Starstruck: Jancis Robinson

Do you have a celebrity crush?  Back in the day, it was boy bands like New Kids on the Block that made me swoon.  Like any tween fan, I wallpapered by bedroom with pictures torn out from Teen Beat and my friends and I would endlessly debate which band member was cutest.  Looking back, I feel deeply sorry for whichever parent had to chaperone us to their concerts and endure endless hours of teengirl squealing.

Recently, Jancis Robinson, wine expert, writer and critic extraordinare, came to New York for one of her only area appearances to promote her new book American Wines. That woman is tenacious.  Not only did she write (in my opinion) the ultimate tome to wine, The Oxford Companion to Wine, she penned the massive Grapes last year, only to follow up with American Wine this year.  When I learned of her visit, I raced to buy my ticket, a good month and a half before the actual event. I did contain my shrieks of excitement, but my, how times have changed.

My wine geek crush was solidified at this talk: she is witty, spunky and incredibly intelligent. She spoke about the American wine industry and its evolution as well as wine culture in our country.

Currently, she's been really enjoying NY Finger Lakes dry rieslings and some cabernet franc and merlot wines from Long Island. She also feels Virginia wines are up and coming - definitely a region to keep an eye on.  She gave some history on Washington State's industry and how it was started by rogue French winemakers who wanted to be freed from rigid French regulations and laws. The resulting wines are growing exponentially in quality and are, I would imagine, very personal and passionate. Speaking to pure Americana, she mentioned that Chrysalis Winery in Virginia and another in Missouri are growing Norton, a native American vinifera, rather successfully and that the University of Minnesota is working on hardy winter vines designed to withstand the wintry  midwestern climate.

She believes retailers are contributing to Robert Parker's influence and feels many shops rely on his rankings to sell wine.  Rather than seeking out new and intriguing producers, they fall back on Parker's rankings, which does a disservice not only to the customer but to other producers.  She also remarked on the evolution of wine service and how there are many "celebrity" sommeliers who seem to be the tastemakers. However, the finest attribute of a good sommelier is humility as one can never know it all. She admitted that she herself is always learning.

In the Q&A session, the question was raised about the importance of knowing the winery, regions, etc., when tasting versus in a sterile room? Unsurprisingly, she believes the viti, vini and cultural factors are hugely important when examining wine.  The only time she feels a sterile room is beneficial is when tasting a small selection of similar wines, such as the tasting precluding en premier sales in Bordeaux.

I practically floated over to the tasting that followed the lecture, riding on the euphoria of hearing her speak.  In total, there were about 8 wines represented, but I was only able to capture notes on three.

So, how are American wines doing?

Gruet Blanc de Noirs, NV, New Mexico (approx $15)

This is actually a sparkling wine I've had before and I must say, it's a great value.  It's very similar in flavor profile and mouthfeel to prosecco, with the slightly buttered toast, pear and apple tones coming through on the palate.  It's easy to drink on its own but would definitely be a fantastic bellini or mimosa base.

Chateau Grand Traverse Lot 49, Riesling, Michigan (approx $21)

I wanted to like this one so much.  The Gruet guy, although not representing this wine, said it had that great slate and minerality often found in German Rieslings.  Truthfully, I tasted almost NOTHING.  I'm not just talking about the slate and mineral, I'm saying I could barely detect any flavor whatsoever.  I really had to dig in there to even detect some slight tones of fruit.  It lacked the acidity and viscosity I love in a  riesling.  Here's hoping this was just a fluke bottle.

Bookcliff Cabernet Franc Reserve, Colorado
Cabernet Franc can be a finicky sucker.  If done well it can evoke dark fruits, spice and tobacco.  This wine, unfortunately, hasn't achieved greatness yet.  It was really stemmy, green, and tasted like underripe peppers, all the markings of an underdeveloped cab franc. I think it has potential, though; maybe in a few more vintages it will really hit its stride.

Keep tasting, friends....

(Tinta de) Toro! Toro!

Tinta de Toro is the Tempranillo clone grape grown in the region of Toro, Spain, and like a bull, many wines come charging at your palate full of power and intensity. Thick-skinned, intensely pigmented, full-bodied and tannic, these are large, food-friendly wines. Toro isn't as well known as other Spanish regions, such as Rioja or Priorat, but recently, Toro wines hosted a tasting in NYC to bring more exposure to their wines.

30 seconds to Spain lesson: Wines are often labeled according to aging and use the following terms:
Joven - these wines are the youngest are often aged for 6 months in oak max, if at all.  Most are meant for immediate release and consumption.
Crianza - wines are aged for 24 months with at least 6 of these months in oak, the rest of the time in bottle.
Reserva - the wine hangs out for at least a year in oak and the remaining time in bottles for a total aging time of 36 months.
Gran Reserva - you will only see these wines in great vintages. Total aging time is 60 months with at least 18 months in oak.  This wine is ready for kindergarten by the time you pop the cork.

Many people associate these ratings with quality, which is not always an accurate correlation.  Not all Reservas are premium and not all Jovens are crap.  Cheaper, most likely yes, but not necessarily indicative of how good a wine is.

(map courtesy of alcoholbeverage.com)

There was a lot to taste but I honed in on tables that already had distribution (all the better to serve you, dear reader.  I want you to be able to buy what I drink).  Without further ado, I present the Best In Show.

Favorite Producer
Bodega Rejadorada had a portfolio full of winners and pretty much all of my favorite wines at the event.

