Blizzard-Worthy Bottles

Ah, blizzards. Some people opt to ravage grocery stores like bears at a campsite then hibernate for days. I view it as a chance to go out and play, a wonderland devoid of traffic and crowded sidewalks.  In this alternate universe, a snowball fight in the middle of the street during rush hour is entirely possible.

In a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment,  a blizzard hit NYC a couple of weeks ago.  Two days later everything melted, but for a nanosecond the city was something out a Disney movie:

(photo courtesy of Jennifer Hill)

My other favorite part of a blizzard?  The ease of getting into restaurants that normally require reservations weeks out.  Taking full advantage of this situation, we scaled snowdrifts for some fabulous food and, of course, wine.

Friday night we hit up Louro, a new neighborhood spot which absolutely lived up to all the buzz it's been generating. The dishes were inventive yet accesible and felt playful but yet made you stop and think about what the hell was going on in your mouth.

Reviewing the wine list, I paused at the Grenache from Spain. Grenache is more commonly referred to as Garnacha in that country - why the other terminology? Regardless, the juicy pluminess of the Garnacha sounded like a warm, enveloping hug, perfect for the night.

Once the bottle arrived at the table, I understood the French labeling. The wine was actually a Rhone blend: 70% Grenache, 10% Carignan, 10% Syrah, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. How would this compare to a French Cote du Rhone?

Clot D'Encis, Rhone Blend, Agricola Sant Josep, Spain
The Grenache was prominent as the fruit hit our noses immediately, Cherry, raspberry, and a bit of plum sprang up, with a little bit of spice trailing behind. The first couple of sips followed suit in flavor and the medium body, comparable to a classic Rhone, was also present. However, I noted more tannins in this wine over other CdR wines and the acidity felt a bit higher. Overall, though, it was very balanced and smooth and intensely enjoyable.

The next night, we went to Minetta Tavern, one of my all-time favorite NYC restaurants.  Reservations are difficult, to put it mildly, and walk-ins are unimaginable before 11pm, but as it's in our neighborhood, we've lucked out more often than not.  The blizzard aided in our dinner quest and before long we were indulging in their famous Black Label burgers and of course, wine.


Domaine le Sang des Cailloux, Vacqueyras 2010, France
A neighboring regions to Chateauneuf du Pape, this Syrah, Grenache and Mourvedre blend showcased deep dark berry fruits, herbaceous spices, notes of artichoke, and plenty of rootsy earthiness.  On the palate, the same notes, along bit plums, drank very smoothly, enhanced by a medium plus body and pronounced tannins.  The burger and wine were having a lovefest in my mouth.

As a total aside, they serve one of the best desserts in the city - a classic chocolate souffle for two.  We have occasionally come into the restaurant just for this dessert.  We are also not embarrassed to admit we have ordered two of these on the same visit.  Yep, souffle for four people but only two people eating it.  Don't judge.

Keep tasting, friends....

What's In Your Suitcase?

I pride myself on my packing skills and can pretty much go anywhere with just a carry-on. Over time, I've learned how to edit so it's just myself and a bag on a plane. When I see people in the airport with an entire luggage train, I wonder, what could they possibly be carrying?

On a recent Friday night, one of my favorite wine stores, Le Du, hosted a last minute tasting of Burgundy wines from producer Benjamin Leroux of Maison Benjamin Leroux and Comte Armand.  Apparently, he was in the country for a visit and had a ton of wine with him - did the shop want to host a tasting? Forget the extra pairs of shoes, that's the kind of overpacking I want to do.

When we arrived, the tasting was well underway and a crowd bunched around a table lined with 11 wines. Seven of the wines were available in the store plus four "bonus" wines, two of which were  premier crus.  I wasn't able to note all, but below are some highlights.

Maison Benjamin Leroux Auxey Duresse Blanc 2010
Pale yellow in the color, the nose showcased some citrus fruits, slate, minerality and a twee bit of oak.  With the first sips, the wine showcased a moderate acidity and similar flavors to the nose.  The slight bit of oak persisted, which I personally found a little off-putting. However, it was restrained enough to not be confused with a California chardonnay.

Maison Benjamin Leroux Chassagne Montrachet Abbaye de Morgeot 2010
With this wine, lime is the name of the game:  lime fruits and limestone notes dominated the glass. There was more minerality in this one than the Auxey Duresse and the oak was absent. Again, the wine expressed a moderate acidity and was wonderfully balanced; here's a beautiful example of a white Burgundy.

Maison Benjamin Leroux Volnay Mitans 2010
Black cherry, strawberry, violets and bit of ash were immediately noticed when we smelled the wine and after sipping through, the fruits came through again.  It was traditionally light bodied structured with moderate tannins.  This was a very elegant wine - a real pinkie lifter.

Comte Armand Pommard 1er Cru clos des Epeneaux 2010
"Purple" was the first word that came to mind with this wine.  Black cherry, plum and violets joined green pepper, rosemary and other herbaceous notes in the nose.  On the tongue, the fruits burst with bing cherry, blueberries and super-ripe plums.  The herbs planted themselves back into earthy notes and  you could taste the all the vineyard components with each sip.  Truly a stunning wine.

Comte Armand Pommard 1er Cru clos des Epeneaux 1999
This is the oldest Burgundy I have ever consumed and was a prime example of how a wine ages.  Fruit was almost nonexistent in this wine and instead earth, tobacco, ash and a muskiness pervaded. An odd scent of sour milk also wafted through, though it was muted. On the tongue, I had to dig around for a bit to find traces of violets and overripe plums. The noticeable tannins gave this wine quite a bit of structure.  Crazy-complex and a good indicator of what its younger sibling is going to taste in a few years.

