago, New Zealand

Produced in New Zealand's Central Otago, a terroir perfectly adapted for a Pinot Noir, Loveblock is surely a special red wine with a delicate but intense signature.

The grapes were cooled for a pre-fermentation cold soak of five days, then warmed and innoculated. Hand plunged twice each day and pressed at dryness, the grapes then underwent fermentation.
Aged 11 months in older oak to retain the pure intensity of the fruit.

Aromas of violets and glycerine touched by herbal infused dark fruits, wafting delicious ripe plums and hickory smoked bacon. On the palate are wonderful fresh strawberries counterpointing mushrooms and black pepper and deep earthy tannins. Fine balance of acidity and tannins with a 13.5% alcohol content and a $37 SRP.

Kumeu River Estate Chardonnay 2009

Kumeu River Estate was established in 1944 in Kumeu on the North Island of New Zealand by the Brajkovich family. Indigenous yeast is used, grapes are hand harvested with a low yield to keep concentration of flavor and aromas high. Aging is done in oak barrels with extended aging on the lees.

In the glass clear straw colors, aromas of hay, citrus, floral, oak, green bark, while on the palate lots of fruit from grapefruit to peach and pear, crisp acidity, dry and dusty with a fine minerality and long finish. SRP is $25.90.

Amisfield Pinot Gris 2011

From Central Otago, New Zealand, this Pinot Gris shows clean pale straw colors in the glass with a mild freshness sweetened by scents of honeysuckle contrasting a bit of oak. Bright acidity displaying super fresh, rich mouthfuls of apple, pear and pineapple. Also hints of stone fruits with a touch of spice. Very good finish.

Mud House Riesling The Mound Vineyard 2011

This single vineyard Riesling from New Zealand's Waipara Valley shows pale straw colors in the glass with crisp citrus and mineral aromatics, elderberry floral notes, stone fruit, pear, and honey, while the palate displays powdered sugar, sweet lemon, lime rind, and candied fruit. Overall a very attractive Riesling with juicy acidity, complex and with a good long finish.

Eureka! Central Otago/New Zealand Wines Strike Gold!

Recently, I had the delicious opportunity to experience wines from New Zealand's Central Otago, which is the world's southernmost wine region.  This area's climate and geography is similar to that of Burgundy and Willamette Valley, and one of its sub-regions, Bannockburn, was a gold mining town in the 1860's. It's an area of extremes, boasting the highest and lowest temperatures nationally, as well the highest light intensity of the country, with 95% percent of its wineries part of the New Zealand Sustainable System. That's enough to entice me, so without further ado, here are some of my wine notes:

Mt. Difficulty Pinot Noir Single Vineyard Pipeclay Terrace 2010 $95
Opaque deep rose colors, violet on the nose with complex but subtle hints of stone, roasted vanilla beans and caramel. On the palate delicious ribbons of cola, ripe cherry, strawberry and spice. This vineyard and winery is certified sustainable. Unfiltered and unrefined, this was my hands down favorite.

Felton Road Bannockburn 2010
Vegetal, strawberry, red fruits, raspberry, spicy bing cherry.

Felton Road Pinot Noir Cornish Point 2009 $55
Attractive aromas, metallic mineral, vanilla, yummy cherry and strawberry.

Felton Road Pinot Noir 2010 $40
Caramel aromas with fresh red berry flavors, mild tannins and long finish.

Amisfield Pinot Noir 2009 $40
Alluringly funky on the nose with barnyard and underbrush contrasting violet, glycerine and wood, beautifully balanced against blue fruits and vanilla. Excellent long finish. This one was outstanding, especially for the price.

Amisfield Pinot Noir 2010 $37.95
Dark and brooding, also funk, horsey but again beautifully balanced. Very attractive floral aromas, with vanilla, barnyard and plum. White pepper and spice on the palate, slightly high alcohol content, ripe tannins and good finish. This vineyard and winery is certified sustainable. Aging: One year in French oak and another in bottle.

Felton Road Chardonnay 2011
Beautiful! Fresh, mineral, quenching, kiwi and green apple. Tastes more like a Sauvignon blanc than a Chardonnay. 

 
The dinner/tasting took place at the fantastic Aureole New York at 135 West 42nd Street. A wonderful evening, highlighted by wines that prove there might still be some gold in those New Zealand hills!

