Happy Graduation to Allison Kallsen. Thanks to Jason and Allison for
a very fun party on Friday. Lots of intersting wine, cheese, conversation.
Thanks to Warren and Ruth for hosting the somewhat annual memorial day BBQ.
Had a bit of a run on corked bottles, but Ruth and "Big Polish" Bob rescued
us w/ a trip to his cellar.
Arezzo was great fun. Pizza was a bit austere, but the pasta, primis,
dessert were wonderful. Not sure what those crabby critics (too bad I
took Dara off of the list.) were complaining about. I hope we
can go back.
We're going to JP's this Thursday.
We won't be sitting back by the kitchen.
Please remember your stems!
Style Du Jour are things that are very ready. e.g. you
were hoping to open them by 2003... Should be fun.
(guess list, not to be confused w/ the guest list.)
Betsy
Bob
Lori
Russ
Jim
Nicolai
Karin
Warren/Ruth
Bill
Dave
JP's American Bistro
2937 S. Lyndale 55408
(612) 824-9300
Cheers,
Jim
----- Forwarded message from "l.ames(a)juno.com" <l.ames(a)juno.com> -----
From: "l.ames(a)juno.com" <l.ames(a)juno.com>
Date: Thu, 26 May 2005 00:31:51 GMT
To: wine(a)thebarn.com
Subject: [wine] Morel-Bayport
JLE: Morel Fest- Bring a wine that goes w/ Morels. Most things from
Piedmont (Barolo for example. <grin>) Burgundy is an other fine choice.
I believe the time is 5:00, the limit is 14 (magnums?), and the cost is $55
plus $5 per person in lieu of corkage.
Here is the latest list of participants:
Lori
Betsy
Bob
Nathan/Louise
Jim/Louise
Nicolai
Dave
Annette
Bill
Warren
Maybe-
Russ/Sue?? (blue grass bound)
James/other-to be confirmed yet
Brian M.
Lee S. (putting the High in Highland Park)
Let me know if any changes.
Lori
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----- End forwarded message -----
--
------------------------------ *
* Dr. James Lee Ellingson, Adjunct Professor jellings(a)me.umn.edu *
* University of Minnesota, tel: 651/645-0753 fax 651 XXX XXXX *
* Great Lakes Brewing News, 1569 Laurel Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104 *
Here is the latest list of participants:
Lori
Betsy
Bob
Nathan/Louise
Jim/Louise
Nicolai
Dave
Annette
Bill
Warren
Russ/Sue??
James/other-to be confirmed yet
Maybe-
Brian M.
Lee S.
Let me know if any changes.
Lori
___________________________________________________________________
Get Juno Platinum for as low as $4.97/month!
Unlimited Internet Access with 250MB of Email Storage.
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Greetings,
Bob has arranged for us to go to Arezzo this week.
Wine area of focus is Tuscany. Arezzo is a town SE of Florence.
Reservation is for 10 people at 6:30 on Thursday. We're at a large
round table, so we NEED TO LET THEM KNOW if we will be more than 10, less
than 8. Bob has negotiated a $5 per person charge in
leu of corkage. Menu is on line. Wine list is not on line....
Prices are reasonable, w/ $10-12 pizza and most entrees (Primi) under $20.
Who? (mostly guesses)
Bob
Lori
Betsy
Bill
Janet
Russ
Jim
Nicolai
On Friday, we're invited to Jason and Angella Kalsen's.
Couples bring one sparkling and one bagged/blind pinot and
a wedge of good cheese. Singles skip the sparkling.
Jason Angela Kallsen
651-690-2513
1906 Palace Ave, off Prior, S. of Grand
jkallsen(a)cpinternet.com
Sam's new wine shop is open:
NOW OPEN
Greetings Wine Lover,
Thanks for you interest in Sam's Washington Avenue Wine Shop.
Beginning today, Monday May 23rd, at 4pm we are officially OPEN FOR
BUSINESS!
Please call if you have any questions. Our address is 218 Washington
Avenue N. in the Minneapolis warehouse district.
We hope to see you soon,
Sam's Washington Avenue Wine Shop
218 Washington Avenue N., Minneapolis, MN 55401 Free Parking Available
ph.612.455.1045 fx.612.455.1048
www.samswineshop.com
----- Forwarded message from The 30 Second Wine Advisor <wine(a)wineloverspage.com> -----
THE 30 SECOND WINE ADVISOR, Friday, May 20, 2005
________________________________________________________________________
TODAY'S SPONSOR:
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Pick your wine tour deal to France; enjoy free in-store tastings in
selected US cities!
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________________________________________________________________________
IN THIS ISSUE
* CAN ZIN BE TAMED? Does anybody remember Zin that's not a 14.5 percent
alcohol blockbuster?
