October 2, 2007
New Wine Shop
We have a new wine shop nearby. I will have to check it out.
Posted by dag at 2:08 PM | Comments (0)
November 4, 2006
Friuli Alert
As those of you who know me well are aware, I am addicted to the whites of Friuli-Venezi-Giulia. These can be broken into several categories:
1. The floral, aromatic, refreshing Tocai Friulanos (I refuse to acknowledge that the EU has stolen the name from Friuli) and Pinot Grigios. These are mostly products of stainless steel and have a very nice crispness to them. They were born for hot days and Asian foods. Felluga, Russiz Superiore, Jermann (with an excellent Pinot Grigio), etc. come to mind.
2. The brilliant, almost French blends. Nothing epitomizes these better than Jermann's delightful, smooth, complex and unforgettable Vintage Tunina.
3. The "amber" whites-These rely heavily on the ancient ribolla gialla grape. They are usually barrel- and wood vat-driven, but have emerged from many fermenting mediums (including Roman-style amphorae!). The produce intense, structured whites with layers of complexity. This category immediately draws the mind to the dean of this vein of winemaking in Friuli, Josko Gravner. These wines, and among them Gravner's in particular, age forever and ever and ever. My brother-in-law Man (a chef) describes Gravner's Breg as a heavenly collision between a structured and intense high-end white Burgundy and a great sherry (perhaps a nice Andalusian Amontillado).
This post is concerned with the third vein (the "amber" wave). To drink, for instance, Gravner's Breg on some lazy Sunday afternoon in the fall while seated in a plush leather chair (with feet kicked up on the ottoman, of course), reading a good book and listening to a really accomplished rendition of Beethoven's Pastoral is pretty much as close to heaven as you can get in this life.
The trouble of course is that the bottle of Breg cost 5 to 10 percent of the purchase price of that leather chair and ottoman (even if said chair and ottoman are from Eames or the like).
So the question becomes, how can one get close to the Gravner experience at less than the Gravner price?
Unfortunately, most other Friulian ribolla gialla's I've tried do not even make base camp on Mt. Gravner. Nonetheless, there are some intriguing alternatives out there.
In the past, I've mentioned the name Damijan. He was, I believe, at one point or another something like a student of Gravner (for as long as one can stand being in the titanic shadow of such an artistic genious). His wines are perhaps a bit less structured and complex than Gravner's but are still a quantum leap beyond most other whites. And I've found Damijan for as cheap as $30 a bottle.
Now I'd like to place another name in the reader's conciousness: Radikon. Last night I tried Radikon's 2002 Ribolla Gialla. It was, like the typical Damijan, magnificent. A 500ml bottle came in at $36.50 (so in 750ml terms Radikon is operating around the $50 price point).
It needs some time to open up. I think decanting for 30 to 60 minutes is a good idea. Once it does, several complex layers typical of this style emerge on the nose: honey; slightly bitter apples; apple juice; a pleasantly clean hint of hay. I'm still thinking about the palate experience, but certainly some of these emerged and the taste was, to be sure, delightful. Radikon also has great length. I drank a bottle with the wife while watching Amadeus and munching on a smoked salmon pate with water crackers and have to say that I enjoyed the entire experience.
In the more slavic corners of Friuli's wine world, exciting things are happening and you might want to take note.
Posted by dag at 11:29 AM | Comments (0)
October 19, 2006
Strateegery
The other day my brother-in-law called and we had a good conversation about the relative merits of the wines of the Wildman of Friuli (Gravner, of course) and his protege Damijian.
The only problem is that I have since had a hard time resisting the temptation to open my bottle of '98 Breg. I think the only solution is to buy 2-3 more so that opening one now does not seem such a sacrifice.
Which of course entails a new problem: how to get this past the wife...
Posted by dag at 10:48 AM | Comments (1)
August 29, 2006
Wine Question
So, what wine best matches a major tropical depression?
