Enjoying Wine: Lessons from France (Part 1)

Recently, I spent some time in France. While I have been to the country before (once as a teenager, and again with a teenager in tow), this was the first time I really got to enjoy its wine culture.

And I loved it.

What follows are some observations of how drinking French wine in situ has changed my thinking.

The pleasures of a chilled Cabernet Franc... Our first lunch was at a lovely bistro in the 1st arrondissement, Restaurant Paul. (photo of the restaurant, above, from allaboutnice) We'd traveled for 20 hours, taken a brief nap, and then walked from the Marais down along the river to this wonderful restaurant. There, we had typical bistro fare (I had some wonderful lamb) and a bottle of 2007 Couly-Dutheil Chinon La Diligence from the Loire. (available in the US for around $21) It was served very will chilled--colder than most whites are served in France--with condensation beading up on the outside. Inside was a refreshing red with autumnal currant, leaf, and green pepper aromas and flavors. The entire experience was relaxing, unfussy, and unpretentious. Lesson learned: temperature matters--but you should experiment until you find what works for a particular wine, food, setting, and your own palate.

Excellent, affordable wine can be found on most wine lists... Many people imagine that purchasing wine at French restaurants will be a daunting business, and expensive, too. That's not what we discovered when we had dinner at Le Violon d'Ingres in the 7th arrondissement. Yes, there were white table cloths and attentive waitstaff. There was excellent food, like roasted pigeon and the most amazing egg dish I've ever tasted that involved a poached egg inside a crusted shell with truffles. There were treasures to be found on their wine list, too. A restaurant always endears themself to me when they are serving good Champagne by the glass--as in Taittinger Brut Prestige--which we had with our first courses. Then we moved on to the 2008 Domaine Chanzy Mercurey 1er Cru Les Carabys--which cost less than €40. This lovely, layered wine had fruity apple and lemon aromas and flavors laced with nutmeg and oak. It was both bright and rich, and paired with a variety of food. Lesson learned: just because you're in France doesn't mean you have to order the most expensive thing on the wine list in order to be happy. Try something that expands your wine knowledge rather than deflating your checking account.

Rosé, Rosé, Rosé... What's not to like about this? Everywhere you looked, someone was sipping rosé. We had a wonderful rosé recommended by the local wine shop, the 2009 Château Minuty Côtes de Provence Reserve. (available in the US for around $25) The blend includes Grenache, Tibouren (new to me!), Cinsault, and Syrah and is pale salmon in color. The wine was quite dry, with aromas and flavors of frais de bois, yet the overall impression was rich and full. We also sipped a 2009 Domaine de l'Olivette Bandol Rosé at lunch at Les Editeurs in the 6th arrondissement while we munched on salads and sandwiches This fresh, savory wine was also pale salmon in color with subdued strawberry fruit and a slightly saline note. Lesson learned: if the French are drinking this wine morning, noon, and night it can't be THAT unsophisticated. Get over any lingering rosé complex now, and stop apologizing to friends for serving it.

To be continued...

Checking Wine: My Experience with Virgin Atlantic

I don't know what possessed me to do it. While I was in London recently, my friend sent me a terrific bottle of 2003 Franz Künstler Hochheimer Hölle Riesling Auslese. What with one thing and another I never got to open it while I was there. You know me well enough to anticipate I wasn't leaving it in London, either. And the box it came so carefully packed in wouldn't fit in my suitcase.

So I tucked it into the center of my suitcase, checked it at the Virgin Atlantic counter in Heathrow, and hoped for the best.

The whole trip home I kept asking my niece whether she thought the wine was already leaking through my luggage. "Yes," she told me, before she turned back to her movie. Oh well, I thought philosophically, at least it's white wine. Good white wine, too. So I'd smell like apricots for a while. Big deal.

As we watched the bags careen down the chute onto the baggage carousel, tumbling and slapping into each other, I asked my niece one more time if she thought the wine had made it safely. "You're screwed," she told me with perfect honesty and a straight face.

When my bag appeared, I hauled it off the carousel and we both started patting it to see if it was damp. No sign of damp. I gave it a good sniff. No smell of apricots.

At my parents' house, I opened the bag, shuffled through my clothes and there it was--my bottle of Riesling Auslese, in pristine condition. I put it in the fridge and we drank it that night. It was delicious, with intense floral, honey and apricot notes, a rich, mouthfilling texture, and piercing acidity.

I'm not sure I would try this with a red wine, but I would definitely run the risk again for a lovely bottle of white like this one. How about you? Have you thrown caution to the wind and checked wine in your luggage--without bubblewrap and special packaging? Was it white, or red? And what were the results.

Oh, and thank you Virgin Atlantic. Your baggage handlers have excellent QPR in my book.