* NALLE 2002 SONOMA COUNTY DRY CREEK VALLEY ZINFANDEL ($19.99) Balanced
and complex, alcohol held in restraint, an exceptionally classy Zin.
* PEACHY CANYON WINERY 2002 PASO ROBLES "INCREDIBLE RED" BIN 115
ZINFANDEL ($10.99) On the simple side, but rational alcohol levels,
plenty of berry fruit and lemon-squirt acidity make it a very good
value.
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CAN ZIN BE TAMED?
I've been spending a fair amount of time recently in wine shops,
standing in front of the Zinfandel shelves and working my way along the
rows, in alphabetical order, picking up one bottle after another and
scrutinizing the fine print. My quixotic quest - and it has proven more
difficult than I anticipated - was to find a few quality Zinfandels (not
cheap industrial stuff but real, red Zin) made with less than a hefty 14
percent alcohol.
Blame climate change or blame the big-name critics, but Zinfandel in
recent years seems to be following much the same road that California
Chardonnay went down during the '90s: Bigger and bigger, stronger and
stronger, fatter and fatter ... and less and less appealing to me.
I've always found Zin a little difficult to warm up to, anyway - a
failing that is more mine than it is Zin's, frankly, attributable to my
preference for more traditional European wine styles that balance fruit
and earth and celebrate complexity and finesse. There's a lot to like in
Zin's exuberant fruit, but it does tend to fall among the most "New
World" of wines.
And the more that Zinfandels evolved into gigantic, blockbuster "fruit
bombs" with Port-like alcohol and liquorous heat, the less I liked them,
except perhaps as intriguing oddities, sort of like the calf with two
heads in the carnival sideshow.
But this attitude wars with my natural tendency to discover as many of
the world's wines as I can, and to try to appreciate them all. So, I
concluded, why not look for the outliers, the maverick Zin-makers who
still fashion the wine in the way their grandfathers did, taking
advantage of Zin's fruit but shaping it in a wine that can still be
enjoyed at the dinner table. The logical way to do this would be to seek
out Zins made by quality producers in good vintages that claimed less
than 14 percent alcohol on the label. To make things even more
challenging, I set a price limit: No high-end, single-vineyard treasures
from "cult" producers. My target wines must retail for $20 or less.
It took a while, but I finally came up with two: A delightfully fresh
and balanced Zin in the $20 range from NALLE in Sonoma, and a good-value
number that's the low-end offering (and lightest in alcohol) from PEACHY
CANYON in Paso Robles. Both reminded me of Zin the way I remember it:
Fruity, of course, even jammy in the case of the Peachy Canyon, but both
enjoyable and approachable and, best of all, good dinner wines that
enhanced but didn't overwhelm the food on the table.
________________________________________________________________________
PRINT OUT TODAY'S ARTICLE
Here's a simply formatted copy of today's Wine Advisor, designed to be
printed out for your scrapbook or file or downloaded to your PDA or
other wireless device.
http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvisor1/print050520.html
________________________________________________________________________
TALK ABOUT WINE ONLINE
If you'd like to ask a question or comment on today's topic (or any
other wine-related subject), you'll find a round-table online discussion
in our interactive Wine Lovers' Discussion Group, where you're always
welcome to join in the conversations about wine.
http://www.myspeakerscorner.com/forum/index.phtml?fn=1&tid=61616&mid=528053
If you prefer to comment privately, feel free to send me E-mail at
wine(a)wineloverspage.com. I'll respond personally to the extent that time
and volume permit.
________________________________________________________________________
NALLE 2002 SONOMA COUNTY DRY CREEK VALLEY ZINFANDEL ($19.99)
This very dark reddish-purple wine breathes luscious, typically Zin
"bramble fruit" aromas of blackberries and raspberries, with a faint,
pleasantly herbal back note that adds complexity. Fresh and juicy berry
fruit flavors are well balanced by zippy acidity. Mouth-filling but no
blockbuster, it's made at a relatively rational 13.5 percent alcohol, a
moderate level by Zin standards and an approach that, in my opinion,
makes it a better table wine. (May 17, 2005)
FOOD MATCH: Works very well indeed with rare steak heavily crusted with
black pepper and touched with a soy-based Asian-style sauce.
VALUE: A bit above everyday price ranges for Zinfandel, but balance and
finesse make it a good-value Zin for me.
WHEN TO DRINK: Cellaring Zinfandel is a controversial topic. I'm in the
drink-it-young camp and would advise finishing it off by its fifth
birthday.
