Importer Terry Theise tries a mellower tack, sort of
Jon Bonné, Chronicle Wine Editor
Friday, October 17, 2008
Importer Terry Theise, in San Francisco recently for a pa... Terry Theise raises a glass of Riesling after a panel dis...
It was a subtle change - subtle enough that you had to be one of Terry Theise's regular readers to notice.
The ebullient importer of some of the best Rieslings and Champagnes has never been at a loss for words. Since 1985, his occasionally verbose love for his own portfolio has sold a generation on the food-friendliness of German and Austrian Riesling, and later on the virtues of lesser-known Champagne.
So the shift in tone in Theise's 2007 Champagne catalog was quickly perceived by those who know him best - starting with his wife, Odessa Piper, the longtime chef of L'Etoile restaurant in Madison, Wis.
"She gets to the Champagne catalog," Theise recalled, "and says, 'Why are you so angry?' "
For a wine importer - or stemware-toting evangelist, really, since his wines are imported by Syosset, N.Y.-based Michael Skurnik Wines - Theise's tone was downright strident. He had named names (Moet, Veuve Clicquot). He described major Champagne houses' discussions of the "blender's art" as "a putrid raft of s-." He railed against how such big brands, in his view confect tales about handmade quality to tout what is often a mass-produced product.
An example: "You could argue that Champagne is the finest industrial wine on earth and I might well agree, but never forget that Big-Brand Champagne is indeed industrial, with all that implies. Perhaps you could then avoid the queasy spectacle of them affecting the patois of the truly artisanal while actually conducting business just like Microsoft, except for the creativity."
Not exactly Patrick Henry. But in the context of a sales catalog, even one of Theise's, it was a rallying cry. He now calls it his moment of "sporadically righteousness indignation." And yes, he's much better now, thanks. But it's no surprise that his fire would be lit after more than a decade seeking out Champagne made by small family producers - the very opposite of what Champagne's largest names stand for.
"I don't think there's anything morally dubious about industrial products," Theise suggested during a recent visit to San Francisco, "but I think there's something dubious about speaking the parlance of the artisan while making industrial products."
There's not exactly a revolution at the gates. The "grower" market - Champagnes produced by recoltant-manipulants (growers who make their own wine) - accounts for just under 3 percent of the total market, according to the CIVC. But interest in grower Champagnes has been steadily increasing, thanks in large part to Theise's sometimes breathless prose. ("I will be drinking lots of this," he wrote of the slightly sweet Jean Milan Cuvee Tendresse Champagne, "and I have more testosterone than the entire World Wrestling Federation, so there.")
What Champagne shortage?
Why the outburst? As he tells it, the linchpin was the Champagne shortage - or, he insists, the alleged shortage - prior to the millennium that prompted a buying frenzy. As one import executive told The Chronicle in 1999, "I would be surprised if there was not a shortage before the end of the year." Yet Theise says he witnessed tons of unsold Champagne sitting in warehouses. "At that point, I wondered why am I bending over backwards to be civil to these people? I felt it was a moral obligation of mine."
But indignance has its limits, especially for someone as successful as Theise. Though several importers helped ignite the U.S. market for German Riesling, Theise's name is linked to some of the most popular labels, including Willi Schaefer and Josef Leitz. His efforts to resurrect interest in Austrian wines after the 1985 scandal involving bottles tainted with diethylene glycol effectively created the current U.S. market. And though it's now unconscionable for a card-carrying wine geek not to have a preferred grower Champagne, few heard of the concept until Theise began writing his annual catalogs and preaching his gospel with an ebullience - and a Benny Hill-worthy impishness that quickly won him many fans among the ranks of influential wine buyers: "(I)f this isn't its best then Dolly Parton doesn't sleep on her back."
Now Theise finds himself in a rather different position from his early years as wild-eyed proselytizer. He has become one of the most high-profile importers of small-production wine in the United States. So perhaps a touch of stateliness was in order.
"The descriptions were wonderful to read. They were fanciful and they were useless," says Mark Ellenbogen, wine buyer for the Slanted Door and one of Theise's best longtime customers. "I think that there was this sort of alter ego almost in the writing. He's gotten older and I think he's calmed down a little bit."
After more than two decades, and having released the Champagne flute from his gantlet, Theise seems to be growing increasingly philosophical. He is tired of convincing Americans of the virtues of his sweet German Rieslings ("It's tedious"). He is tired of trying to defend the notion of terroir - that wine is defined by its place of origin. Now he wants to take his terroir alert to the next level, not simply to prove its existence but to explore what that really means.
What does this have to do with selling wine? For one, Theise's evangelism is an effective sales pitch.
"Terry has a very healthy dose of self-belief which some people find cocky or even arrogant. But he's got the conviction of his beliefs," says Hiram Simon of WineWise in Oakland, who distributes Theise's wines in the Bay Area. "He'd like not only that everybody should embrace his way of thinking, but having embraced his way of thinking they should buy his wines."