Rosum Joven, 2011 ($16)
This 85% Tinta de Toro/15% Garnacha blend was a beautiful selection for easy drinking. Ripe berries and other red fruits blended with earth and soil notes on the nose and palate, with a soft texture, moderate acidity and tannins.

Rejadorada Roble, 2011 ($20)
Another reasonably priced option, this wine had darker fruits of plum, black cherry and overripe raspberry along with peppery spices.  This one had more prominent acid and tannins than the joven, but all were well integrated.

Sango De Rejadorada, 2008 ($45)
The same dark berry fruits, spice and earth came though, but this wine spent some time in 100% French oak, which imparted quite a few oak tannins as well as a subtle vanilla softness. That acidity also came racing around the oral racetrack, but oddly, there was a soft velvetiness to the texture.

Bravo De Rejadorada, 2009 ($90)
The papa bear of the bunch - plum, blueberry, cola, dirt, spice - all roared around the glass with each swirl.  Again, the tannins and some acid came through, making me salivate, but it was a gorgeously structured glass of wine.  Steak, please!

Best Sweet Wine
Quinta de la Quietud, La Dulce Quietud, 2008 ($50)
Ok, this technically won by default as it was the only sweet wine I came across, but it was actually worthy of a title.  (Others must have agreed with me because the producer ran out of this wine at an earlier session, but managed to procure a tiny sip for me from what he was saving for himself).
Hazelnuts and sugar-coated almonds appeared on the nose of this Albillo/Malvasia/Moscatel/Palomino/Verdejo blend, but the nuttiness was tempered with honey on the palate.  Although it had some viscosity, as most sweet wines tend to have, it wasn't heavy or overly syrupy by any means.

Honorable Mention
Quinta de la Quietud, La Mula de La Quietud, 2008 ($110 for 1.27 liter bottle)
This producer also made a beautiful red that I had to call out.  100% Tinta de toro, this wine was chocolate, cola, ripe berries and velvet, enveloping the strong tannins into its luxurious fold.  Soooo smmoooooothh.

Keep tasting, friends....

Pinot Gets Weird

Weird can be good.  Think of the first time you ever heard of salt with chocolate - it sounded like stoner food, right?  But now, it's a THING.  Or, what about that strange guy who was obsessed with moldy bread?  Yeah, he invented penicillin.  

Sometimes, though, weird takes a turn for the worse.  Last weekend, we checked out a new restaurant, The Cleveland, in Nolita.  We were feeling something light-bodied with moderate fruit to pair with our earthy and vegetable-heavy (not to mention delicious) dishes, so naturally, Pinot Noir seemed like the way to go.  The wine buyer intrigued us with his recommendation: an organic Bourgogne that started off almost frizzante but then was supposed to become rounder and more supple. It sounded very unusual for a Bourgogne but I like bubbles, I like Pinot Noir and I like a wine adventure- sounded like a winner to me.

Whah, whah....

Les Faverelles "Le Nez de Muse," Bourgogne, 2011

This pinot noir started off slightly bubbly as it was poured into the glass, almost lambrusco-ish.  The nose and palate spoke to the traditional key tones of red berry fruits, earth and violets, but the light frizzante never quite seemed to dissipate and the body was so light I would actually call it weak.  That promised lushness that was supposed to appear deeper into the bottle?   It was never realized.  It stayed really thin and acidic the entire time, almost wimpering in fear every time it had to come into contact with food.  Sadly, this was not the quirky weird we were hoping for.

Keep tasting, friends...

Pizza! Pizza! (and more dessert)

New York is a pizza town.  From the classic slice to the gourmet pie, nearly every international style of pizza is represented.  Neapolitan?  Grandma square?  Dollar slice drunkenly consumed on the street corner?  We've got 'em all.

Wine enthusiasts often debate what's the best wine to pair with pizza and more often than not, Italian wines reign supreme. With their high acidity, Italian wines are very complementary to the tomato-based dish. It also harks back to one of my general rules of thumb: when in doubt, pair like with like.  A wine from the same country of origin as the cuisine will match well. Yes, you can start to drill down to specific regions and grapes and debate what goes best with all those fancy toppings, but in general, Italian wines are a sure thing.

A recent Saturday night brought us to a new place, Sotto 13.  Perusing the wine list, we opted for a Valpolicella, a red from the Veneto region of Italy.  This wine was produced in the Ripasso method, meaning that a percentage of the grapes were dried out on mats for weeks (a technique called Passito) in order to increase natural sugars and flavors.  These grapes are then fermented with other grapes in order to increase the intensity and flavor profiles of the wines.

So, did it work with pizza?  You bet.

Impero Valpolicella Superior, Ripasso, 2009

This wine was a blend of Corvina, Rondinella and Molinara  grapes, very traditional for a Valpolicella. Immediately, this wine revealed plums, raisins and cherries, along with some black tea and earthy notes.  It was juicy and round with notable wood tannins. The acidity of the tomato sauce mellowed out the wine's acid levels and a rich, complex wine, with a slight chocolate essence at the end, emerged.

I'm almost embarrassed to admit this, but after, we went to Minetta Tavern for that infamous soufflé.  Yep, two weeks in a row.  Feel free to stage an intervention at any point.

(this sucker didn't even stand a chance)

With it, we paired a Michele Chiarlo Moscato d'Asti.  The beautifully perfumed notes of orange blossom, honeysuckle, candied apricot and honey matched the gooey chocolatey center of the soufflé perfectly.  Heaven.

Keep tasting, friends....