WEB LINK
The Nalle Website includes details about the wines; online ordering is
available where the law allows.
http://www.nallewinery.com/
FIND THIS WINE ONLINE:
Search the Wine-Searcher.com databases for Nalle Zinfandels:
http://www.wine-searcher.com/find/Nalle%2bZinfandel/-/-/USD/A?referring_sit…
________________________________________________________________________
PEACHY CANYON WINERY 2002 PASO ROBLES "INCREDIBLE RED" BIN 115
ZINFANDEL ($10.99)
Very dark purple with bright reddish-violet glints. Although it's on the
simple side, its fresh mixed-berry scent is natural and appealing. Very
ripe and jammy berry flavors are built on acidity sufficient to hold it
together; in fact, it tightens up nicely with a good tangy squirt of
lemon in the finish. Not too big to marry well with food, but its lush,
exuberant fruit makes it a natural for sipping as an aperitif. (May 19,
2005)
FOOD MATCH: It's not Italian, but it might as well have been for its
amiable pairing with spaghetti and ground-buffalo meatballs in Italian-
American "gravy."
VALUE: One of the better Zin buys around in the $10 range.
WHEN TO DRINK: This is one to enjoy while it's fruity and fresh. No
rush, but I'd slurp it up over the next year or two.
WEB LINK
The Peachy Canyon Website offers in-depth information about the winery
and its wines, including wine club and online sales where the law
allows.
http://www.peachycanyon.com/
FIND THIS WINE ONLINE:
Look up vendors and check prices for Peachy Canyon on Wine-Searcher.com:
http://www.wine-searcher.com/find/Peachy%2bCanyon/-/-/USD/A?referring_site=…
________________________________________________________________________
MAISON DE LA FRANCE AND WINES OF FRANCE
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Provence regions with Air France!
Experience French Wine in the US!
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- Pick your wine tour deals to France!
- Learn the latest news from the French Vineyards
- Explore the French Vineyards
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All the wine-tasting reports posted here are
consumer-oriented. In order to maintain objectivity and avoid conflicts of interest,
I purchase all the wines I rate at my own expense in retail stores and accept no samples, gifts or other gratuities from the wine industry.
Friday, May 20, 2005
Copyright 2005 by Robin Garr. All rights reserved.
----- End forwarded message -----
--
------------------------------ *
* Dr. James Lee Ellingson, Adjunct Professor jellings(a)me.umn.edu *
* University of Minnesota, tel: 651/645-0753 fax 651 XXX XXXX *
* Great Lakes Brewing News, 1569 Laurel Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104 *
Gang:
I recieved a FREE pass for two to tongith's All Gone Pete Tong
movie at Lagoon (preview showing). I'm already booked for the
Jungle play - any one interested? drop me an email and
I'll forward you the pass to print out (they never check IDs).
- Karin
IT'S ALL GONE PETE TONG - Lagoon Cinema
Everything about DJ Frankie Wilde's (Paul Kaye) life was over the top:
the clubs, the parties, the women and the drugs. But years of pounding
music and heavy toxins took their toll, eventually leaving Frankie
stone deaf. Determined to pull himself together, Frankie hired a
lip-reading instructor, accepted a new way of life and rediscovered
the dance rhythms that had defined him. And then he disappeared. A
hilarious insider's look at a club and rave culture most people never
get to experience, writer/director Michael Dowse's mockumentary won
the Best Feature & Best Actor awards at the U.S. Comedy Arts Festival.
(The phrase "it's all gone Pete Tong" is Cockney rhyming slang that
plays off the name of superstar DJ Pete Tong. It means "it's all gone
wrong.") Rated R for pervasive drug and alcohol abuse, language and
some sexual content/nudity.90 minutes. In Dolby Digital Stereo. Shows
at the Lagoon daily at 2:10, 4:50, 7:20 and 9:30.
http://www.itsallgonepetetong.com/
I'd intended to send this on w/ the original post.
Thanks to Karin for reminding me.
Cheers,
Jim
Arezzo Ristorante
612 285-7444
5057 France Ave S, Minneapolis, 55410
www.arezzo-ristorante.com
--
------------------------------ *
* Dr. James Lee Ellingson, Adjunct Professor jellings(a)me.umn.edu *
* University of Minnesota, tel: 651/645-0753 fax 651 XXX XXXX *
* Great Lakes Brewing News, 1569 Laurel Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104 *
Here is the list I have for reservations for Sunday June 5th at 5:30p. Dinner is $55 plus $5 per head for corkage.
Lori
Besty
Bob
Jim/Louise
Nathan/Louise
Nicolai
Dave
Annette S.
Another couple Bob invited-I'll confirm their names!
Brian M-maybe
Lee S-big maybe-moving weekend
No-Roger-out of town
The wine will be Burgundy and Piedmont.
There is room for more. Please let me know by Friday 5/27.
Thanks-Lori
___________________________________________________________________
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Mostly an update on the guest lists.
Also, an article on CA Rhonse from the LATimes
----- Forwarded message from "Jim L. Ellingson" <jellings(a)me.umn.edu> -----
Date: Tue, 17 May 2005 10:08:41 -0500
From: "Jim L. Ellingson" <jellings(a)me.umn.edu>
To: wine(a)thebarn.com
Subject: Auriga Wines at Auriga, Bobino Brunch
User-Agent: Mutt/1.5.4i
Greetings,
Had a wonderful time at chez gregory. Thanks to Warren/Ruth/Princess
This Thursday, Auriga style wines at Auriga. If you
think it's a good fit for the menu, bring it.
no corkage
18% will be added to the bill.