Theise not only wants to advance the concept, he wants to tackle the ways others distort and belittle it, and perhaps to raise the level of debate. "The path to wisdom doesn't begin by rebuking people," he suggested.
Time to embrace terroir
For Americans, Theise believes, the fear of terroir is the fear of having to give up thinking about varietals and styles and embrace the subtleties of geography. For winemakers, it's the fear, as he puts it, "that they don't have the right one." Instead, he would have us find faith in the land and accept, as he puts it, "that the vineyard's existence is as existentially real as yours." A vintner's role is merely to be the vehicle for the vineyard's expression.
"That respect, cooperation and companionability toward nature," Theise continued, "is frankly, I think it's one of those elements of saintliness that human being are capable of from time to time."
California cliche
On the other side of this debate, as he sees it: New World vintners who speak about vineyard distinction and yet treat grapes simply as base material to be molded in the winery with extraction and oak. "That's kind of the cliche of California," he says.
In all, it's a mixed message - a dose of invective, a dab of contemplation. So it comes as no surprise that Theise plans to following in the steps of fellow importers like Kermit Lynch and Neal Rosenthal and write a book, though no publication date is set. It will be, he says, part "charter of values" and part rhapsody on his "preparedness for beauty" in wine.
Meantime, his latest catalogs have acquired a seemingly contemplative bent. In his 2008 German book, he writes of "wines that express without asserting, wines that show the little penumbra between joy and serenity, between brilliance and luminousness."
It's not too much to claim that a wistful tone has crept in, for the most part. There's still drama - in this year's catalog, wines from Verzenay were "rural, animal Champagnes with funky iris smells and the weirdest (and coolest) apple-hoppy-meady terroir-thang and yet the wines have SCHWING and are actually even refined." Which isn't a bad way to sum up the maturity of sorts that Theise seems to have arrived at.
"Really great wine always makes me feel tender and not only that, but also a little bit sad," Theise said. "It's a remorse that if I'm able to be this way now, why haven't I been able to be this way before?"
E-mail Jon Bonné at jbonne(a)sfchronicle.com.
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/10/17/WIRE13G81E.DTL
This article appeared on page F - 1 of the San Francisco Chronicle
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* Dr. James Ellingson, jellings(a)me.umn.edu *
* University of Minnesota, mobile : 651/645-0753 *
* Great Lakes Brewing News, 1569 Laurel Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104 *
2006 Bourgogne Rouge
Lynne Char Bennett
Friday, October 17, 2008
Very few wine lovers have an opportunity to taste Burgundy Grand Cru - made from the classified vineyards in France's Burgundy region - which is highly sought after and can command astronomical prices. Fortunately, there are less expensive options for wines made with grapes sourced from a wider region within Burgundy instead of a specific vineyard.
These wines, which are labeled Bourgogne rouge, are made from Pinot Noir grown vineyards anywhere within Burgundy. The variable 2006 vintage produced some very good workhorse wines, while some Grand Crus were less than stellar.
A vigneron can choose to "declassify" or market a wine at lesser status, which includes bottles labeled as basic Bourgogne instead of Grand Cru, if the wine's quality makes it appropriate. Notable Burgundy producers, including Michel Picard and Olivier Leflaive, may declassify a wine if certain lots of grapes are not up to the quality of their best bottles.
Of the 19 wines tasted, our favorites showed red fruit, bright acidity, slight tannic grip and were light- to medium-bodied. Compared to Oregon Pinot Noir, the 2006 red Burgundy is leaner and lighter-bodied - in some cases austere - making the Oregon bottlings seem almost voluptuous. And since Oregon Pinot Noirs are less fruity and more acidic than those from California, these Bourgogne wines are nothing like the darker-fruited California Pinots that some prefer.
We recommend the Bourgogne rouges for Pinot lovers who seek out high-acid, less-fruited wine, especially at the dinner table.