Appetizer
Wagyu Beef Carpaccio
Crispy Shitake, Sacallion, Taro Root, Ponzu, Lavash Cracker

Main Course
Roasted Scottish Salmon 
Sweet Potato, Black Trumpet Mushroom, Apple Nage

Monkey Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2009 New Zealand

From Marlborough, New Zealand, a terroir known for amazing Sauvignon Blanc grapes comes Monkey Bay. With pale straw colors, clear and bright, attractive aromas of grapefruit, grass and pineapple, giving way on the palate to bitter pineapple with hints of melon, citrus and lychee. Bright and refreshing with a nice finish which paired nicely with a garlic and parsley poached red snapper (using some of the wine in the poaching liquid) with a side of pasta with fresh pesto sauce.

Clifford Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2011 Marlborough New Zealand

Clear and bright golden colors with aromas of lemon drops, grapefruit and pineapple with a crisp acidity and mild minerality. Finish leaves flavors of lime zest and totally refreshing. Nice deal for $8.

Mohua Sauvignon Blanc 2010 New Zealand

Marlborough, NZ does some nice things with Sauvignon Blancs and here's proof at a good price. Super fresh and crisp with waves of lemon drops and tropical fruits, pineapple, and guava, with grapefruit rind and summer fruits on the palate. SRP around $11.

Mohua Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough 2010 - Pretty, with floral overtones, delivering lemon curd, dried mango and pineapple punches of flavor. Appealing for its smooth texture and crisp acidity. Drink now. 41,000 cases imported. -MW, Wine Spectator, Score: 88

More Wines for Thanksgiving

I'd like to thank Kristen and her good friends for helping me taste this flight of wine picks for Thanksgiving. The wines were from California, Italy, France and New Zealand. (Also thank you to Kristen for photo above.)

Chateau Julien Gewurztraminer 2010 Carmel Valley, California
Light golden colors, clean citrus notes of grapefruit, flowers, honey and jolly rancher green apple, the mild and simple palate shows spice and nice acidity. Gewurztraminer is versatile and will pair well with Turkey dinner, especially if your stuffing is spicy, also may be used before dinner with cheese or after dinner with dessert.

Winemaker notes:
Cold fermented using Steinberger Yeast, known for its slow fermentation, allows the winemaker the ability to maintain natural varietal flavor and a slight residual sugar. While semi-dry in flavor, this wines slightly higher acidity balances the residual sugar for a refreshing, lighter style of wine.

Rasciatano Rose, Puglia Italy
Made with 100% Montepulciano grapes pressed softly then fermented partly in stainless steel vats at a temperature of 13-15° (C) and partly in second and third passage barriques, followed by aging in stainless steel vats for 4-6 months and 4 months in bottle. Rose petal colors, aromas of sour cherry, and peach, on the palate dry, slightly metallic with good acidity.

Dino Torti Forza Inter Pino Nero Oltrepo Pavese 2008 Italy
Also soft pressed, complex aromas of almonds, fruits and flowers, flavors of nutty, apple and pear, dry but satisfying.

Maison Louis Jadot Beaujolais-Villages, 2009 France
The grapes (Gamay) are gently crushed, an extended maceration of 12-20 days gets you the extraction of color and tannins, then aged in French oak for 8 to 10 months. On the nose notes of tar and forest floor, fruit forward on the palate of black sour cherry, pepper, an attractive minerality and holiday spice, good finish. Great deal at $10.

Te Muna Road Vineyard Craggy Range Pinot Noir, 2009, New Zealand
From the region of Martinborough, 100% Pinot Noir grapes are fermented in open-top tanks followed by aging in 33% new French oak barriques for 10 months. Rose red, medium weight but at the same time velvety, tree bark, smoky earth and violets, dry but sweet, beautiful balancing act, plums. Nice long layered finish. SRP $40. A majority of the tasters really enjoyed this one.

St. Francis Winery Sonoma County Old Vines Zinfandel, 2008 California
The average age of the vines here are 80-100 years old, and actually is 89% Zin, and the rest a blend of Alicante Bouschet, Mourverdre, Carignane, Syrah and Petite Sirah. The grapes are fermented then aged in new American oak for 12-15 months. Complex, underbrush, cigar box, cherry vanilla, raspberry, plums, pepper and spice. For the price ($17) very nice.

Luccarelli Pazzia Primitivo di Manduria Old Vines 2007 Puglia, Italy
Deep rich purple ruby colors show such an opacity as to preview what's to come, namely rich cherries with prunes and spices on top of vanilla and chocolate nuances. Very fruit forward but with an Italian flair. Beautiful. $40.