10 percent tax zone.
1/3 rule barely covers it.
Yes
Bob
Betsy
Russ
Guess:
Lori
Roger
Nicolai
Karin
Sunday Noon, Brunch at Bobino. 14 and counting...
Champagne w/ the usual "rules" about ringers and supporting bottles (dessert, pinot...)
Bring flutes....
Yes
Joyce
Roger
Dave
Bob
Betsy
Lori
Jim/Louise
Russ/Sue
Warren/Ruth
Maryellen/Peter
Cheers,
Jim
http://www.latimes.com/features/food/la-fo-wine18may18,1,2598505.story?coll…
WINE & SPIRITS
Rh�ne kicks up its heels
By Patrick J. Comiskey
Special to The Times
May 18, 2005
It's safe to say that the Hospice du Rh�ne is the only major wine festival in the world that kicks off with a bowling tournament. And the bowling . between glasses of C�te R�tie, Pic St. Loup and Aussie old-vine Grenache, or local Syrahs and Grenache ros�s (or bottles of Corona and the occasional shots of Hornitos) . is extremely competitive. Participating wineries routinely bring in hotshot bowlers to work harvest just so they can gain an upper hand at the tournament the following spring. The bowling trophy is as coveted as it is garish (the winning team gets to add its own touches to the existing pastiche); two years ago it was kidnapped and retooled with beer-top pasties on its bowling-pin bust line. The culprits were never found, but certain French producers not known for their bowling skills are the prime suspects.
In an industry that takes itself far too seriously, Hospice du Rh�ne is a Central Coast antidote. The event, which ended Saturday, is an annual homage to the wines and the laid-back vibe of Rh�ne varieties.
Each spring, producers from France, Italy, Spain, South Africa, Australia and the States gather in Paso Robles for a weekend of unabashed, geeky conviviality, inspired perhaps by the wines themselves, many of which are known for their approachability. "Rh�ne wines are not stuck-up," says Gigondas producer Louis Barruol of St. Cosme. "They are friendly; in the glass they come to you and jump on your nose."
In full possession of nose-jumping friendliness, Hospice du Rh�ne has officially hit its stride. This year more than 2,500 people attended to taste the wares of more than 200 producers with well over a thousand wines on hand, all made from Rh�ne varieties. Thirteen years ago, when the event got its start, most of these varieties were completely unknown in this country. "We think it's reached a point," says John Alban of Alban Vineyards, one of the event's founders, "where you can't separate Hospice du Rh�ne from the Rh�ne movement in this country."
It might be a movement now, but even in France, Rh�ne variety wines had long been obscure, neglected and often ignored, and marketing them to the wine-drinking world was an uphill battle. Vines have been planted in the southeastern region of the country since Roman times, but Rh�ne has never been the sort of place where the varieties were limited to a well-known few, as in Burgundy or Bordeaux. Indeed, more than 20 are produced here; the most famous is Syrah, but there are plenty of obscurities in the ground as well, with names like Bourboulenc, Ugni Blanc and Picpoul. Even its most celebrated white, Viognier, possesses the sort of French name that most Americans won't even dare to pronounce (it's vee-own-yay). And Condrieu (con-dree-ew), the Northern Rh�ne appellation where that grape often achieves its best expression, isn't any easier.
But that is the wine with which both Alban and his founding partner Mat Garretson had their respective wine epiphanies. Alban was in California at the time finishing up a winemaking degree at UC Davis; Garretson was working at a wine shop in Gainesville, Ga. In Alban's case, he was so overcome that he moved to Condrieu to work with anyone who would take him, and stayed for four harvests. He returned with vine cuttings, and when in 1989 he finished planting his vineyard, a 32-acre block in the Edna Valley, he had doubled the acreage for Viognier in the world.
Garretson, meanwhile, had founded a rather vague promotional entity called the Viognier Guild. When Alban learned about it, he says, "I told him that that is positively the most preposterous thing I think I've heard all year, and can I be member No. 1? I was taken in by him because I knew he had no hope for success." Garretson threw his first event in Georgia in 1993. "There were 35 wines and 20 people," says Garretson, but one of those present was Alban, who convinced Garretson that any subsequent celebrations should take place in California, where he might find a more like-minded crowd. Garretson, who since has started a winery bearing his name, moved out west, and settled on Paso Robles as the venue.
Fanatics welcome
Trying to persuade winemakers from, say, Barossa or Hermitage to come to a cow town in Central California and pour their Reserve and Library wines . oh, and bring your bowling shoes . was an endeavor that met with a fair amount of derision. But, says Alban, hardship was part of the point. "It's not convenient to come here," he says. "You've really got to be dedicated. We insist upon fanaticism, but hopefully we make it worth your while."