Rating: TWO AND A HALF STARS 2006 Bruno Colin Bourgogne Rouge ($26) In 2004, Bruno Colin founded his domaine, which is half of the Michel Colin-Deleger family holdings in Chassagne-Montrachet. Colin vinifies his red wines for 12 to 18 months in oak barrels, 30 percent new. Richer and more deeply extracted with violet, vanilla, cinnamon and baked raspberry backed by a savory, earthy note. Lemon peel brightness and dry leaf flavors; tangy palate that finishes with slightly drying tannins. (Importer: Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant)
Rating: TWO STARS 2006 Chauvenet-Chopin Bourgogne Pinot Noir ($27.50) Chauvenet-Chopin was created through the marriage of Daniel Chopin's daughter to Hubert Chauvenet, who is the domaine's winemaker. Red licorice, strawberry and brilliant cherry are underscored with loam, clove and mineral. A leaner, austere style that finishes with slight grip. (Importer: Robert Kacher Selections)
Rating: TWO AND A HALF STARS 2006 Gerard Raphet Les Grands Champs Bourgogne Rouge ($30) From vineyards in Morey-St. Denis, this bottling has dried cherry, candied raspberry spiced with loam and cinnamon Dentyne gum aromas. The palate is weightier and more serious, with rich, dense fruit, bright acidity and slight plum skin on finish. Nicely balanced. (Importer: North Berkeley Wine Imports)
Rating: TWO STARS 2006 Michel Picard Bourgogne Pinot Noir ($15) From proprietor Michel Picard, whose chateau is in Chassagne-Montrachet, which is just south of the Cote de Beaune. Only 20 percent of this wine saw time in 1- to 2-year-old oak barrels. Buoyant red plum, spice and tomato leaf note, with tart cranberry, richer boysenberry and plum skin on the palate. (Importer: Brown-Forman Beverages)
Rating: TWO STARS 2006 Olivier Leflaive Cuvee Margot Bourgogne Rouge ($26) Olivier Leflaive and his brother Patrick are negociants who also own 25 acres of vineyards. Sweet plum, raspberry and cherry with hints of soil and charcuterie on the nose. Clean, crisp red fruit flavors and spice on the palate which shows more tannin than fruit. (Importer: Frederick Wildman and Sons)
Rating: TWO STARS 2006 Perrot-Minot Bourgogne Rouge ($40) Under direction of Christophe Perrot-Minot, son of Henri and Marie-France Perrot-Minot, the family's Cote de Nuits domaine has increased the amount and quality of estate-bottled wine, of which 30 to 40 percent were formerly sold to negociants. Plenty of sweet, toasty oak spice overlays the rather delicate cherry-raspberry and tart red plum fruit. (Importer: Martine's Wines)
Rating: TWO STARS 2006 Philippe Colin Bourgogne Pinot Noir ($26) Philippe Colin - who holds the other half of Domaine Michel Colin-Deleger - is Bruno's older brother. With some air, the rustic loam and earth opens to kirsch, sour cherry and balsam aromas. The relatively weighty palate offers buoyant light cranberry, kirsch and sweet cherry edged by refined minerality. (Importer: Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant)
Rating: TWO STARS 2006 Rene Lequin-Colin Bourgogne Pinot Noir ($18) Cranberry, cherry pie, ripe boysenberry and vanilla with hint of soil and leather aromas. Glossy oak provides some richness on the finish, but moderate tannins and slightly rigid acidity emphasize the leanness. (Importer: Dee Vine Wines)
Rating: TWO STARS 2006 Robert Groffier Pere & Fils Bourgogne Pinot Noir ($46) Vigneron Robert Groffier and son Serge source their grapes from two vineyards that are adjacent to the Grand Cru vineyard Clos Vougeot and to Morey-St. Denis. This bottling has a fresh, floral character plus delicate cranberry, framboise and thyme touched with spice and limestone. (Importer: Atherton Wine Imports)
Panelists include: Lynne Char Bennett, Chronicle staff writer and wine coordinator; Jon Bonné, Chronicle wine editor; Jeff Anderson, sommelier, Gary Danko.
Key: Rating: FOUR STARS Extraordinary Rating: THREE STARS Excellent Rating: TWO STARS Good
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* Dr. James Ellingson, jellings(a)me.umn.edu *
* University of Minnesota, mobile : 651/645-0753 *
* Great Lakes Brewing News, 1569 Laurel Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104 *
Central Coast Cabernet Sauvignon
Lynne Char Bennett, Chronicle Staff Writer
Friday, October 10, 2008
California's most widely grown red grape variety is Cabernet Sauvignon. The Central Coast region is no exception, though Cabernet is produced by more wineries in its northern portion, including Paso Robles. Most of the bottlings recommended from our tasting of 66 wines include a percentage of traditional red Bordeaux grape varieties (such as Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Merlot and Petit Verdot). One producer also included a bit of Syrah.
Central Coast Cabs generally lack the cachet of their Napa Valley brethren, but they also lack Napa Valley's higher prices. We have recommended several that will fit either modest or big-bash budgets.
Rating: TWO STARS 2004 EOS Estate Bottled Reserve Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon ($20) Named after the mythological Greek goddess of the dawn, EOS wines are produced under the hand of Nathan Carlson. Vanilla, cedar, cassis and mocha with hints of applewood smoke; black cherry and raspberry highlights. Fresh, lifted palate with lingering spice and oak. With 15.1 percent Malbec and 5 percent Petit Verdot.
Rating: TWO STARS 2006 Estancia Keyes Canyon Ranches Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon ($15) Estancia planted almost 700 acres in Paso Robles, along the Estrella River, 400 of which are Cabernet Sauvignon. Winemaker Scott Kelley aged this bottling for 14 months in American and French oak, 25 percent of which was new. It shows bright cherry cola, raspberry, light roast coffee, sandalwood and mint within a leaner, tarter, less oaky style; vibrant, with a long finish.