Posted by dag at 3:41 PM | Comments (0)
June 22, 2006
Aging Gracefully
Via medmusings, I ran into this interesting contribution to the eternal question.
Posted by dag at 12:27 PM | Comments (1)
Domaine Charvin Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2003
Domaine Charvin Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2003-Spice, herbs and tannins on a bed of blackberrys and...something more rounded. Plums? This one should go for a decade in the old cellar. Outstanding. 95 points. And all that for about $60-$65.
My next 2003 Châteauneuf-du-Pape will be the Sabon Prestige. Notes to follow quickly.
To my mind, certain of the 2003 Châteauneuf-du-Papes might be the best deal going in higher end French wine at the moment.
Posted by dag at 9:57 AM | Comments (0)
June 13, 2006
Wine Update
I think it is high time for a wine update. I've drunk a whole lot of wine since my last post on the subject. Let me first point out a very cheap ($10-$12) red:
E. Guigal 2001 Cotes du Rhone. On the palate it is very nice, but it has that positively racy Rhone varietal thing going on on the nose. A nice, light, and refreshing red with complex aromas that is definitely underpriced for its level of quality.
But never mind that: it's time to get down to brass tacks here. After all, we are men of action, and avoiding the real issue does not become us.
On that note, it is beginning to turn a quite warm here in the Southern Part of Heaven. The passing of winter and spring inevitably means a shift in culinary emphasis in our household. Out with the braises and heavy, hearty pastas and risottos of Northern Italy. In with the lighter, spicier, more oil based sauces of southern Italy. In with the grilled foods.
And here comes the real challenge from the wine perspective: in with the Vietnamese food. Let me offer a few suggestions for pairings with south east Asian food (for a variety of reasons, I think these sorts of choices might work with other Asian cuisines, like Hunanese from China or Korean, as well):
1. Riesling. That's obvious. I recommend Schoffit for everyday drinking. At around $20 it delivers outstanding quality.
2. Vouvray. Avoid sec in favor of demi-sec. The sweeter quality of the latter just plays better.
3. Orvieto. Look for the amabile.
4. Gewurtztraminer.
5. Pinot Grigio. There are so many. Go for the truer ones: I think that one of the best is Jermann's. Russiz Superiore is awfully good as well.
6. Moscato d'Asti: Best served very cold on the hottest days.
7. White zinfandel. Yes, you read correctly: white zinfandel. It may not be complex, but it does match up well with some elements of the Vietnamese taste spectrum. And besides, on the worst summer days you want refreshing, not complex.
8. The crisper manifestations of viognier.
9. Tocai Friulano. I recommend Livio Felluga. Once again, Russiz Superiore is a very good choice as well.
10. Lugana (from the Lake Garda area of Italy). Try Zenato for a cheap and great example.
11. Good chardonnay from Burgundy. Note "from Burgundy". Not "from California".
And here are some other specific wine suggestions (in terms of winemakers):
1. Anything white by Kistler.
2. Jermann's (well, why not?) Vintage Tunina. This exciting but pricey blend ($50-$60) is a very special white from a very special place: Friuli.
3. Soutomaior Albarino-An instant classic from Galicia. You'd think that hot days and Asian food were its' destiny.
4. Hugel Gentil (A traditional white wine from Alsace).
Can anyone recommend anything else?
Posted by dag at 11:36 AM | Comments (0)
June 12, 2006
Retreat
Holy crap we got pounded. What happened to the idea of this better, revamped American team???? I know the Czechs are good, but we got killed. Couldn't we do better than that?
Retreating to familiar and comforting terrain, do any of you twisted wine addicts out there know how the 2002 Niebaum-Coppola Rubicons have fared critically? '02 was such a great year, but I still haven't found any results on this one.
Posted by dag at 2:48 PM | Comments (0)
May 8, 2006
The Grapes of Man
By which I mean Man (pronounced "Mahhhn"), my brother-in-law and not Man, as in homo-sapiens. Man is a classically trained French chef and in town for a few days to visit us and his father, who is recovering successfully at our place from his recent surgery.