Hospice derives its name from Hospice du Beaune, the famous wine festival and lavish benefit auction in Burgundy, and like its namesake, Hospice du Rh�ne has an auction, albeit tiny and possibly more manic. Like other festival events, it is held at Paso Robles' California Mid-State Fairgrounds, a locale that might as well be the anti-Meadowood (the manicured setting for the Napa wine auction). Hospice seminars are held in cavernous corrugated fairgrounds warehouses that serve as horse paddocks and roller rinks in other months. Meals are served family-style on picnic tables lined by a mock Western town square that carries endorsements from Food 4 Less and Budweiser.
But people don't spend a lot of time dwelling on their surroundings. At one of four morning seminars, you can sample verticals and vineyard designates from the finest, hottest, most cutting-edge producers of Rh�ne varieties in the world. Michel Chapoutier has made several visits here, as have Ch�teau de Beaucastel's Fran�ois Perrin and Ch�teau la Nerthe's Alain Dugas, both from Ch�teauneuf-du-Pape, as well as emergent stars from the region such as Yves Cuilleron, Fran�ois Villard, and Yves Gangloff.
>From Australia, Dave Powell of Torbreck has led vertical tastings of old vine Grenaches and Shirazes. So has Chester Osborne of d'Arenberg, and Ron Laughton of Jasper Hill. And of course, many of the local winemakers who have spearheaded the Rh�ne movement in California are on hand, including Alban, Qup�'s Bob Lindquist, Andrew Murray and Steve Edmunds of Edmunds St. John. Much attention is paid to the minutiae of growing and winemaking . yields, clones, trellising, and so on . so you can get your geek on if you want to. But it's really about what's in the glass. This year the great Spanish producer Alvaro Palacios was on hand to taste through nine of his old vine Priorat bottlings . an unforgettable way to spend a Saturday morning.
Alban and Garretson are winemakers, not event coordinators, and Hospice du Rh�ne has seen years of epic disorganization. There were late lunches, lost wines, long lines, nonexistent service, ugly T-shirts, ice shortages, extremes of heat and cold and many other snafus. For years, it seemed that they'd have to commit every logistical mistake at least once in order for it not to be repeated.
Perhaps the worst occurred in 1997, their first year at the fairgrounds, when Alban and Garretson stood in a room where there had been a tasting gazing on rows of tables filled with thousands of dirty glasses. "And I said to Mat," says Alban, " 'So which part of the fairgrounds has the dishwasher?' "
Of course there was none, and the glasses had to be reused the next morning. So they called all of their friends who had restaurants in town and asked if they could come in and use their dishwashers.
"Then," says Alban, "we got out a calculator, counted the glasses and concluded that if we worked through the night, we might be done by 6 a.m."
In 2000, Vicki Carroll, the former director of the Edna Valley Vintner's Assn., came on board. With a network of volunteers and the know-how to ward off disasters, she's managed to apply a bit of polish on what will always be a fairly scruffy affair. And so while it still feels a bit seat-of-the-pants, it's smoothly run. Packages and tickets to next year's Hospice events, which include tastings and seminars, will be available to the public through http://www.hospicedurhone.com , (805) 784-9543.
"Hospice du Rh�ne is the ultimate illustration of that idea that anything worth doing is worth doing poorly," says Alban. "The idea of championing these wines with an event was so worthwhile, that even though we were thoroughly inept at its execution, it was bound to succeed."
*
(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)
The buzz of the festival
The new and upcoming releases that created the most excitement at the Hospice du Rh�ne last weekend in Paso Robles:
2003 Qup� Bien Nacido Vineyard Hillside Estate Roussanne. An ethereal new release from young vines on Bien Nacido's hilltop plantings. Will be available in mid-June at Duke of Bourbon in Canoga Park, Wally's Wine and Spirits in West L.A. and Hi-Time Wine Cellars in Costa Mesa, about $40; http://www.qupe.com .
2003 Core Blend 442. A spicy blend of Mourv�dre, Grenache and Syrah from a high-elevation vineyard in Santa Barbara County. Available June 1 at the Cheesestore of Silverlake, the Cheese Store of Beverly Hills and Wine House in West L.A., about $26; http://www.corewine.com .
2003 Big Basin Vineyards Rattlesnake Rock Syrah. Smoky, bracing, cool weather Syrah from the Santa Cruz Mountains. Available in November at Twenty Twenty Wine Merchants in West L.A. and Wade's Wines in Westlake Village, about $48; http://www.bigbasinvineyards.com .
2003 Pax Wine Cellars Alder Springs "The Terraces" Syrah. A brooding, meaty, tightly wound Syrah from Mendocino County, with aromas of violets and leather. Available only through the winery, about $75 (707) 591-0782; www.paxwines.com.
