Stay Away: that was the first message I got from Chateau La Nerthe in the Southern Rhone area of France — in Chateauneuf du Pape, to be precise. On a wine trip there some years ago, it was clearly painful for them to have a few journalists admitted to this prestige domaine.
We were supposed to look around quietly, listen to a few words about the ancient vineyards we had traveled through, have a couple quick tastes and leave quickly and unobtrusively. Which we did. And I never thought much about the wines since that uncomfortable time. Or if I did, I mentally shrugged, remembering the wines as “not for the likes of us peons.”
So I was pretty surprised when I was recently invited to a luncheon in Boston featuring Chateau la Nerthe. I happened to be free, so I went over. And wow! The climate had really changed. New management? New attitude? Or was it that I was in the company of more salespeople today?
But as soon as I tasted the red wines, I didn’t care. Rich, luscious, balanced, powerful but at the 
same time elegantly crafted. The wines are blends of the traditional grapes of the area — grenache, syrah, mourvedre and cinsault – and they’ve been organic since 1998.
I looked up the pricing just now, and the average price for a bottle has been in the $40s for the past year or so, and I say: well worth it! On balance, drink vintages that are 3-8 years old to find them at their peak.
Tags: Chateau La Nerthe, Chateauneuf du Pape, cinsault, grenache, mourvedre, syrah
On a cold winter night in New England, we warmed up at the historic home of Argentine natives Vera and Carlos, with Carlos’ empanadas accompanied by Malbec Rosés. Carlos made low fat empanadas, which some people (son Marcel) quibbled with – though the rest of us were pleased, given the amount of holiday cookies we’d already started consuming.
There were three roses, all different, and we were equally divided on our favorites. With the beef empanadas, I liked the simple 2011 Michel Torino, young and even a bit spicy in flavor. The 2010 Gauchezco was more layered, with citrus and minerality, and was an overall favorite of about a third of us.
Then came the 2010 Crios, with a thicker mouthfeel and raspberry notes. Once we saw the name of the legendary Susana Balbo, we knew we were in for a treat. But the most interesting element came during the dessert course: peel a tangerine, and its scent on your skin enhances each sip of her rosé.
Tags: Argentina, Crios, empanada, Gauchezco, Malbec, Malbec rose, Michel Torino, Rose, Susana Balbo
For some time, whenever anyone asks me for a really good Merlot recommendation, I’ve been saying 
“Bordeaux.” Too often, US Merlot wines are lacking…well… almost everything except fruitiness. I want a Merlot that tastes like well-made wine. That IS a well-made wine. And you have to go way up in price if you want to get that in the US. This week I opened a few different Merlots, and I started with the two lower-priced wines: both nicely crafted and both, surprisingly, $20 or under.
The first two were Bordeaux Supérieur wines. 2009 Chateau Timberlay: buttery, cheery, bright fruit aroma, with lightish tannins. Medium-light body up front but a more solid finish. The flavors deepened with food; great with a plain hamburger.
The 2009 Chateau de Bel “La Capitaine” was finely restrained in both its aroma and flavors. Mild dark cherry, cassis and some leather, backed by very nice tannins. Hamburger or steak would be great here.
Twomey’s 2007 Napa Valley Merlot is a prime example of a US Merlot I would recommend. Across between red and black fruits, nicely integrated tannins. Moderate finish with a hint of cinnamon in its wood notes. Needs to accompany a little more complicated dish than plain meat; a beef stew flavored with onions, carrots and wine does the job nicely. Price? You have to go up; this one averages about $45.
Moving on to a less common American wine, I found a lot more fruit. I had pulled out a 2004 Dr. Konstantin Frank Merlot from the Finger Lakes, and found it bursting with fruit, pleasant and easy-drinking; quite a nice accomplishment in a Merlot from this area. And when I just looked up the price, it seems to go for only around $16 — fun if you can find it.
Tags: Bordeaux, Bordeaux Superieur, Chateau de Bel, Chateau Timberlay, Dr. Konstantin Frank, Finger Lakes, Merlot, Twomey
Seriously beautiful countryside in Armagnac. This is the little alembic room at Chateau de Bordeneuve, tucked right up next to the vineyards. Spent the last week in the Armagnac region of France – in the Southwest region of Gascony, home of the swashbuckling Musketeers. It’s also home to all things duck, like foie gras – which is very mild here – and hearty beef and pork dishes, too. All of which I ate for lunch and dinner every day.
At the end of my visit, I was astonished to find that I hadn’t gained weight. They call this the Gascony Paradox. Drink Armagnac’s brandies every day along with the local foods, and live five years longer, too!
LISTEN to my snapshot of Armagnac info on iwineradio.com
Tags: Armagnac, brandy, Chateau de Bordeneuve, foie gras, Gascony, Gascony Paradox, Musketeers
Hospices de Beaune at dusk
Venerable Hospices de Beaune is the oldest charitable auction in the world, founded in 1859 – though the hospital it benefits dates from 1443. The event is also important because the auction prices are said to set market levels for the new vintage of top-tier Burgundy wines, each year.
I do love the walled, old city of Beaune. It’s brisk and medieval-feeling in the early dusk of November day when the Great Auction has just finished. Market stalls are bustling, lively entertainers sing and dance, and the lanes are filled with European tourists snapping up local artisanal foods: rich parsleyed hams, ultra-fresh crunchy-crusted breads, spiced honey-cakes. Alas, not for me, this year.