Boy, have we drunk some great wine. A few highlights:
1987 Niebaum-Coppola Rubicon: Still great after all these years. A strong color, if not the rich, dark Imperial purple of younger Rubicon. A seductive nose, and a nice, complex range of flavors. Perhaps not quite that long, it is nonetheless a great, great wine. It could go perhaps another 5 years and still improve somewhat.
1998 Gravner Bianco Breg-Lovely, with a rich honey color and notes on the nose of honey and straw. Man feels that it is almost like a good white Burgundy in terms of earthiness and oakiness, but with a really dry fruit quality with pears, figs, apricots.
1985 Vina Tondonia Rioja Gran Reserva-A really great wine, if only for practice: it has been a long time since I struggled with a dried out and completely unccoperative wax covering over the cork. Seriously though, a great, elegant, stately older rioja, we enjoyed it deeply on the back porch watching the rain fall.
2004 Paul Hobbs Pinot Noir-Give this one some air for 40 minutes or so, if only to let it come out and play. I think that this is much more of a cult wine in certain corners of the West Coast wine world in which Man travels. He was stunned by the price ($45). This is a big, very fruit forward California Pinot, but one that brings a range of flavors to the nose and palate on a smooth and assured, if ten lane, California alchohol expressway.
2001 Domaine Louis Latour Chambertin Grand Cru Cuvee Heritiers Latour-A nice, though not overwhelming, Burgundy. A good choice for everyday sipping with a good book. Drink within the next 2-3 years, I think.
2002 Kistler Les Noisetiers Chardonnay-Kistler is a cult Chard producer, though I think that their Les Noisetiers is less well known. I generally don't like the prevailing trends in Cailfornia Chard, but this one was solid, elegant and assured. It certainly wasn't over the top in the sense of a lot of other California Chards.
We also spent a frightful fortune wine shopping. I re-loaded on the '85 Vina Tondonia, Hobbs Pinot and picked up a 2002 Domaine des Lambrays Clos de Lambrays.
Posted by dag at 10:07 PM | Comments (0)
May 3, 2006
Crossing the Rubicon
Yesterday I bought bottles of 1987 and 1990 Niebaum-Coppola Rubicon for $75. I'm pretty sure they were lovingly stored to this point. The key question now is:
Hold or drink?
The verdict from Cellar Tracker, at least in terms of the '87, seems to be drink. Does the '90 really have the legs suggested? I have only one of each (I also have probably 7 or 8 of the 2000s, which I've really enjoyed thus far) and so need help. Any thoughts or suggestions?
Posted by dag at 12:09 PM | Comments (5)
April 27, 2006
The Incredible Disappearing Gary Farrell
I am not sure what is going on, but all of my usual suppliers of Gary Farrell pinot are tapped out and report that they do not anticipate more for a while. Given that a continued supply of GF pinot is only slightly less important to me than a continued supply of oxygen, I am, as George Clooney's character in O Brother, Where Art Thou? put it, in a tight spot. Is anyone else experiencing this in their own local market?
Posted by dag at 3:55 PM | Comments (1)
April 26, 2006
Wine Question
So I am throwing out a question to my wine drinking readers: when would you drink the '96 Cheval Blanc?
I probably overpaid for this wine (but then isn't life just a series of mistakes we knew we were making?) and do not wish to compound my folly by choosing a poor time to open it. I really cannot tell how good this wine is or its aging potential: the reviews have been all over the place.
Posted by dag at 6:53 PM | Comments (1)
April 8, 2006
Gnarly Dudes
Continuing my increasingly sick, obsessive journey into the heart of darkness known as Two Hands wines, I tried the 2004 Gnarly Dudes, which I am told is often referred to by those in the know (and pretenders like me who merely know someone in the know) as "Baby Bella" or "Bella Light" since it comes from the same vineyard as Bella's Garden.