--
------------------------------ *
* Dr. James Lee Ellingson, Adjunct Professor jellings(a)me.umn.edu *
* University of Minnesota, tel: 651/645-0753 fax 651 XXX XXXX *
* Great Lakes Brewing News, 1569 Laurel Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104 *
Sunday Noon, Brunch at Bobino.
Champagne (as in Real honest to Gadot French Champagne)
w/ the usual "rules" about ringers and supporting bottles (dessert, pinot...)
Bring flutes....
Joyce has arranged for no corkage. We'll order off of the menu.
Not sure about the 18% gratuity for larger groups. Current reservation
is for 10 people.
One review suggested they don't take checks. So either bring cash
or a credit card, or call ahead to figure out it they'll take your check.
The list of restaurants that takes checks is short and getting shorter all
the time.
Joyce needs to update the head count by noon on Friday. PLEASE let
her/Bob/The list know if you plan to attend. Telling me on a Thursday
night isn't sufficient. I don't carry those notes around, nor do I remember.
Yes
Joyce
Roger
Dave
Bob
Betsy
Lori
Jim/Louise
Russ/Sue
Warren/Ruth
Maybe??
Bill
Nikolai
Karin
Cheers,
Jim
December 11, 2002
Sipping Champagnes at $40 or Less
By FRANK J. PRIAL
CHAMPAGNE is the wine of legends: the widow Clicquot setting off for St. Petersburg in a coach and four with her case of samples. Edward VII's servant following him around the golf course with a bottle at the ready; his son George V serving Pol Roger in magnums to the seven reigning monarchs of Europe after his father's funeral; Mo�t & Chandon sending a trainload of Champagne to the San Francisco earthquake survivors.
With less intrigue perhaps but no shortage of seasonal enthusiasm, the Dining section's tasting panel sipped and nosed its way through 26 nonvintage brut Champagnes last week, all costing $40 or less. Still, Champagne being what it is, some of the panelists supplied their own romance.
Amanda Hesser imagined tasting her Champagne with cured ham. Eric Asimov opted instead for sushi, or fried chicken. Well, to each his own. In addition to Ms. Hesser, Mr. Asimov and me, our panel was joined by Howard Horvath, the wine director at Esca in Manhattan.
As esteemed as Champagne may be, we all agreed that Champagne was, strangely enough, underrated. Its unmatched status as a wine for celebrations has also kept it confined to parties. "It goes well with lots of different foods," Mr. Asimov said. "Champagne has been pigeonholed." Mr. Horvath quickly chimed in, "And that is a mistake."
Most Champagnes are nonvintage. Instead of using a wine of a single year, they are complex blends that can contain wine from 20 different vintages and as many vineyards. Winemakers manipulate the blends until they achieve the qualities they are seeking, whether light-bodied, heavy-bodied, fruity, yeasty or somewhere in the middle. In all those nonvintage blends, all the big houses blend toward a norm, seeking consistency year after year. These Champagnes do not have the same individuality that vintage Champagnes have, and after a while the panel felt a bit panicky trying to find different terms to describe the often subtle differences between bottles.
What we were looking for from these nonvintage brut Champagnes was freshness and liveliness, and from a good many of them, that's what we got. "I wouldn't refuse any of these," Mr. Horvath said, and Ms. Hesser echoed that sentiment, saying, "They're all perfectly drinkable." We also all agreed that a few of them did leap out, and that the prices were right.
Even though Champagne is a complicated wine to make, it remains relatively inexpensive. While it is possible to spend $250 on a bottle of Dom P�rignon ros� or $300 on an older bottle of Krug Clos du Mesnil, in our recent tasting the most expensive bottle was a Ruinart at $40. Average price per bottle was $29.60. Vintage Champagnes are invariably higher priced, but even with their proliferation in recent years, most houses base their reputations on their nonvintage wines.
"Brut," the most common style of Champagne, means raw or untreated in French, and indicates that the Champagne is dry, that it contains little or no added sweetness. Paradoxically, "extra dry" Champagne is sweeter than brut, and "sec," which means dry, is sweeter than extra dry. A Champagne even drier than brut might be called "brut nature" or, in one case, "brut sauvage."
Our tasting panel was generally enthusiastic about the Champagnes we tasted. Our favorite, garnering 3 1/2 stars on our 0-to-4-star scale, was a Louis Roederer Premier Cuv�e R�serve at $32.50. Two wines received three stars, Bollinger Sp�cial Cuv�e, also $32.50, and the Nicolas Feuillate Gold Label Premier Cru at $23. This Feuillate also was chosen the tasting's best value.