Rating: TWO STARS 2005 Firestone Vineyard Santa Ynez Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($18) Interesting expression. Red pepper, sachet, loam and chocolate-covered cherry with ripe, finely grained tannins. Food-friendly - good with a medium-rare burger. Includes 5 percent Cabernet Franc and 5 percent Merlot.
Rating: TWO STARS 2006 Five Rivers Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon ($10) Winemaker Steve Peck used fruit from 7-year-old estate vineyards, accented with that from 13-year-old vines in this widely available wine. Red cherry and blueberry gently blanketed with oak spice; lighter-bodied, lively and balanced. Includes 5 percent Merlot, 2 percent Malbec and 2 percent Petit Verdot.
Rating: TWO STARS 2006 Hahn Estates Central Coast Cabernet Sauvignon ($14) Primarily from Paso Robles grapes, this wine has sweet oak spice, vanilla and juicy raspberry and blackberry fruit. A straightforward quaff from a consistent performer, it has soft, approachable tannins and bright acidity. Sixteen percent Syrah and 6 percent Merlot and a touch of Petit Verdot
Rating: TWO STARS 2004 Heller Estate Cachagua Carmel Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($20) From Heller's estate vineyards that are certified 100 percent organic. Berry shake, licorice and dusty dry wood; dusky tar brightened with strong red fruit; layered with earthy mineral. Vanilla, oak and tannins on finish. Includes 20 percent Merlot.
Rating: TWO STARS 2005 Jekel Vineyards Arroyo Seco Monterey Cabernet Sauvignon ($15) Jekel, founded in 1972 and one of Monterey County's older wineries, produces a wine that has an intense, rustic nose, with loam, dark plum, boysenberry pie and faint herb; ripe, round tannins provide focus. Straightforward and easy drinking. A blend with Petit Verdot, Malbec and Merlot.
Rating: TWO STARS 2005 Peachy Canyon De Vine Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon ($25) High-toned, spiced berry, tart raspberry and soy with bright herbal hint. Buoyant, generous palate; rich mouthfeel tempered by bright acidity. Winemaker Josh Beckett aged this wine in 35 percent new French oak after minimal racking. Limited production. Includes 10 percent Petit Verdot.
Rating: THREE STARS 2005 Star Lane Vineyard Santa Ynez Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($50) Winemaker Nick de Luca and consulting winemaker David Ramey have crafted an evocative, complex wine, with mocha, leather, nori and loam; balanced with fleshy plum, cherry and tart blackberry. Elegant and balanced, with a somewhat fleshy palate. Purchased in 1996 by Jim Dierberg, Star Lane Ranch is planted to 230 acres. Includes 15 percent Cabernet Franc and 5 percent Petit Verdot.
Rating: TWO AND A HALF STARS 2005 Three Saints Santa Ynez Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($25) From Dierberg Estate grapes of Star Lane Vineyard, located in eastern Santa Ynez Valley. Perfumed violet, black raspberry, dry loam, pencil lead and savory notes with sweet jam highlights. Nice tannic structure, lingering finish. Includes 5 percent Cabernet Franc and 2 percent Malbec.
Rating: TWO AND A HALF STARS 2005 Wente Vineyards the Nth Degree Livermore Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($65) Founded 125 years ago, Wente is said to be the country's oldest, continuously operated family-owned winery. This wine - named for the meticulous farming of its vineyards - has sultry but elegant aromas. Deeply extracted, dark char, roasted plum, blackberry jam and a savory note on the palate. Almost over the top but well made. Limited production; 100 percent Cabernet Sauvignon.
Panelists: Lynne Char Bennett, Chronicle staff writer and wine coordinator; Jon Bonn�. Chronicle wine editor; Dita Blackwell, co-owner, Blackwell's Wines & Spirits. For additional recommended wines, go to sfgate.com/wine.
Key: Rating: FOUR STARS Extraordinary Rating: THREE STARS Excellent Rating: TWO STARS Good
- Lynne Char Bennett
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/10/10/WIA713AA6M.DTL
This article appeared on page F - 6 of the San Francisco Chronicle
BKremser saw this story on the BBC News website and thought you
should see it.
** Italians 'turn water into wine' **
Wine gushes from taps into homes during an Italian grape festival but it emerges it is no miracle but bad plumbing.
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Oregon Pinot Noir
Lynne Char Bennett, Chronicle Staff Writer
Friday, October 3, 2008
Oregon Pinot Noir is becoming easier to find, which is fortunate, since the 2006 vintage is exceptional. If you are used to drinking big, plush California Pinot Noir, most Oregon bottlings may seem tart, thin and lacking fruit. In Oregon's cool, more northerly climate, grapes ripen and mature without developing high sugar levels, while still preserving acidity.
Oregon's warmer-than-usual weather in 2006 resulted in an abundant harvest of optimally ripened grapes, which produced richer wines with more body and deeper fruit than usual. Winemakers crafted some lovely wines, including these recommendations - a greater-than-average number and quality - from the 73 we tasted.