Well, what did I think? It was brilliant, with hints on the nose of Polish sausage, powerful chronic cultivated on the warm, gentle, rain-swept, drug-addled upland slopes of Maui, cordite (the kind that lingers in the air after firing 3-400 rounds in an enclosed space) and petroleum. On the palate I detected turkey, shrimp shells and Samuel Adams Holiday Brew.
Seriously, I think Raleigh Wine Merchants put it best:
COLOUR: Bright lively purple plum. AROMA: Vibrant lifted aromas of violet and red fruits with a hint of cedary oak. PALATE: The palate is full bodied delivering a rush of gorgeous succulent fruit with soft round tannins. A meld of red fruits with a hint of black pepper and liquorice, leaving you with a finish that’s beautifully balanced and vibrant.
Posted by dag at 6:17 PM
April 1, 2006
Oooh! Oooh! I almost forgot!
Last night I tried the 2004 Two Hands "Max's Garden Heathcote Shiraz", if only to see if Bella's magic has coattails. And the answer is .... yes! I would describe this wine as much like Bella's Garden, only slightly less so: from a structural standpoint, everything I liked about Bella's Garden was there, but in a perhaps slightly less pronounced fashion. Partly for that reason I am not convinced that this wine has the legs that Bella's Garden will, and recommend drinking it sooner. It probably could age some, but not that much and how much payoff would you get from it against the risk of overshooting its peak? On the other hand I could be wrong: what if this wine really does have the kind of legs I'm expecting from Bella's Garden? Will I be selling myself short by not laying down a bottle or two for 6-7 years????
It seems to me that there is only one sensible solution: buy and lay down 300 bottles, so that one can test one per week, for up to almost 6 years or so. If only to be careful: under this scheme, and with my stunningly honed palate, I will be able to detect when we have moved just one week past the peak, and can then quickly run down the remaining bottles at a pace of one to two per day, depending on the size of the remaining stock. This seems like the only responsible way out of the overshooting trap, wouldn't you agree?
Getting back down to brass tacks, the mix of fruit on the nose and tongue was unsurprisingly not exactly the same with Max's Garden, but it still offered a really nice range. It did not quite have the length of Bella's Garden, but that's OK: it is still a superb performer at its price point (about $50).
I'm not sure I agree with Wine Spectator's take on this wine:
TWO HANDS Shiraz Heathcote Max's Garden 2004 (91 points, $50)
Definitely on the tart side, with raging acidity against plum and prune flavors, finishing with a freshness that's tremendously appealing and should develop well with cellaring. Best from 2007 through 2015. 500 cases imported.
--Harvey Steiman
To be sure, there was some acid, but "raging"? At least in my bottle it was more restrained and in harmony with the rest of the notes in the wine. There are two possible explanations for the discrepancy:
a. Ordinary bottling variation, which admittedly can be substantial. I can recall having two bottles of the 1995 Vina Olagosa Gran Reserva Rioja opened at a dinner table on one occasion. They were so distinct you could hardly believe it was the same wine. And spoilage wasn't an issue: both bottles were excellent, but very, very different (in subtle and not so subtle ways).
b. Mr. Steinman: your supposed to spit out at tastings!
But seriously, though we travelled different roads with this wine Steinman and I arrive at the same destination: I think he is about right about 91 points.
Update: I have been asked if I really plan to buy 300 bottles at a cost of around $15,000. The answer is yes: I plan to buy 300 bottles at a cost of around $15,000. Will I actually do so? Uh, well...Noooo. You see, this disgracefully aging gentleman's best laid plans usually last only until the wife learns of them. For instance, that was the fate my heroic planned mission to eat 30 courses at 6 restaurants in just over 24 hours.
Since I have been married, the distinction between my planned and actual course of action has grown ever more acute.