So I was pleasantly surprised when I received an invitation to taste some of the Hospice de Beaune wines from earlier years, as Christie’s (which took over the auction a few years ago) toured several US cities this fall. In Boston, we tasted at the First Republic Bank, so you can imagine it was a pretty haute crowd. Maybe next year I’ll get back to Beaune…
There were about 20 wines, mainly from 2009 and 2005, but with a few intermediate vintages too. My favorite reds were two of the 2005s: the Beaune 1er Cru, Cuvée Nicolas Rolin, and the Pommard 1er Cru, Cuvée Dames de la Charité. The whites were wonderful, notably the easy-drinking (are you allowed to say that about Burgundy?) 2007 Pouilly-Fuissé, Cuvée Françoise Poisard, and the beautifully balanced 2009 Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru, Cuvée François de Salins.
Tags: 2005 Beaune 1er Cru, 2005 Pommard 1er Cru, 2007 2007 Pouilly-Fuissé, 2009 Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru, Beaune, Burgundy, charitable wine auction, Christie's, Cuvée Dames de la Charité, Cuvée François de Salins, Cuvée Françoise Poisard, Cuvée Nicolas Rolin, Hospice de Beaune
If I was a Bordeaux chateau owner, I’d probably do the same thing: concentrate on China right now. Still, it’s a bit unnerving when you see it happening right in front of you. Like at the recent Chateau Palmer lunch, with the Commanderie de Bordeaux in Boston. Charming Palmer marketing manager Bernard de Laage played it down, but he was essentially handing us over to a second-in-command, while he does the Asia route. Second in command in this case is the equally charming longtime friend of Palmer Jean-Louis Carbonnier, whose French accent is even more charming, but still…
It was, however, a wonderful lunch: BYOB Palmer at Upstairs on the Square in Cambridge, Mass. Not being a Palmer collector, I was allowed to bring the apéritif champagne: Cuvée Louise 1996, which went over pretty well. OK, yeah, it was a wine-snob lunch, and we all enjoyed every minute of it.
The wines: Palmer’s delightful 2003, 1990, 1989, then finishing with a very young and fresh 1983. In the middle, the 1979 was corked, alas, but someone rallied with a 1990 Léoville Las Cases, very herby by comparison with the lush Palmers. The menu: Potage of Native Celery Root with black truffle dumpling; Szechuan-Peppered Duck Breast with vanilla mascarpone potatoes, red wine roasted figs, turnips and their greens.
With the cheese we had Alter Ego’s second vintage, the merlot-based 1999, alongside the Palmer 1999. Both were terrific, and the Palmer got to show off its refinement.
Tags: Alter Ego, Bernard de Laage, Chateau Palmer, Commanderie de Bordeaux, Cuvee Louise, Jean-Louis Carbonnier, Leoville Las Cases, Upstairs on the Square
Chocolate, chocolate, I’ll try anything chocolate. Sometimes I’m surprised. Like with Van Gogh Vodka’s new Rich Dark Chocolate. I’ve tried quite a few of their flavors before, and I’m not always convinced. This one was very convincing. First of all, it actually is a dark chocolate flavor. If you were expecting creamy sweetness, this was confusing. If you were expecting a flavoring agent, this was also confusing. Because it is, after all, vodka.
Van Gogh Vodka Rich Dark Chocolate
We also had fresh oranges, so we tried adding some of the juice and a slice of orange and that worked too – though I would recommend either the lemon-lime OR the orange, not both. Or try your own combinations. There’s plenty of vodka in that bottle.
Actually, it was a relaxing Jacob’s Creek webinar the other day — once I calmed down and realized there was nothing I could do to get the sound to work on this laptop I took on vacation with me.
It’s been a while since I tried Jacob’s Creek wines, and I was favorably impressed with several of them.
So I tasted along happily with the quiet slides, making my notes and enjoying the silence.
Jacob’s Creek Chief Winemaker Bernard Hickin
Tasting notes on the Jacob’s Creek Reserve Wines:
1. Barossa Dry Riesling 2010: mineral and limestone, a touch floral. Acidity around the edges of a longish finish. Crowd-pleaser in the house, after the tasting.
2. Adelaide Hills Chardonnay 2009: Peaches in the nose, but not too much vanilla. Good acidity. Mix of Old- and New-World styles. Lushness with positive citric qualities. Surprisingly pleasant discovery for me.
3. Adelaide Hills Pinot Noir 2009: floral and jam aroma, along with a saline quality. Jam with the barest touch of earth and a sweet finish. Very New World fruitiness.
4. Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon 2009: plenty of leafiness, black current in aroma and flavor, some minerality and heat in finish. A soft wine.
5. Barossa Shiraz 2008. Earth and butter, in a medium-light style. Very ripe fruit, as well. New World, easy to sip.
Tags: Jacob's Creek, Jacob's Creek Reserve, Jacob's Creek Reserve Adelaide Hills Chardonnay 2009, Jacob's Creek Reserve Adelaide Hills Pinot Noir 2009, Jacob's Creek Reserve Barossa Dry Riesling 2010, Jacob's Creek Reserve Barossa Shiraz 2008, Jacob's Creek Reserve Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon 2009
I’ve had some of the the Exclusiv Vodcas for some time now, and I’m glad I waited and sampled them over the course of several weeks, in different ways.
Exclusiv is a wheat vodka made in Moldova, a tiny country tucked between Romania and Ukraine.
First, I want to mention that the bottles’ design is lovely; they make a very attractive presentation. 
Nobody drinks vodka neat, at room temperature – except samplers like me – so Exclusiv is obviously made to be consumed chilled. This was most apparent with the unflavored version. Adding citrus, either lemon or lime, was a plus for the unflavored. But it proved unnecessary with the flavored versions.
With any flavored liquor, the manufacturer has several choices. This producer chose to use an orange oil type flavoring which has two advantages: it’s not too sweet, and it holds up well when chilled. However, it’s not so easy to get this type of flavoring for other fruits, so the raspberry is somewhat sweeter, even when chilled.
Also interesting is the price: a premium vodka, only around $13 for a fifth, or $20 for 1.75 liters.