Arnaldo Caprai Sagrantino di Montefalco 25 Anni 2005 DOCG Montefalco Italy
Made with the best grapes of 100% Sagrantino, aged 2 years in French Oak Barrique and a minimum of 6 months in bottle. What is immediately apparent is the very deep dark opaque colors, with strong and vibrant vanilla concentrates on the nose, laid over violets, earth and spices. Flavors of ripe fruit woven with spices and vanilla, great aging potential.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!!!!!!

Wines of Cloudy Bay, Marlborough New Zealand

Marlborough, New Zealand's South Island seems to have a handle on Sauvignon Blanc. I recently had a chance to sample a few along with a Chardonnay, Riesling and a Pinot Noir. Cloudy Bay’s thoroughly engaging winemaker Sarah Burton was our guide at an outdoor dinner featuring their wares at The Elizabeth Street Gallery, an outdoor antique garden in New York City’s Nolita, with beautifully matching cuisine by Silkstone.

Sarah is one of three winemakers at Cloudy Bay (teamed with Tim Heath and Nick Lane) in Blenheim, Marlborough, New Zealand. “No traffic lights, no people and 1 coffee shop.” She’s been at Cloudy bay for 2 years and it’s just celebrated it’s 25th year anniversary. They’ve come a long way and their focus is on Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir. “Marlborough is a family region, where animals are important, people are close knit.” Their wines are about science and art but especially about people.

2011 Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc
This one is close to her heart, she and her team spent hours of fine tuning, they take it seriously, and they’re proud of it. I especially loved this one. Sarah says, “It reminds me of Christmas, with a vibrancy, fresh fruit, texture, herbs, capsicum, grapefruit, a palate that’s smooth, creamy, with a crisp finish. We slipped in a 2% controlled barrel fermentation which adds fleshiness, aged it 4 months in old barrels with some barrels from as far back as 1986 so they’re neutral, with no oak influences and more aeration than influence from the barrel. The point is to get flavors from the grape directly into the bottle. It’s all about climate... it’s the cool nights that give fresh vibrancy and acidity that make it special.”

Te Koko Sauvignon Blanc 2006
From the same vineyards as above, left to ripen a bit longer, they press the grapes but play around with the solids and the juice to give more texture and weight later on, then it’s 100% barrel fermented with 10% new oak and 90% really old (neutral) French oak. Complex, showing individual personality, and as this wine opens, the changes are apparent and amazing. Savory, with orange blossom characters, some citrus notes, but more nuttiness, creaminess from the barrel fermentation. The fermentation takes place using only wild yeast, followed by a partial malolactic fermentation, left in barrel for 18 months, then another 18 months in bottle. 2 words: Minerality & Texture!

Cloudy Bay Pinot Noir 2009
The next big varietal coming out of Marlborough is Pinot Noir. Early on in NZ these grapes traditionally were planted on the plains and now planted on slopes which improved quality of fruits. Pinot Noir is gently handled, hand picked, then fermented for 2 weeks with natural yeasts, the use of “whole bunch” makes spicy green characters from the stems. 2 more weeks on skins impart more color and tannins, press off to 40% new oak barrel and 60% 2-3 year old oak, all French, and aged for 8-10 months, Complex, fruity, raspberry, strawberry, funk, spicy, chocolate, expressive, smooth, soft, supple tannins with minerality. I also get hints of white pepper, aromas of red licorice, a good long finish, and a clean earthiness.

Craggy Range Merlot Gimblett Gravels Vineyard 2004

From New Zealand, this Bordeaux blend of 87% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3% Malbec is fermented in stainless steel and aged in oak for 17 months. Ruby red in color, with aromas of stone fruits, dark chocolate, blackberries and oak, with flavors of glycerine, sour berries and a fine finish.

The Drylands Dry Riesling 2006 Marlborough New Zealand

This perky and fresh white wine from Marlborough, New Zealand starts with full aromas of honey along with a mild minerality, following up with sparky flavors of citrus. Then there are waves of grapefruit, golden raisins, a very nice acidity and a lemony finish. 13% alcohol and a screw top.

Il Poeta Ristorante

Sunday night, our favorite night out for dinner, we spent at the newly opened Il Poeta Ristorante on Metropolitan Avenue in Forest Hills, New York. A family owned spot with northern Italian cuisine and a crack staff that knows their stuff. In the front of house is Luca, who makes you feel right at home and in the kitchen is Chef Mario DiChiara, formerly from Harry's Bar (owned by cipriani in Venice, Italy), Cipriani (NY), and Il Corso also in NYC.