Posted by dag at 1:14 PM | Comments (0)
March 30, 2006
Wine Column
Via medmusings (the man's on fire these days), I've run into a pretty interesting and useful wine column in the San Jose Mercury News.
Posted by dag at 1:03 PM | Comments (0)
March 28, 2006
Get on the grape wagon
Tonight I tried the 2003 MacPhail Family Wines 2003 Pinot Noir, from their Toulouse Vineyard in Anderson Valley. Whatever else I think of this wine, let me commend the vineyard both for the amount of information regarding this wine on the bottle and at their site.
That said, this is a solid but not stunning California pinot. To be sure, Wine Spectator awarded this one a 91 while the San Francisco Chronicle offered the following: "Very good. Raspberry, rose, dark cherry, soy sauce, cedar, earth and spice aromas; similar flavors plus cassis, plum, toffee and caramel; good acidity.". While I picked up at least faint hints of much of what the Chronicle describes, I think their reviewer had the remnants of some great wine, long on the nose and tongue, when he or she caught this assignment. In practice it exhibits nowhere near the range suggested. (Though I also caught a faint echo of strawberry on the nose, which they did not.) This is a solid pinot, not particularly long, that is good for casual sipping in front of the TV (the purpose to which I put it). It does not, however, dazzle or intrigue. Nonetheless, I will conceded that this is clearly a conscientously crafted wine. The fundamentals and structure are all there, and with time and cooperative weather greatness could emerge. I will keep my eye on MacPhail Family Wines.
Posted by dag at 10:52 PM | Comments (2)
San Francisco
Lest someone think I have some unkind grudge against SF, let me cut off all speculation right now. My objection is to its oft-muttered self-characterization as America's "most tolerant" or "Most progressive" city. It simply is not. Like every community in America, it attracts a certain type of person, with a certain viewpoint, and effectively becomes an echo chamber. Whatever public discourse does occur is within the narrow band that avoids putting a ding in any of the community's cherished assumptions about the way the world should be. If your lifetstyle, worldview, outlook, etc. is consistent with that community consensus, you are all set. If not...
What does this mean? It means that SF is basically no different, and no more evolved, in any profound or meaningful sense than any other community in America. Many of its citizens and admirers from afar have convinced themselves otherwise, but in all of the most important respects the place is terribly...ordinary.
That said, one edge SF definitely has on my little corner of the South is that the local universities there offer courses like this one. Why can't UNC or Duke do this???
Posted by dag at 5:49 PM | Comments (1)
March 26, 2006
Bella's Garden
Though I have to limit my alchohol intake on the blood thinners, I am permitted a glass or two of wine every so often. On Friday night I tried the 2004 Two Hands "Bella's Garden" Barossa Valley Shiraz. I bought it for about $60 at the Chapel Hill Wine Company. Wow. At $60, this has to be one of the finest examples of an Aussie shiraz that I have ever had the pleasure of sampling. It delivers a lively burst of fruit in the great tradition of fruit-forward Aussie shirazs (in fact, Aussie wines in general). I agree with most of the reviews regarding the fruit: cherry, pomegranate, raspberry and red plum. I also picked up hints of blueberries. However, the fruit is bracketed by subtle and gentle but clear tannins, creating a much more sophisticated and sensual experience. My wife and I both enjoyed a long finish from this accomplished wine. This is a wine that combines the best of complexity (ie a typical quality French shiraz) and excitement (ie a typical quality Aussie shiraz) in a dazzling but smooth and assured fashion. I had it with a grilled striped bass, in retrospect a poor choice by way of a food match. And yet it was still a stunning drinking experience. (The salesman who sold me the wine recalled trying it with roast duck breast with a blueberry sauce, which must have been a heavenly menage a trois of meat, sauce and wine.) A really lovely wine, I returned to the store to buy two more bottles: one for now and one to lay down in the cellar for a few years. And I plan to learn a lot more about Two Hands various wines (they have a wide-ranging, Shiraz-centric, lineup).