On the Road: Tablas Creek Vineyard

Late in October, I had the chance to visit Tablas Creek Vineyard in Paso Robles, where some of the best wine in California is made. I went with Jill from domaine547 and Jason Haas, who writes the award-winning Tablas Creek Blog, was our tour guide. After we walked in the vineyards, Jason took us through the winery's new releases. I've got some pictures above, and some tasting notes below. I hope that they encourage you to look for Tablas Creek wines in a store near you and to visit the winery if you are ever in the Paso Robles area. It's a special place.

Please note: most Tablas Creek wines cost a bit more than the wine normally featured on this blog, and retail for between $20 and $45 for the dry wines. The dessert wines (listed first) cost even more (in the $65-$85 for a 375 ml bottle). However, these are distinctive, memorable wines and they are worth the splurge if you can afford it. All the wines described here I would classify as very good or excellent QPR, even though they cost more than $20.

2005 Tablas Creek Vin de Paille "SacreRouge" (find this wine)
100% Mourvedre dessert wine. Cocoa nibs and dark chocolate aromas knock you over, and they’re followed up with flavors of chocolate extract with a cherry chaser. Dusty, cocoa powder finish.

2005 Tablas Creek Vin de Paille (find this wine)
Nectar, honey, and white peach aromas are followed up by applesauce, cream, honey, and peach jam flavors. Wonderful acidity keeps this white dessert wine from being cloying.

2006 Tablas Creek Tannat (find this wine)
Abundant blueberry aromas and flavors are fresh and arresting. As the wine opens up, darker blackberry fruit emerges. Great tannic grip in the midpalate and finish is in no way overwhelming though it does turn a bit drying. If you’ve never had Tannat, this is a great introduction to the grape.

2006 Tablas Creek Esprit de Beaucastel Rouge (find this wine)
Another excellent, excellent vintage. Mint, blackberry, and plum aromas. Crisp, clear fruit on the midpalate with lots of cherries and chocolate. Much lighter on its feet than the 05, this should age spectacularly.

2005 Tablas Creek Esprit de Beaucastel Rouge (find this wine)
Milk chocolate and flower aromas are paired with meaty, chocolate, and black cherry flavors. Lots of roasted herb, grilled meat, and plum emerge as the wine opens up in both the aromas and flavors. Acidity and emerging minerality add complexity to the fruit.

2006 Tablas Creek Counoise (find this wine)
I loved this silky yet earthy wine with red fruit aromas and high-toned raspberry and blackberry fruit flavors. The earthy undertow keeps it interesting.

2005 Tablas Creek Syrah (find this wine)
This wine was all about the plums for me. Dark plum color. Aromas of plum blossom, flowers, plum, and roasted herbs. Rich plum and stone flavors and a creamy midpalate with lots of body.

2006 Tablas Creek Mourvedre (find this wine)
A classic, beautiful example of the grape. There was a beautiful perfume of flowers and red fruit, which turns decidedly in the direction of violets as the wine opens up. Rich red fruits in the flavors. Nice, gritty tannins and great acidity. The aromas pick up smoky notes with air.

2006 Tablas Creek Côtes de Tablas (find this wine)
Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre, and Counoise. Apples, cherry, and strawberry aromas and palate. Candy apple notes emerge as the wine opens, as well as sweet apple-spice aromas. Lovely streak of limestone adds complexity.

2007 Tablas Creek Rosé (find this wine)
Mineral and raspberry aromas emerge from this dark wine, as do frais de bois and raspberry flavors. Very nice, rich mouthfeel and a concentration of flavors in the midpalate with a chalky, stony finish.

2007 Tablas Creek Esprit de Beaucastel Blanc (find this wine)
Roussanne, Grenache Blanc, Picpoul. Rose petal aromas and flavors with golden delicious apple at the core. Great concentration to the flavors, and though this is still very young and a tad acidic, I anticipate it will flesh out beautifully.

2006 Tablas Creek Esprit de Beaucastel Blanc (find this wine)
Grenache Blanc, Roussanne, Picpoul. Beautiful pale gold color is indicative of the honeyed apple and honeydew aromas and flavors that have beeswax touches and mineral notes. Perfectly balanced between fruit and acidity.

2006 Tablas Creek Grenache Blanc (find this wine)
Honeysuckle, white nectarine and stone aromas. There is apple and more stone in the midpalate, with a deceptively heavy mouthfeel. Great acidity in the finish.

2007 Tablas Creek Cotes de Tablas Blanc (find this wine)
Melon, white flowers, and mandarin peel aromas and flavors. Nice body.

2007 Tablas Creek Vermentino (find this wine)
Shy aromas of stone, lemon, and apple. Juicy pear and apple flavors, with kaffir lime and white ginger suggest this would be great with shellfish and fish.