The Roederer and Bollinger wines were consensus winners, a rarity among our generally contentious group. The Roederer was an elegant wine with, Mr. Asimov said, "power, finesse and complexity, yet with a creamy texture to it." Ms. Hesser described it memorably as "taut and springy." The Bollinger, as Bollingers often do, "mixed power and grace" and, Mr. Horvath said, displayed attractive "toasty" aromas. I called it brawny, but with a touch of elegance.
It's worth noting that Champagne is made only in the Champagne district of France, 90 miles east of Paris. "La" Champagne is the region; "le" Champagne is the wine. Once it was common to use the name Champagne on wines made anywhere from California to the Crimea, but the European Union cracked down, threatening trade sanctions against offenders. It also banned the use of the term "m�thode champenoise" to describe sparkling wines made with the same techniques used in Champagne.
This represents an understandable but slightly holier-than-thou attitude on the part of the Champagne producers, who once had to contend with riots over their illegal use of grapes trucked in from other parts of France and who still buy and affix their labels to bottled Champagne purchased from other producers within the region.
Five of our nonvintage bruts took home 2 1/2 stars, and in describing almost all of them, the terms that kept popping up were "lemony" and "toasty." Of the three ros�s we tasted, two received 2 1/2 stars: a Jacquesson & Fils ($37) and another Nicolas Feuillate ($30). It was also eye-pleasing to see some salmon-colored liquid in a sea of straw-colored glasses.
The Jacquesson I particularly liked. I thought it had extra body, and then said it had that je ne sais quoi. Luckily, my panel mates didn't ask me exactly what I meant.
Ms. Hesser enjoyed the crisp flavor of the Feuillate ros�. A total of 11 Champagnes made our chart below, with three wines tied at two stars apiece: A Laurent-Perrier ($30), Veuve Clicquot ($36), and from Mo�t & Chandon, its Brut Imp�rial ($36).
At our tasting, some of the bottles were poured into Champagne flutes, others wound up in wine glasses. Writing recently in Gourmet magazine, the critic Gerald Asher quotes Jean-Herv� Chiquet, one of the two managers of Jacquesson & Fils, on the use of the flute. "Flutes are pretty," Mr. Chiquet told him, "and they are fine for looking at the tiny bubbles. But to fully appreciate a Champagne as a wine, you must use a wine glass."
I have long felt the same, and our rather ambitious tasting confirmed that view. We ran out of flutes and employed about eight standard wine glasses. We found that they made judging the wines much easier. They were easier to fill and drink from and rarely tipped over. If nothing else, they were certainly easier to stick one's nose into to smell the wine. And they retained the wines' bouquets longer than the flutes.
Still, the flutes are more attractive. And since few Champagne drinkers are seriously evaluating the wines, there is no compelling reason to switch. And flutes are themselves a vast improvement over the flat short-stemmed glasses still favored in Hollywood films and on cruise ships. They are for shrimp cocktails, not good Champagne.
Tasting Report: Sometimes Light, Sometimes Full-Bodied, but Always Lively
Louis Roederer $32.50 *** 1/2
Brut Premier Cuv�e R�serve
High praise from all: Frank J. Prial called it elegant, and Eric Asimov found power, finesse and complexity. Taut and springy, Amanda Hesser said, while Howard Horvath detected good acidity and aromas of fruit and vanilla.
Bollinger Brut Sp�cial Cuv�e $32.50 ***
Another consensus winner, mixing power and grace: Hesser likened it to a ripe persimmon. Asimov found it full-bodied yet fresh and exuberant. Brawny but elegant, Prial said. Horvath liked the toasty aromas.
BEST VALUE
Nicolas Feuillate $23 ***
Gold Label Premier Cru
Hesser and Asimov were big fans of this one. Asimov called it lively with a long finish, while Hesser called it clean and crisp. Horvath enjoyed its freshness, but Prial found it merely correct, with no faults.
Piper Heidsieck $28 ** 1/2
Beautiful and well balanced, Horvath said, and Prial liked its body and long finish. Asimov found it pleasant, with a yeasty aroma, but not complex.
Taittinger Brut La Fran�aise $29 ** 1/2
Hesser found it dynamic, full, clear and powerful. Asimov liked its finesse and long finish. Prial called it harmonious, but for Horvath, it was too sweet.
Guy Larmandier $28 ** 1/2
Premier Cru � Vertus
Asimov and Horvath found it lively and well balanced. Prial called it attractive and liked its touch of sweetness. A pretty Champagne, Hesser said.
Jacquesson & Fils Ros� $37 ** 1/2
Prial found extra body and substance. Asimov detected an herbal complexity in the flavor, and Horvath liked the combination of fruit and acidity. He felt this would go well with chocolate. Hesser called it bitter and fragmented.
Nicolas Feuillate $30 ** 1/2
Ros� Premier Cru
Perhaps influenced by the pale red color, Hesser, Horvath and Asimov detected raspberry and strawberry aromas. Asimov liked the full body, Hesser and Horvath the crisp flavors. But Prial found a flat middle.