Posted by dag at 9:44 AM | Comments (4)
January 10, 2006
Lindemans
I am a man for whom restraint really means something.
Not much. But certainly something.
With that in mind, I am always looking for good values in wine, if only to somehow reduce the crushing financial burden of a Domaine de la Romanee-Conti-driven life.
(Did this disgracefully aging gentleman really understand when he allowed himself to get locked into this awful habit?
Well, no, your honor. Certainly he understood the dangerous pull of golf, black holes and rip-tides, but what man, what tender innocent, can ever comprehend, a priori, the awful, inexorable lure of the grape???)
In any case, in an effort to make this habit somehow financially manageable, I drank a lot of Lindemans wine in graduate school. Somehow I got away from that (the possibilities for living even farther beyond my means offered by a steady full time job helped, in a sense). Recently I was poking around a Harris-Teeter supermarket while my wife was doing the weekly shopping. I was drawn to the wine section (on reflection, it probably isn't necessary to explicitly mention this). There I found myself scanning the very modestly priced offerings from Lindemans and eventually purchasing a case or two. (After all, this is all about really understanding the quality of the wine-in a statistical sense, of course-and as an econometrician I am all too aware of the dangers of small samples.)
Well, the first results are in: for the money (most bottles were $8-$10), the various Lindemans cabs, shiraz, and cab-shiraz blends that I sampled ranged from very good to excellent. While they are not necessarily particularly complex (these are the sort of wines you drink, as opposed to negotiate with), they are consistenly very good at what they should be: fun, fruity and satisfying everyday wines that stand up to a wide range of food pairings. I have to say that I have not yet had one for which I truly did not care.
Posted by dag at 6:33 PM | Comments (3)
January 4, 2006
Courage II
I almost forgot to mention that on New Years Eve I tried Gravner's 1999 Ribolla Gialla. It has an amazing color. It almost makes you think of a really rich amber beer or hard cider. On the nose and palate it is dry but lush, with an evolving (as it decants over the hours) and fascinating honey-like backbone. It is a stunning wine. I disagree with those who have argued that it needs to breath for hours before drinking. Instead, I would pour it into a decanter and then begin sampling small amounts from the beginning. At every stage of its evolution it is a wonderful experience.
Posted by dag at 11:47 AM
December 26, 2005
Courage
Anyway, in other news, I am saving up my courage to try my two bottles from Gravner, Friuli's wildman winemaker. I have his 1999 Ribolla Gialla and his 1998 Bianco Breg. I have heard the former described as "so dry it will transform you into a prune" while one website I ran into a few months ago recommended decanting the latter for "hours and hours". Hours and hours??? Fortunately, the sommelier, really wine guru, shaman, prophet ...ok, I'm getting carried away... at Il Palio, Damon Haynes, suggested to me that perhaps 90 minutes would be ideal.
In any case, both are widely reported to be a wild, and stunning, ride. So basically the task before me is to summon the courage to take the leap for what will likely be an amazing experience. Sort of like the first time you jump off the high diving board at the pool...or the first time you moon your 11th grade advanced placement biology teacher...
Posted by dag at 10:26 PM | Comments (3)
December 22, 2005
Dinner
Last night we had a friend over for dinner. We started out with some light hors'doeuvres (sliced manchego, crackers, a salmon-based spread, an excellent chorizo available at A Southern Season) with the 30th anniversary Pinot Grigio from Jermann. Jermann, one of the premier winemakers of the Friuli region (you must try his fabled Vintage Tunina while we both must try his celebrated chardonnay 'Were Dreams'), did not disappoint, with a crisp, slightly dry wine with understated and subtle but unmistakable hints of citrus and green apples.
Dinner was a simple farfalle with meat sauce. Our guest brought the 2003 Buffalo Grove Zinfandel (from Sonoma), which did not really offer the usual notes of spiciness you look for in a Zin. It had something more like a rich and jammy array of fruit, which was a good matchup with the rich sauce. Certainly not age worthy or complex, this is nonetheless a fun everyday drinking wine.