Fall in the Russian River Valley

Last weekend I enjoyed some wine travel and conversation with Jill from domaine547 and nearly two hundred other wine friends and family at the 2008 Wine Bloggers' Conference in Sonoma.

One of the events I enjoyed was the vineyard walk on Saturday morning led by Zephyr Adventures. We went to Saralee's Vineyard in the Russian River Valley, where we met up with Rich and Saralee Kunde (who made us a fabulous lunch!), Daniel Moore of Zmor Winery, and Rod and Lynn Swan Berglund of Joseph Swan Vineyards. We hiked through the vineyards, learned a lot about the area and its viticultural heritage, and drank some fantastic wines.

I hope this slide show whets your appetite to learn more about the Russian River Valley appellation, and makes you feel that you've been able to enjoy a little bit of this year's fall season here in the California Wine Country.

If you're interested in seeing more pictures of the 2008 Wine Bloggers Conference, head over to my Flickr photostream where I've set up a collection of pictures for you to flip through.

WILL DRIVE FOR WINE!

Today, Good Wine Under $20 is joining up with friend and partner in wine, Jill from domaine547, and we're hitting the road. (photo by Kevin Hutchinson)

It's been a while since either of us have been on a road trip, but today we're off to Paso Robles to visit Tablas Creek and other great wineries, and then to Sonoma to participate in the first ever US Wine Bloggers Conference. We'll be covering the state from LA to Santa Rosa, so wish us luck as we take the old Camry Hybrid out for a spin.

We expect to taste a lot of good wine, take some pictures, and be back on Sunday with lots of news to report.

Tomorrow's Serious Grape post will be up as usual, but please be patient if I don't respond to comments for a few days.

Summer Camp for Wine Lovers

It's summer. It feels like it, at least, even if the official start date is a few weeks off. The days are longer, and even though there are lots of activities this time of year (graduations? weddings? BBQs?) the pace of life seems slower. Vacations break up some of the tension at work, and with so many colleagues on vacation, too, I always find that I get more done in summer despite being in second or third gear. (classic summer camp picture from the Yorkland School)

To fill that time, you may want to jump into what I think of as "wine summer camp"--a series of online events that will connect you to a wider world of wine lovers, and encourage you to to visit a local winery or two in your own area (or in an area where you are already planning a vacation) to learn more about wine.

The first activity in Wine Summer Camp is Wine Blogging Wednesday, the long-running monthly tasting that Lenn Thompson of Lenndevours started a few years back. I'm hosting Wine Blogging Wednesday #46 next Wednesday (June 11, 2008) and we'll be tasting white Rhone varieties planted anywhere in the world. Check out my previous post for full details, instructions on where/how to post your tasting notes, and a list of resources. While you're at it, head over to the Wine Blogging Wednesday site and see if the voting has started for the event's new logo.

The second activity in Wine Summer Camp is the Wine Book Club, the online book club led by wine bloggers and readers. Today, Richard the Passionate Foodie posted his "Spin the Bottle" review of a terrific sake book to keep us motivated to finish George Taber's To Cork or Not to Cork: Tradition, Romance, Science, and the Battle for the Bottle for the 3rd edition of the bi-monthly online Wine Book Club hosted by Lenn Thompson. We have until the end of the month to finish the book and post reactions to it on Shelfari, Facebook, the Wine Book Club site, or your own blog. Farley Walker of Behind the Vines will be the host of the July-August book club, so stay tuned the first week of July for the announcement of her title and look for another blogger "Spin the Bottle" review of a book that covers their area of expertise later that month when you've lost track of your good intentions.

With all that tasting and reading, you might be inspired to take "wine summer camp" on the road and visit some local wineries near your own home, or near where you are already planning your vacation. If you are looking for wineries in a particular location, check out the resources at AmericanWinery.com which has in-depth profiles of wineries from Alabama to Wyoming and most places in between along with tasting room hours and lists of current releases. Appellation America has an interactive map of the US that enables you to click on any state and get a list of appellations and the wineries who make wine there. No time to travel this summer? These two websites will enable you to be an armchair/computer traveler, and to learn about wineries all over America even if you can't pack a bag and hit the road.

Remember, it's summer so hang up your hammock, get some wine in the house, and start reading and sipping your way through the long, warm days to come. If you have any suggestions for more summer camp activities, leave them in the comments section below. Why should the kids have all the fun?

On the Road Tasting Wine

Just a note to tell you that I'm off on the road, tasting wine in some exotic locales--or at least they're exotic for me!

I will try to post from where I am but just in case I don't manage it, I will be back to business as usual here on the blog--with some new insights into wine--on June 2.

Thanks for your patience, and see you soon.