OREGON
Rating: TWO STARS 2006 Bridgeview Blue Moon Oregon Pinot Noir ($20)
Nose of ripe Bing cherry, roasted blueberry and plum with a touch of spice and orange zest. Intense palate of tart red and some dark fruit, moderate tannins and sweet fruitiness on the long finish.
Rating: TWO AND A HALF STARS 2005 Chehalem Reserve Oregon Pinot Noir ($60)
Dry forest floor, leaves, red plum, sweet cherry and strawberry tart aromas and flavors. Good structure; may have a bit of greenness that coarsens the tannins but also adds distinction.
Rating: TWO STARS 2007 Erath Oregon Pinot Noir ($19)
Subdued nose of cherry, fall leaves and lifted spice, plus a vegetal note. Delicate, dusky red strawberry, cranberry and cherry flavors tinged with oak. Lean and refined; finishes with moderate acidity.
Rating: TWO STARS 2006 Torii Mor Oregon Pinot Noir ($29)
A riper, oaky style. Baked orange, spice, vanilla and round red and black cherry aromas. Sweet, extracted kirsch-like cherry, some spice and high acidity; finishes with a sharp, tart note.
WILLAMETTE VALLEY
Rating: TWO STARS 2006 Adelsheim Willamette Valley Pinot Noir ($31)
Plum spice cake, pretty strawberry and graham cracker on the subdued but bright nose. Similar flavors plus upfront rich sweet cherry on palate; a little alcoholic heat shows on the finish.
Rating: TWO STARS 2006 Anam Cara Cellars Reserve Chehalem Mountains Pinot Noir ($45)
Lovely earth, blackberry jam, sweet red cherry, plum and slight spice aromas. The earthy barnyard note carries through to a palate that has juicy ripe cherry and a hint of baking spice. Well made.
Rating: TWO STARS 2005 Anne Amie Winemaker's Selection Willamette Valley Pinot Noir ($35)
Complete, loamy earth nose with spice and tart red fruit - cranberry, tamarind and sour cherry - which continue on the palate. Balanced, with finely grained tannins on the finish. This is the second release of the Winemaker's Selection.
Rating: TWO AND A HALF STARS 2006 Antica Terra Willamette Valley Pinot Noir ($46)
The fruity nose of deep cherry and plum, mocha, oak spice and hit of smoky bacon. Well balanced. Bing cherry, strawberry jam, bright raspberry and orange peel with refined tannins on the elegant finish.
Rating: THREE STARS 2005 Argyle Reserve Series Nuthouse Willamette Valley Pinot Noir ($60)
Engaging nose - heady porcini, dark ripe fruit, grapefruit peel, pine needle and underlying savory spice. The lavish, elegant palate has ripe red fruit and sizable, finely grained tannins. Plenty of oak and lingering brown spice on the lengthy finish. Great for the style.
Rating: TWO AND A HALF STARS 2006 Benton Lane Willamette Valley Pinot Noir ($26)
Bing cherry, blackberry, cinnamon and mineral with a slight pepper and gamy note. Broad, with fine tannins that almost overshadow the fruit; refinement on the finish.
Rating: TWO AND A HALF STARS 2006 Bergstrom Winery Cumberland Reserve Willamette Valley Pinot Noir ($45)
Huckleberry, plum, bright cherry and tamarind; slightly high-toned with a touch of mint on the more reserved nose. A bolder, ripe style with great fruit. Finishes with tart plum skin and a savory tang.
Rating: TWO AND A HALF STARS 2006 Brick House Evelyn's Ribbon Ridge Pinot Noir ($59)
Camphor, raspberry, chocolate-covered cherry, pluot and oak spice on nose. Flavors of earth, soy sauce and dark fruit. Bright acidity cuts though the brown spice. Savory notes on the finish.
Rating: TWO AND A HALF STARS 2006 Broadley Vineyards Claudia's Choice Willamette Valley Pinot Noir ($50)
Interesting nose of cherry, pomegranate, black pepper, herb and tomato vine. Tart black plum, plum skin, Bing cherry and green herb plus tough but integrated tannins that provide a more durable structure. Fresh acidity, balanced.
Rating: TWO STARS 2006 Brooks Janus Willamette Valley Pinot Noir ($35)
Chocolate and warm licorice notes highlight ripe rich dark fruit of plum, blackberry and cherry. Underlying mineral notes. Janus is Brooks' flagship wine, named after the Roman god for beginnings and endings.
Rating: TWO STARS 2007 Chehalem 3 Vineyard Willamette Valley Pinot Noir ($32)
Perfumed with mushroom, forest and cherry, strawberry and cranberry aromas; very nice nose. Substantial tannins and structure with core of delicate fruit.
Rating: TWO AND A HALF STARS 2006 Coelho Winery of Amity Paciencia Willamette Valley Pinot Noir ($35)
Cranberry, pomegranate, musk and herb aromas. Aromatic with a weightier dark fruit and dried cherry flavors. Tannins start firmly with grip and some heat on the clean, fresh finish.