We started with a bottle of the Chiante Superiore 2006 from Poggiotondo, Tuscany, Italy. Licorice and cherries accented the nose with smooth silky tannins, pepper, oak and cherries on the palate. There are 40-50 wines on their menu, mostly Italian but a few from California, New Zealand, France, Chile & Argentina.




First appetizer was Carciofi in tegamino, baked artichokes served with shrimp and smoked scamorza cheese.


Next was Burrata, a fresh Italian cheese, made from mozzarella and cream at room temperature with arugula, mushrooms, capers and olives in what I believe was a brown reduction sauce.


My wife had Tagliolini del Poeta, a home made pasta in porcini mushroom sauce wrapped with smoked prosciutto, which I tasted and unsuccessfully tried to switch with my wife... delicious.

And I had Risotto with veal in a rich fresh mirapoir sauce.


For dessert was a creamy pana cotta with ground pistaccio and a raspberry coule.

Overall it was a close to perfect night out and I can't wait to go back to try some fish dishes, which looked good. Prices were reasonable and service was excellent.

What is Meritage?

The short and sweet answer is... old world wines (European) were known and labeled according to the region of their origin, while new world wines (the Americas, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, etc) were known and labeled by the grape or varietal. When they began blending different grapes they had trouble defining the wines, and knew that these wines would be better than just "table wine"...so they needed a term to use in order to get closer to old world processes. They had a contest and the winning term was "Meritage" (pronounced like "heritage") which was a combined form of Merit and Heritage.

An Interview with Keith Beavers

The following is an interview with Keith Beavers, co-owner of In Vino Wine Bar & Restaurant and Alphabet City Wine Co. Keith also writes a blog called East Village Wine Geek.

What was the first wine that made you realize you loved wine?

It was a 1999 Paternoster Aglianico Del Vulture Don Anselmo. It was so full bodied and robust with rose petals and licorice and a tannin structure as mammoth as the mountain it was grown near yet harnessed and balanced. It sent off alarms in my mind and soul telling me this was very important somehow. And here I am a servant of wine, spreading the love...I hope.

Describe your perfect meal and the wine you'd pair it with?

Lamb, Baby! Lamb. Give me an herb encrusted medium rare, seared and roasted rack of New Zealand lamb served with a side of marinated mushroom and white bean salad (with some caramelized onions maybe) served over a bed of mixed greens. OOOHHHH WEEEE! Put me at a table with this dish and a bottle of Pont de Crillon 2005 Pont de Crillon Les Chais de Pont de Crillon Cote Du Rhone and I am a happy wine geek. Don't bother me I am eating. This beautiful Syrah is one of the most subtle and integrated Rhones I have had yet. It is earthy without too much soil and has a deep pepper fruit that is not separated from the body but is swimming through the fruit. Not only does it compliment the flavors of the dish but takes on a life of its own as on your palate. And it's twelve bucks!!

What's the most common misconception that people have about wine?

That wine has to be expensive to be good or even great. Then there's that whole Montepulciano d'Abruzzo versus Vino Nobile Di Montepulciano. But the first is the biggest.

What's your newest find for under $20?

I am really diggin' this beautiful blend from Gascogne called Le Rouge Gorge. It is a blend of Cabernet Franc and Tannat. I have never had a blend like this and only the French could pull this one off. Tannat is one of the most tannic grapes on the globe but somehow this producer finds calm balance in the blend. This wine is powerful yet subtle with lean, deep berry fruit and a gripping tannin structure that holds on just long enough for some face time and then it blends into the fruit and allows the subtle peppery cab franc notes to come center stage for a bit. It's a beautiful wine and it's only eleven bucks.


Is there a wine you've always wanted to try, but never had the chance to?

Every wine I have not tried yet! But seriously if anyone wants to pop on over to Alphabet City Wine Co. and bring a bottle of 1996 Grand Cru Burgundy ... I am there Tuesday, Thursday Friday and Saturday. No pressure. I will be waiting...but no pressure.

The Best from the 2006 vintage

Following is a list of the best wine regions of the world from the 2006 vintage. FRANCE: Pomerol in Bordeaux • Burgundy • Cote Rotie/Hermitage • Chateauneuf du Pape • ITALY: Piedmont • Tuscany • GERMANY: Mosel-Saar-Ruwer • AUSTRIA: Riesling, Gruner Veltliner • AUSTRALIA: Barosa/Clare/McLaren • NEW ZEALAND • ARGENTINA • CALIFORNIA: Cabernet Sauvignon • OREGON: Pinot Noir • WASHINGTON: Cabernet Sauvignon. Art © 2008 by Dave Trieger