Laurent-Perrier Brut L.P. $30 **
Light-bodied and fresh, Asimov said. Prial, too, liked the body and texture, while Horvath found clean grapefruit notes. Hesser settled for clean and nice.
Veuve Clicquot $36 **
Prial called it big-bodied and substantial, while Horvath, who pegged it as Veuve Clicquot, detected peach and apricot flavors. Hesser found it pleasant with some sweetness, and Asimov, too, tasted a little sweetness.
Mo�t & Chandon Brut Imp�rial $36 **
Vivacious, springs out of the glass, Prial said. Asimov liked the soft, light bubbles, floral aromas and long finish. Toasty, with citrus notes, Horvath said. But Hesser found it dense and bitter.
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------------------------------ *
* Dr. James Lee Ellingson, Adjunct Professor jellings(a)me.umn.edu *
* University of Minnesota, tel: 651/645-0753 fax 651 XXX XXXX *
* Great Lakes Brewing News, 1569 Laurel Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104 *
Greetings,
Had a wonderful time at chez gregory. Thanks to Warren/Ruth/Princess
This Thursday, Auriga style wines at Auriga. If you
think it's a good fit for the menu, bring it.
no corkage
18% will be added to the bill.
10 percent tax zone.
1/3 rule barely covers it.
Yes
Bob
Betsy
Russ
Jim
Guess:
Lori
Roger
Nicolai
Karin
Later/Maybe
Louise
Sunday, Brunch at Bobino.
Champagne w/ the usual "rules" about ringers and supporting bottles (dessert, pinot...)
Bring flutes....
Look for a seperate message.
Yes
Joyce
Dave
Bob
Betsy
Lori
Bill
Jim/Louise
Russ/Sue
Warren/Ruth
Nikolai
Karin
Cheers,
Jim
May 17, 2005
>From New York to California, Vintners Draw Up New Plans
By JENNIFER STEINHAUER
Sounds of joy - not yet drunken - flowed from the wine cellars of Long Island yesterday after the Supreme Court cleared the way for vineyards to sell directly to drinkers.
Many of the biggest wine sellers of Manhattan also rejoiced, as did local fans of Le Cigare Volant Riserva Triperfecto, a barely available wine made in Santa Cruz, Calif.
"This is the beginning of a new era for wine marketing and the liberty of commerce," said Charles Massoud, who owns Paumanok Vineyards in Aquebogue, N.Y., with his wife, Ursula, and expects profits from his Long Island wines to increase 5 percent as a result of the decision. "People can now be treated like adults, where heretofore we were deprived of a fundamental freedom. As a small business owner, this is helpful because it opens the door for us to be responsive at least to those people who from the tristate area who come and visit us here."
Winemakers in New York had been frustrated that they had been unable to ship even to Connecticut and New Jersey, and wine lovers have bemoaned their inability to buy from small vineyards in California and other states.
It is now up to the Legislature in Albany to decide how to respond to the court. Because the ruling said states had to treat instate wine customers the same as those from out of state, New York can forbid all direct sales to consumers, ending the right of New York winemakers to sell to New Yorkers directly, or allow interstate wine commerce for all.
Before the Supreme Court acted, 26 states permitted direct shipments to consumers from winemakers, and 24 banned them. New York permitted such sales only if a winery maintained a physical presence in the state.
"It has been very complicated and confusing, because so many states have so many different laws," the executive director of the Long Island Wine Council, Steven Bate, said. Gov. George E. Pataki said yesterday that he supported interstate wine sales but wanted to ensure that minors would not be able to buy wine online as a result of any changes to state law.
"I just hope we are able to put in place safeguards," Mr. Pataki said at a news conference in Albany, to make sure "adults only in an appropriate manner are purchasing interstate."
"We will be able to sell more of our really strange and exotic and esoteric wines," said John Locke, creative director for the Bonny Doon Vineyard in Santa Cruz, maker of that Le Cigare Volant Riserva Triperfecto, one of many wines available only through the vineyard's wine club. "We have a wine club with 7,000 members, and we can expand that."
Eric Asimov contributed reporting for this article.
--
------------------------------ *
* Dr. James Lee Ellingson, Adjunct Professor jellings(a)me.umn.edu *
* University of Minnesota, tel: 651/645-0753 fax 651 XXX XXXX *
* Great Lakes Brewing News, 1569 Laurel Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104 *
Fellow Tasters:
you're probably all on Wine Co's mailing list, but just in case,
let's all try for the free passes:
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Speaking of Double Features...The Wine Company is jumping into show
business. Not really, but we are offering movie passes to the film
"Mondovino". Our Wine Happenings page will announce how to get 25
pairs of free passes to the Lagoon Theater on Wednesday, May 18th.
http://www.twcwines.com/wine_happenings.cfm
- Karin