Rating: TWO STARS 2006 Daedalus Cellars Labyrinth Willamette Valley Pinot Noir ($48)
Big vanillin with almost a root beer/cream soda note, herb and great spice aromas; nicely extracted ripe fruit. Rhubarb and sour cherry on the fresh, light palate. Slight cinnamon and soft tannins on the finish.
Rating: TWO STARS 2006 De Ponte Cellars Dundee Hills Pinot Noir ($38)
Sweet nose with barnyard, wood, spiced cherry and darker fruit. Palate supports the aromas; radiant red fruit, Bing cherry, wild strawberry and crunchy mineral with assertive acidity that lingers on the finish.
Rating: TWO AND A HALF STARS 2006 Domaine Drouhin Oregon Willamette Valley Pinot Noir ($45)
Touch of wet loam, taut mineral, perfumed dark fruit, cherry and herb nose. Plum and blueberry flavors; weight and body are commensurate with the fruit - balanced, generous and grippy tannins. Seamless and well made.
Rating: TWO AND A HALF STARS 2006 Erath Estate Selection Dundee Hills Pinot Noir ($36)
Intense nose; concentrated black cherry, strawberry leaf and dry minerally loam with almost molasses notes. Flavors follow aromas plus bright red fruit, and pine and fennel notes. Ripe, pure and clean with edgy acidity, silky tannins and a long finish.
Rating: TWO STARS 2006 The Four Graces Dundee Hills Pinot Noir ($42)
High-toned, lively nose of Demerara sugar, coconut, raspberry, spice and anise note. Fruit - tending to cassis - is ripe but not overly so. Nice texture and weight.
Rating: TWO STARS 2006 Lemelson Vineyards Jerome Reserve Willamette Valley Pinot Noir ($58)
Clean bright cherry, juicy dark fruit with toasted sesame seed, loam and soy sauce aromas. This is a deeper style with spice; balanced with good fruit standing up to the firm acid and structure. Some panelists thought it too extracted, but very solid for the style.
Rating: TWO STARS 2006 Lemelson Vineyards Thea's Selection Willamette Valley Pinot Noir ($38)
Tart raspberry, plum aromas with a nice hint of damp loam beneath; perfumed strawberry with a mustiness. Bright, straightforward palate with soft, nuanced tannins on finish.
Rating: TWO STARS 2006 Maysara Estate Cuvee McMinnville Pinot Noir ($32)
Darker ripe sweet fruit, raspberry and a little soy sauce on nose and palate; soft with evident tannins and heat on the finish, though its stated alcohol is 13.9 percent.
Rating: TWO AND A HALF STARS 2006 Retour Willamette Valley Pinot Noir ($65)
Earthy cherry, slight mineral and spice with lots of anise and wood on the nose. A deeper, more powerful palate of dark plum fruit, a bit of bergamot and grippy tannins, but there's overall finesse.
Rating: TWO AND A HALF STARS 2006 Siduri Arbre Vert Vineyard Willamette Valley Pinot Noir ($39)
Dark notes, forest floor, mushroom and sandalwood with candied cherry nose. Delicate, high-toned but slightly austere palate that has subtlety and grip. Balanced and seamless, though some might prefer more acidity.
Rating: TWO STARS 2006 Siduri Muirfield Vineyard Willamette Valley Pinot Noir ($39)
More intense palate with wet dirt, hint of musk and greater acidity than its sibling. Bright and forthcoming with cherry, tamarind and berry fruit, plus lots of oak tannin. Bright but a little tightly wound; better with time.
Rating: THREE STARS 2006 Stoller SV Estate Dundee Hills Pinot Noir ($40)
Orange blossom, mineral-driven nose with soy, musk and forest floor amid radiant strawberry. Palate's subtle fruit is mildly sweet but seamless, with greater acidity. Cocoa-like tannins provide perfect grip. Balanced.
Rating: THREE STARS 2006 Stoller JV Estate Dundee Hills Pinot Noir ($25)
Loam, Bing cherry, cranberry, strawberry and tangerine aromas. Juicy, ripe profile bolstered by a hint of cocoa, spice and bright acidity. Pretty, balanced with soft tannins and a sappy sweet note on the finish. Classic Oregon Pinot Noir that gets extra points for value.
Rating: TWO STARS 2006 Willamette Valley Vineyards Willamette Valley Pinot Noir ($25)
Nice nose of spice, bright sweet cherry, raspberry, lavender and wet loam. Mouthwatering acidity with subtle, integrated berry and rich plum. Refined tannins with plum skin and a touch of alcohol on the finish.
SOUTHERN OREGON
Rating: TWO AND A HALF STARS 2006 Brandborg Love Puppets Umpqua Valley Pinot Noir ($30)
Nose opened up with some air to reveal clear, clean raspberry, cranberry and dry loam underscored with a touch of coffee. Tart, lovely acidity on palate that is lighter-bodied with grip and an edgy finish. A good food wine.
