Pinot Blanc That Will Rock Your Socks Off

I tend to be kind of picky in the Pinot Blanc and Pinot Gris department. There's far too much blah, blech, and boring wine out there in the market that has been made--perhaps overmade would be the best description--with these grapes.

This is not one of those Pinot Blancs. This is the kind of Pinot Blanc that rocks your socks off, and makes you wonder why so many people bother making yucky stuff.

This wine, made by Michel-Schlumberger in the Dry Creek Valley, is made from Alsatian clones and the grapes are grown in volcanic soils. The microclimate where they are grown is cool, which keeps the grapes from getting too soft and flabby.

Nicknamed "La Bise," which is French for the "the kiss," the 2007 Michel-Schlumberger is also one of those wines that qualify as a definite rebuy. It had aromas of pear, white nectarine, and golden delicious apple. The first sips were full of pear, and as you held the wine in your mouth the pear turned more acidic and citrusy. The overall impression was fresh and bright. Then, the aftertaste turned honeyed, with beeswax notes. We had our bottle with a grilled chicken breast topped with pears and apples cooked in a touch of honey and lemon juice, with some Camembert potatoes on the side. Here's the recipe if you want to make this fast meal, courtesy of Rachael Ray. Can you imagine anything more perfect with this wine?

So, now you want this wine. Where can you get it? Unfortunately, the winery is sold out. Fortunately, some retailers still have it in stock. I got my bottle at domaine547 in a "Summer Sippers" Blogger Pack put together by fellow wine blogger Wannabe Wino. This pack included 3 bottles for $55, and since one bottle of the wine is in my Thanksgiving picks (the Mauritson Sauvignon Blanc), this Pinot Blanc is a perfect fall wine in my opinion, and the third bottle is a rosé that would be perfect with leftover turkey sandwiches, I am hereby renaming this blogger pack the "Thanksgiving Survival Pack." The folks from domaine547 still seem to have a few of these packs left. Other retailers have the Pinot Blanc, too, and you can find bottles for between $17 and $22. It's excellent QPR wherever you get it.

In Los Angeles? Get Twisted on Monday Night!

Heads up, Los Angeles residents. Something Twisted is coming our way.

On Monday, November 24 (otherwise known as the last day of pre-holiday sanity) our good friends at Twisted Oak are teaming up with the culinary wizards at Bistro 45 for a Twisted Oak dinner. The event begins at 6:00pm and goes until 10:00pm, and the cost is $95 for five impeccably prepared courses with delicious wine accompaniments.

Bistro 45 is located at 45 Mentor Avenue in beautiful downtown Pasadena. Reservations are required, so please call 626.795.2478 to reserve your place.

There's nothing remotely turkey-ish about the menu, which I include here for salivation purposes. Unfortunately, I'll be in Sonoma (why am I always in the wrong place when Twisted Oak comes to town??) but if I were in LA, nothing would keep me away from this evening of great food and great wine. They're even pouring The Spaniard!

Viognier, Twisted Oak, Calaveras County 2007

Light Smoked Albacore Tarate

Miso dressing, pickled organic vegetables and Belgian endive

White Meritage, Twisted Oak “Ruben’s Blend”, Sierra Foothills 2007

Roasted Wild Calamari

Snow crab farci, tomato consommé, angel hair pasta and mizuna

Petite Sirah, Twisted Oak, Calaveras County 2005

Slow Roasted All Natural Veal

Maui onion confit, exotic mushroom risotto, arugula and aged Balsamic

Meritage, Twisted Oak “The Spaniard”, Calaveras County 2006

Cabernet Sauvignon, Silver Oak, Alexander Valley 2004

Roasted Barbary Duck Breast

Ragout of root vegetables, honey and currant reduction

Winter Pear and Mascarpone Marjolaine...

toasted pistachios

Chefs Damon Brady, Bryan Williams, Keiji Mizukami and Felix Noyola

Today on Serious Grape: Thanksgiving Wine Etiquette

The holidays are upon us. Tomorrow, I go to the airport to pick up our first Thanksgiving guests. It's a high joy, high stress time of year. (photo by sarah)

There's no reason to let wine slip from the joy category to the stress category.

Today on Serious Grape, my weekly wine column on Serious Eats, I give hosts and guests a brief guide of what to do and what not to do when it comes to serving and gifting wine.