Over and out.
Posted by dag at 4:42 PM
December 19, 2005
...gets tougher.
One thing that is reinforcing this ennui is a long run of real disappointments on the wine front. Yesterday saw an atrociously bad red from Italy (with what must reflect some sort of primal psychological wine-related defense mechanism that we brought with us from our earliest days on the plains of Africa-where our ancient ancestors had to battle shaky food supplies, ferocious beasts and overly minerally South African rieslings-I have already completely forgotten the region and varietal) followed by a truly indifferent Burgundy. At what point do I break into the old collection and retrieve a classic, if only to restore my faith and equilibrium?
Posted by dag at 9:09 AM | Comments (2)
November 2, 2005
The Growing Reading List
In the 5 to 7 days before Christmas, I plan a slow and purposeful courtship with my soon-to-arrive Manhattan chair and matching ottoman from Pottery Barn. I'm lining up the beverage choices (one of those days I plan to try Gravner's old Roman-style "Breg") and reading list. Here is what I want to tackle in those painfully short days of complete withdrawal from the everyday rat race:
E.L. Doctorow's The March: a novel set against the backdrop of Sherman's savage burn through the South.
Charles Mann's 1491: a story of the legends, lies and cherished myths regarding the New World that European explorers stumbled upon.
Thoma Asbridge's The First Crusade: a history of, well, the first crusade. Though I fancy myself something of a history buff, my knowledge of the crusades is embarassingly limited.
Zadie Smith's On Beauty: A novel about sense, non-sense and downright silliness in the culture wars among and between the members of two academic families.
John Sugden's Nelson: A Dream of Glory, 1758-1797: A biography of England's greatest naval hero.
Victor David Hanson's A War Like No Other: How the Athenians and Spartans Fought the Peloponnesian War : a whirlwind history of the West's very first "World War".
I know, I know: there is no possibility that life will seriously allow me the peace and quiet required to finish all of these in the allotted time.
But for now allow me the bliss of my delusions.
Posted by dag at 9:16 PM
October 29, 2005
A Tasting and a Dinner
Last night was the much anticipated (at least by those Lost in Inebriation like myself) barbaresco and barolo tasting at A Southern Season. There were 5 bottles on offer, 3 barbaresco's and 2 barolos (I wish it had been the other way around). In short:
1. Abbona Barbaresco Faset-My favorite of the barbarescos. I believe it was a 2001 (I forgot to get the vintages on the barbarescos). It has good structure, is pretty full and brings a nice velvety texture to the table. You really get a nice sense of the range that decent Nebbiolo in this neighborhood can offer. I picked up floral (eg violets) and vanilla hints. It also has a nice backdrop of spiciness.
2. Produttori del Barbaresco-This was, if memory serves, the 2000 vintage from winemaker Aldo Vacca. It has balance, but just didn't leap out at me.
3. DeForville Barbaresco-I believe that this was a 2000 as well, and I actually did not care for it at all. It seemed too acidic on the tongue and it had a kind of stinky floral quality on the nose that I find sometimes in, for instance, certain Rhone reds. Jay, the Southern Season wine guru, described it as earthy, with a farmhouse quality. Well...
4. Cordero di Montezemlo Monfalleto Barolo-This is a 2000. Certainly not a classic year, but a good, solid Barolo that is destined to accompany a hearty braise with risotto on a cold and rainy night, probably around January.
5. Abbona Barolo Terlo Ravera-This is a '99, which is one of the better barolo vintages (in my not-so-humble opinion) in that stretch. Very nice and balanced, good range on the nose and palate, and capable of a few years improvement. I bought two bottles to test that hypothesis.