Rating: TWO STARS 2006 Brandborg Bench Lands Umpqua Valley Pinot Noir ($22)
Rich, deep fruit, spice - ripe berry and plum - with earth, dried orange nose. Palate has tart raspberry/warm cherry acidity; very pretty fruit but thins to a slightly stemmy finish.
Panelists include: Lynne Char Bennett, Chronicle staff writer and wine coordinator; Jon BonnéChronicle wine editor; Chris Deegan, wine director, Nopa. For more recommended wines, go to sfgate.com/wine.
Key: Rating: FOUR STARS Extraordinary Rating: THREE STARSExcellent Rating: TWO STARS Good
- Lynne Char Bennett
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/10/03/WIH9134F5E.DTL
This article appeared on page F - 5 of the San Francisco Chronicle
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* Dr. James Ellingson, jellings(a)me.umn.edu *
* University of Minnesota, mobile : 651/645-0753 *
* Great Lakes Brewing News, 1569 Laurel Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104 *
I'm not aware of anything going on this week.
I'll suggest some thing potent to wash down the
debate, get that taste out of your mouth. Oh,
and a shower might help w/ the slimey feeling.
Sometimes, Minerality Rocks
By Dave McIntyre
Wednesday, October 1, 2008; F05
Linger long enough around a crowd of wine lovers, and you're bound to hear someone say a wine has "minerality." Others will nod in agreement, and the conversation will continue, most likely without explanation.
Minerality is the current buzzword of the vinoscenti, used to show off one's expertise and sophisticated palate. It appears in wine reviews in newspapers and magazines with the assumption that readers will know what the word means. It's a positive term: Wine lovers use "minerality" to express approval of a wine, just as neophytes say "Smooth!" (Just when you thought you were getting the hang of this, we come up with something new.) So what is minerality, and what does it taste like?
The word does not appear in my Webster's, and there is no entry for it in the Oxford Companion to Wine (a.k.a. "The Great Big Book of Everything"). And there are some who dismiss the concept as baloney, citing a lack of scientific evidence that grapevines extract minerals from the soil and the absence of mineral flavors on the famous aroma wheel developed by the University of California at Davis enology program. If it ain't on the wheel, it ain't in the wine. Besides, the naysayers point out, wet gravel doesn't taste very good.
Bacchanalians, you see, can argue over our passion for the grape with a fervor to rival that of any sectarian dispute. I, for one, dislike having my wine scientifically analyzed; that takes all the fun out of it.
But why isn't the term in the Oxford Companion? I put the question directly to the eminent British wine writer Jancis Robinson, its editor. "Minerality is a term that has become fashionable relatively recently and, like so many terms used in tasting notes, it is used pretty imprecisely," she replied in an e-mail. Robinson defined minerality in terms of what it is not: as a descriptor of wines that "are not obviously fruity." As such, its popularity could be part of a market reaction against the "fruit bomb" wines so trendy a decade ago.
"It is generally used for a wide range of flavors that recall not fruits, not vegetals, nothing animal," she said, "but something more mineral than anything else. The most obvious of them include the flavor I sometimes call 'wet stones' that I find in chablis, or the flavor we sometimes call 'slate' in Mosel Riesling -- although it is now widely accepted that grapes do not pick up mineral-related flavors directly from the minerals found in the soils where they are grown."
If there is no dictionary definition or scientific proof, what does it mean to say a wine has minerality? The next time someone drops that word on you, ask him. If he can't explain the concept, he's just trying to impress you by sounding knowledgeable.
For me, minerality is wine's umami, that savory flavor touted as the fifth taste and sought after by chefs. It's an expression of place, of terroir, that hard-to-define concept that a wine can display characteristics of its vineyard's soil, climate and vintage. You don't have to taste the vineyard to be able to taste the effect it has on the wine grown there. Nor do you need to be an expert, a certified sommelier or Master of Wine to discern it, but it does help to taste an awful lot of wines.
If you've ever enjoyed mineral water, you've tasted minerality. It may just be a little natural sodium, as in Gerolsteiner, a popular brand of fizz from Germany. Or it could be the sulfurous smack of a brew from Vichy. But those minerals give the water a little extra firmness, a clarity of flavor, a focus. Your taste buds might simply register "water," but the minerality is there, just as the proper amount of salt boosts a dish's flavor without making it taste salty.
If you've ever enjoyed an early-morning walk after a spring rain, you've smelled minerality. It's there in the aromas of wet stones in your garden, liberated by the warmth of the sun. It's in the freshness of the air emanating from the flagstone walkway or the dirt path leading through the woods.
If you've ever visited the crayeres of Reims, the ancient Roman chalk pits that now house the cellars of major champagne houses such as Ruinart and Pommery, you've seen minerality. You've felt it, touched it, maybe even put a chunk of it in your pocket for a souvenir. At the Clos des Goisses, the premier vineyard of Champagne Phillipponat, I picked up a chalk pebble and scratched my daughter's name on the vineyard wall. At that moment, I intuitively understood minerality in a way that no wine essay, including this one, could ever convey.