Keep tasting, friends...

Opera Lambrusco Hits High Notes

I could riff endlessly with puns about the Opera Lambrusco di Modena 2011.  It's a beautifully harmonious wine that just sings in the glass.  It sets the stage for a great meal.

Ok, I'm done.

In all seriousness, I'm finding Lambrusco to be a great wine when I'm feeling indecisive about what I'm in the mood to drink. It's multiple juxtapositions in a glass:  Chilled like a white but red; frizzante but not overtly bubbly; sweetly juicy but not dessert-like.  It satisfies multiple cravings at once, like chocolate-covered pretzels.

Let's take a recent Saturday, for example. My friend was visiting from Boston and after we did a few obligatory errands in the freezing cold, we decided the best course of action was to grab a glass of wine.  (Apparently, everyone else in NYC had the same idea; it took visits to 3 different wine bars to find one that could accommodate us.)

Safely ensconced in the warmth of Gottino, our attention turned to the wine list.  The thought of white wine left me feeling even chillier than I already was, but a warm red felt a bit heavy for early afternoon.  Bubbles had a brunch-like appeal, but traditional white sparklers weren't calling too me.

Viola!  Lambrusco!

The Opera Lambrusco di Modena 2011 had a bit of cotton candy, plum and raspberry on the nose.  On the palate, the same flavors appeared along with some bing cherry and red licorice.  What really made this wine notable were the frothy, foamy bubbles that rose up like meringue in the glass.

My interest in Lambrusco continues to grow and I foresee myself gravitating to them when they appear on wine lists.  When will this fascination end, you ask?  It ain't over till the fat lady sings (sorry, couldn't resist one more).

Keep tasting.....

Shame On You

Here's a story about bad wine. As discussed in my Presidential Inauguration post, wine is not just about what's in the glass but the experience of drinking it; even average wines become special in the right context. Conversely, wines can be ruined if the situation is mired in negativity.  A prime example of this was the Slow Wine event in NYC on January 28th.

Slow Wine is a branch of the Slow Food movement, which, according to slowfood.com, is defined as follows:

Slow Food stands at the crossroads of ecology and gastronomy, ethics and pleasure. It opposes the standardization of taste and culture, and the unrestrained power of the food industry multinationals and industrial agriculture. We believe that everyone has a fundamental right to the pleasure of good food and consequently the responsibility to protect the heritage of food, tradition and culture that make this pleasure possible. Our association believes in the concept of neo-gastronomy - recognition of the strong connections between plate, planet, people and culture.

Good, Clean and Fair

Slow Food's approach to agriculture, food production and gastronomy is based on a concept of food quality defined by three interconnected principles:

GOOD a fresh and flavorsome seasonal diet that satisfies the senses and is part of our local culture;

CLEAN food production and consumption that does not harm the environment, animal welfare or our health;

FAIR accessible prices for consumers and fair conditions and pay for small-scale producers.

The movement started in 1986 in Piedmont, Italy, one of my favorite wine regions.  During a vacation there a few years back, I was imbued with these values with every meal I ate and every vineyard I walked through. I gained a deep appreciation for their work and what they are trying to achieve on a now-international level.   For weeks after, I couldn't walk by a McDonald's without throwing it a dirty look and hissing under my breath.

 (Piedmont Landscape - how beautiful is that??)

(Vineyards in Piedmont)

Wine is a natural part of the movement as terroir, an integral element in great wines, encapsulates many of these principles.  Needless to say, I was very excited for this event.

However, the Slow Wine event went downhill very, very quickly.  Upon arrival, about half of the tables were empty; many of the distributors ran out of inventory during the daytime sessions and vacated their stations.  For the remaining tables, their portfolios were severely depleted and only had a couple of offerings to pour. Tickets were oversold for the venue capacity and a game of bumper cars ensued trying to move from table to table.  Finally, those promised hors d'oeuvres?  They were just tired platters of stale crackers, sweating cheese and soggy mini sandwiches, for which the queue rivaled the bread lines of Communist Russia.

I was able to pluck a few "best of show" wines out of the bunch (grape pun alert!), but alas, no pictures due to the high bump-to-spillage risk ratio.

Best Sparkler 
Barone Pizzini Franciacorta DOCG 2009, Lombardy
This chardonnay/pinot nero blend was a beautifully soft and creamy mouthful.  The bright acid kept the wine from going flaccid in the mouth and sang with bits of apricot and straw.  I'm becoming increasingly intrigued by Franciacorta, a sparkling wine from the Lombardy region.  I feel a new project coming on.

Best Red
La Gironda Barbera Superior 2009, Piedmont
Ripe plum, bing cherry and an earthy soil appeared on the nose.  In the mouth, the same flavor profiles followed suit and were given a bit of structure through the noticeable acid and moderate tannins.  Medium bodied and easy to drink, this was one of the best reds I sipped on all night.

Best Sweet Wine
La Gironda Moscato d'Asti, Piedmont
Classic moscato notes of orange blossom, peach and candied apricots wafted up immediately from the glass.  On the tongue, the same light sweetness burst in each frizzante bubble.  Not as complex as my favorite La Spinetta Moscato d'Asti but still a nice option.

However, these few bright spots were tarnished by the disorganization and chaos that swirled around them.  As an event planner, nothing infuriates me more than a badly executed event.  Coupled with my personal vested interest in Piedmont, I was roaring with disappointment.  This event did such a disservice to Slow Food that all I can do is scold them.  Shame on you.


Keep tasting, friends.....