Basically, my advice is simple. If you are a host, keep it low-key. If you are a guest, try not to burden your hosts with sudden changes and demands like showing up with a half case of wine that needs to be chilled and announcing cheerfully that you thought this would go great with dinner.

The most important thing to remember? Enjoy yourself, and relax. It's a holiday, remember?

Tuscan Reds and the Benefits of Age

Italian red wines come in all shapes and sizes. They come big and bold, and they come in more manageable styles that are a bit shy. They come juicy and ready to drink RIGHT NOW. And they come needing some time in a cool, dark place to settle down and show their best.

But when it comes to Italian reds, I find that I like the ones that I've let sit in the cellar. And that goes double for the wines of Tuscany, which I'm focusing on in November and December. As as you can imagine, I'm not really talking about laying down expensive Brunellos and Super Tuscans here. I'm talking about pretty standard stuff, like Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, or even simple Chiantis.

Why do I let my Tuscans reds sit a bit longer than I would other wines? Something indescribable seems to happen to Sangiovese--the dominant red wine grape from the region--once it's been in the bottle a bit. It's aromas become what I describe as "heady" in that they go straight to the part of your brain that registers pleasure and you think, "wow, that smells so good." The flavors take on more and more spice, tobacco, and black tea nuances and the fruit steps back into the background.

I recently opened a bottle of 2004 Icario Rubi della Pietrose that I bought back in the middle of December 2007 from domaine547. It cost $17.99, and unfortunately they sold out of the wine about 8 months ago. You can still find it for around $20, but most shops are now stocking the 2005 vintage for between $17 and $23.

Drinking this wine reminded me of why I like to cellar these bottles--even for the short term of a year or two. I loved the traditional style of this blend of 70% Sangiovese, 20% Teroldego, and 10% Merlot. Thanks to that extra year in the bottle, it had pronounced aromas of violets, tar, and leather. These were followed up with well-developed, soft sour cherry, black tea, and meaty flavors, and there was a nice flowery aftertaste to connect the ending to the violet aromas at the beginning. This was a great bargain, and much better than many a Chianti at this price point. Excellent QPR.

A wine like this goes well with almost everything--including roast chicken, burgers and steaks, and of course pasta. We had it with a delicious saffron and sausage sauced pasta that cooks from start to finish in under an hour and which makes the whole house smell delicious. (Plus, you can sip your wine during the 40 minutes the sauce is cooking down.) The aromatic saffon in the sauce was nicely complemented by the floral notes in the wine, and the meaty cherry flavors went well with the sausage and tomatoes.

Sometimes we think that only the expensive stuff deserves time in the cellar. I'm going to be pulling some other bottles out of my closets and storage cupboards to see if how a little bit of age benefits other red wines that I bought a while back and have been meaning to drink. How about you? Which wines under $20 do you think benefit most from a year or two in the cellar?

"Market Corrections" and Fine Wine

After months of booming business in the fine wine trade, it looks like the wine markets are beginning to feel the effects of the world-wide financial crisis. (photo "at auction" by kflaim)

In late September, two of England's oldest and most distinguished fine wine operations--Berry Brothers and Rudd and Christie's--reported that they were on track to report record profits. The reason why was in part linked to high-rollers and investors looking for alternative places to park their assets to ride out the ups and downs of the stock markets. Christie's sold almost $3,000,000 in Burgundy and old Claret at auction in the space of a few days during this fall. That's a lot of fine wine.

Yesterday, however, Reuters reported that over recent weeks the prices of fine wines have been plunging. Many coveted labels saw 10-20% decreases, and wines that had been the darlings of Russian and Chinese investors were hardest hit.

What does this mean for GWU$20 drinkers? I think we might see these "market corrections" filtering down into wine stores near us in the next six months. Nothing will change immediately, but as the days go by and consumers continue to worry about their finances, demand for the pricier wines is going to soften and merchants are going to find themselves with stock on the shelves that they want to move. I'd keep my eyes out for $50+ wines dropping the most, with smaller decreases in the $20-$50 wines and very little difference in price among the wines you and I drink most.

However, if you've had your eye on some more expensive bottlings, you might be able to get good deals on them in 2009. Isn't it a good thing that you don't pay too much for wine in the normal course of things? You may actually be able to afford a little splurge come spring.