On the way back the wife and I stopped off to see if Bin 54, Chapel Hill's new high-end steak house, is open. It is, and we decided to try it out. We had a 2002 Rudd Oakville Estate (a bordeaux type blend with Cabernet Sauvignon at the wheel). It is another of the excellent 2002 California Cab or Cab blends. It is superb, with beautiful fruit, a wonderful range and a dazzling liveliness. Unlike any of the wines I had at the tastng, this one exhibited great length. I already have 2 of Rudd's 2002 Oakville Estate Grown Cabernets resting in my wine collection, and now I want more and will no doubt be having a harder and harder time leaving alone the ones I already have.
Bin 54 is pricey, but the food was excellent. I had a New York Strip steak. It was my first experience with Kobe beef. This was domestic Kobe beef from Snake River Farms. I asked for it medium-rare (the perfect choice, as it turned out, for the Kobe beef) and Bin 54 delivered the perfect medium-rare steak.
And, as for that Kobe beef, my god: it is simply amazing. It's like butter. No, it's like buddddaaaah. Ooooooh mommy: the marbling is so pervasize, consistent and smooth that you find yourself hoping that you will die suddenly at the end of the steak, if only to make your final exit with that taste in your mouth. It melts in your mouth, has the most creamy quality, and is actually slightly sweet. As I noted, the Rudd had great length (that was obvious before the main course arrived), but the richness of the Kobe beef simply overwhelmed it. In fact, I don't think I could have much more than the 12 oz cut the restaurant served: it's just too hopelessly rich.
After all, I'm a man for whom restraint means something. Not much. But certainly something.
Nonetheless, the Rudd did very nicely alongside this glorious gift from Japan.
Bin 54 offers a lot of nice little touches, such as their extremely flavorful frenchfries which are deep fried in duck fat (among other things...or so I was told). I would describe them as slightly more addictive than heroin. As you can probably already guess, in taste and writing, subtle I am not.
The service was excellent and the sommelier was very helpful. I wish they had had a late harvest Riesling for after dinner, but by way of consolation I was introduced to a high-end '73 white port, which had a really nice nuttiness on the nose and was, unsurprisingly, very, very smooth.
Buy into the 2002 California Cabs (if you at all can) and try Bin 54 in Chapel Hill. And, for God's sake, before you die, have yourself a Kobe beef steak.
Posted by dag at 2:01 PM | Comments (1)
October 27, 2005
New Blog
After a great deal of careful thinking, I have decided to bring back Aging Disgracefully.
I needed a hiatus, and have decided that Aging Disgracefully needs a new focus. Out with the current events, politics and economics: I want a refuge from all of that. I think I will now focus more on the whole lifetsyle of a disgracefully aging gentleman. Initially, the last incarnation of Aging Disgraceully had achieved some balance between its various focus areas, but somehow I drifted away from that as time passed. Therefore, I want to re-focus more specifically on the key elements that make my daily life work (and not work). As part of this, I have added a new section (My Growing-and Alarming-Attraction to Pottery Barn) to document the ongoing saga that has been our new home, including my frightening forays into my metrosexual side as I make decisions about things like interior decoration (not that there's anything wrong with that). In the next few weeks my new posts will be mingled with old ones that seemed particularly relevant to the new focus.
Though this is just the latest incarnation of Aging Disgracefully, it still it feels like a new beginning. Once again, I'm moved to quote verse:
How happy is the blameless vestal's lot!
The world forgetting, by the world forgot.
Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind!
Each pray'r accepted, and each wish resign'd;
Labour and rest, that equal periods keep;
"Obedient slumbers that can wake and weep;"
Desires compos'd, affections ever ev'n,
Tears that delight, and sighs that waft to Heav'n.
Grace shines around her with serenest beams,
And whisp'ring angels prompt her golden dreams.
For her th' unfading rose of Eden blooms,
And wings of seraphs shed divine perfumes,
For her the Spouse prepares the bridal ring,
For her white virgins hymeneals sing,
To sounds of heav'nly harps she dies away,
And melts in visions of eternal day.
-Alexander Pope
Posted by dag at 8:05 PM