So if you were to say that minerality is a matter of suggestion, expectation or even faith, I wouldn't dispute you. For some, however, it's pure gospel.
A German winemaker recently tried to explain to me how his Riesling from one vineyard differed dramatically from another grown a few clicks up the river; the former was grown on red slate, while the second vineyard's soils were predominantly blue slate. The minerality of the two wines, he argued, differed like night and day. It was rather like listening to a proud father recount in excruciating detail the relative merits of his identical twin prodigy children.
The winemaker, of course, needs to know the differences among his vineyards and how those express themselves in his wines. We consumers do not. I listened and nodded politely as I enjoyed his wines with their flavors of apricot, peach and, yes, minerals. But for the life of me I couldn't distinguish the taste of blue slate from red, and in the spirit of the moment I forgot to take notes about the pH levels and residual sugar, fermentation temperatures, native or cultured yeasts, or even the precise vineyard names.
That's not to say I didn't appreciate the work and effort the winemaker put into his craft, but when life is good, sometimes such details just don't matter.
Dave McIntyre can be reached through his Web site,http://www.dmwineline.com, or atfood(a)washpost.com.
Recommended Wines
Wednesday, October 1, 2008; F05
The best way to understand minerality is to taste it. Look for wines grown on hillsides, in poor, rocky soil where the vines must dig deep for nutrients. The following wines display the clarity of focus and structure of flavors that wine lovers refer to as minerality. Keep in mind that those achieving this expression often are artisanal wines with small production and correspondingly higher prices.
Céne & Laurent Tripoz Mân Loché006
*** (Good Value)
$18, France
Try to forget the ripe pear and apricot flavors and the hint of creme brulee, and concentrate on how this biodynamic chardonnay from Burgundy caresses your teeth and the inside of your cheeks and then lingers with -- strange as it sounds -- a dry, stony flavor. Pair with poultry dishes and richer seafood.
Elite Wines; available at Calvert Woodley, Cleveland Park Wine and Spirits, and MacArthur Beverages in the District; and at Arrowine in Arlington, Cecile's Finewine.com in McLean and Red, White & Bleu in Falls Church.
Cooper Mountain Vineyards Reserve Pinot Gris 2006
** 1/2
$19, Oregon
The minerality here is in the high-def precision of this biodynamic Willamette Valley wine, which grabs your attention and cries out for salmon. Although it begins as austere, delicious bright-red fruit emerges with a little time, so don't drink it too fast. The excellent 2007 vintage has just been released. Will improve over one year. Pair with poultry or richer seafood.
Kysela; available at Cork & Fork in Gainesville and Bethesda, Arrowine, Total Wine locations and Calvert Woodley.
Yannis Assyrtiko 2007
**
$18, Greece
>From steep vineyards on the slopes of Santorini, this crisp white has a saline quality that hints of sea air. Pair with lighter seafood dishes, such as shellfish, calamari or seviche.
Dionysus; available at Whole Foods and Balducci's locations.
Domaine DuprééiéHaute Ronze" 2006
** 1/2 (Good Value)
$14, France
We tend to think of Beaujolais as sweet and sappy juice, but this wine from one of the nice "cru" villages of the appellation shows austere mountain fruit, meaning it tastes like a pebble bouncing down a steep slope between the vine rows. Drink with lighter stews, charcuterie and cheese.
Wine Traditions; available at Arrowine and Whole Foods Alexandria in Virginia; on the list at Petit Plats, Sushi Yoshi in Vienna and Cork Wine Bar in the District
Audesirk "Signature" Napa Valley 2004
***
$36, California
This Bordeaux-style blend of cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, merlot and petit verdot is a reticent wine that demands you take time to get to know it. But what it is showing is delicious: plum, cherry and cocoa, with a dusty feel to the finish that almost leaves you thirsty, or at least craving another sip. Will improve over five years. Pair with red meat.
Elite Wines; available at Rodman's in the District and the Wine House in Fairfax City and by the glass at Enology, Veritas and BLT Steak in the District.
KEY:
*** Exceptional
** Excellent
* Very good
NOTE: Prices are approximate. Check Winesearcher.com to verify availability, or ask a favorite wine store to order through the distributor.
A New Columnist
Wednesday, October 1, 2008; F05
Today marks the debut of a wine column by Dave McIntyre. Formerly wine columnist for Washingtonian magazine and restaurant reviewer for Modern Luxury's D.C. magazine, McIntyre began his food and wine writing with the Food section in 1995. His articles have appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle, Wine Enthusiast and elsewhere. Since 1999, he has been writing Dave McIntyre's Wine Line at http://dmwineline.com. He lives in Silver Spring.
Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg will continue contributing to the section with a monthly column beginning Oct. 29.
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* Dr. James Ellingson, jellings(a)me.umn.edu *
* University of Minnesota, mobile : 651/645-0753 *
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