Winery Watch: Alma Rosa Winery and Vineyards

An ongoing series of Friday posts highlighting California family wineries. You might not be familiar with all of these vineyards and winemakers--yet--but they produce wines that speak with the voices of this state's people, places, and history. They are worth seeking out. These posts will be longer than most posts on the blog, but I hope you will find them perfect for leisurely weekend reading and internet browsing. To read previous posts in the series, click here.

Sometimes, old friends can be hiding behind new names. Take Alma Rosa Winery. Ring any bells?

OK, how about Sanford? As in Pinot Noir? As in Sideways?

There is a new/old family winery in the Santa Rita Hills. Owned by Richard and Thekla Sanford (that's the old part) and named Alma Rosa (the new part), this winery is producing some great wines (the best part!). The first Santa Barbara Pinot Noir I ever had was back in the late 90s--and it was made by the Sanfords. I'm so glad that I get to enjoy wines that they've crafted once again. (photo of Thekla and Richard from the Alma Rosa Winery and Vineyards website).

The Sanfords are inextricably bound to the history of the Santa Barbara wine region, and deservedly so. In 1970, Richard Sanford planted the very first pinot noir grapes in the Santa Rita Hills in what would become the legendary Sanford and Benedict Vineyard. At the time, most were skeptical about pinot noir's chances in this region. But the vines thrived, and in 1981, Richard and his wife, Thekla, started a little winery called Sanford and set up their tasting room in a tin-roofed shack. There, the Sanfords began to turn the wine world on its head with their pinot. A little movie called Sideways, some of which was shot in their very own tin-roofed shack, didn't hurt either. No merlot here, thank you very much. They grow Pinot Noir in them there hills.

In 2005 the Sanfords left the company that had been their namesake, and began Alma Rosa Winery and Vineyards. With Alma Rosa, the Sanfords have rededicated themselves to the practice of organic, sustainable agriculture in the vineyard. Over 100 acres of vineyards are under certified, organic cultivation, and the Sanfords are also supporters of efforts to reintroduce Peregrine falcons into the wild. Recovered falcons find their wings again in the La Encantada Vineyard, and do their bit to keep pests out of there without chemical pesticides. (photo of Thekla Sanford from the Alma Rosa website)

This fall, I got a chance to visit the new/old tasting room for Alma Rosa Winery and Vineyards, which is once again located in that old tin-roofed barn down the gravel path and over the winter creek just past the El Jabali vineyard. They took up residence there again in July 2007 after a brief hiatus. The tasting room staff is friendly and welcoming, the wines are superb, and the atmosphere is laid-back. If you find yourself in the Santa Rita Hills one day, make sure you stop in there.

What follows are my notes and impressions of the wines I enjoyed at Alma Rosa Winery this fall. The prices indicated here are the suggested retail prices at the winery; as always the price you pay may be higher or lower at your local merchant. Clicking on a wine's name takes you either to a list of merchants who stock the wine, or to the online order form that will enable you to get some of the wine into your own private tasting room.

2006 Alma Rosa Pinot Gris ($16). Juicy white peach and citrus aromas and flavors, with a note of almond on the palate that extends into the finish. This excellent wine was perfectly balanced between the flavorful fruit and the bright acidity. A versatile, food-friendly wine with excellent QPR.

2005 Alma Rosa Pinot Noir Vin Gris El Jabali Vineyard ($20). This is not a rosy rose. Pale salmon in color, this dry wine tends slightly towards copper. The aromas were of field-fresh, slightly under-ripe strawberries, or those little French wild strawberries called frais des bois. Tart strawberry flavors, too, with no hint of watermelon. Very distinctive, and very good QPR.

2005 Alma Rosa Pinot Blanc ($18). This creamy pinot blanc spent seven months in neutral oak barrels, which produced rich aromas of melon and pear. Very nice, and a good wine for richer fish and chicken dishes. Very good QPR.

2005 Alma Rosa Pinot Noir La Encantada Vineyard ($49). This was fantastic. Aromas and flavors of brown sugar, cherry, eucalyptus, and pine. Lots of complexity in the finish, with earth and spice notes added. Expensive, but good QPR nevertheless for a classic Santa Barbara pinot noir.

2005 Alma Rosa Pinot Noir ($36). Fresh raspberry, rhubarb, and spice aromas are all found in the flavors, which turn a touch candied on the finish. Nice balance and complexity, and it would be great with food (especially mushroom dishes). Good QPR.

2005 Alma Rosa Chardonnay El Jabali Vineyard ($30) This is one wild chardonnay, which is full and round despite the fact that the wine didn't go through malolactic fermentation. The aromas and flavors are reminiscent of a freshly cut pineapple, and there is a twist of lime on the finish. Another distinctive wine, with good QPR.

When you spot a new label, like Alma Rosa, be sure to look behind it and find the people who are making that wine. They may be old friends, and when you open up your "new" bottle you may feel like you've come home.