Hmmm... That's a QnD BBG....
Champagne: A quick-and-dirty buying guide
The Chronicle/Craig Lee
Since there are few questions more frequently asked than what my favorite Champagnes are, it's a worthwhile time to revisit some guideposts.
Champagne seems to bring out the sort of brand loyalty -- and hence fear of change -- you find only in jeans and cars. Don't take my Levis, my Acura or my Bollinger, dammit. So with that in mind, here's a quick-and-dirty guide to the labels I look for. You may not find some of your familiar names here, but at least a few of these should appear on any good wine store's shelves.
If you're wondering why some very popular names aren't here, the answer is simple: I drink enough Champagne to be a complete tightwad about it, and many (but not all) big-name houses make wines that are too simple and too sweet for the money. If you're paying the premium to drink real Champagne, it should be a complex and compelling treat.
OK, first to the negociants: I'm unabashedly a fan of the British taste in Champagne: lots of flavors of toast, pastry, nuts and Sherry, typically from exposing the wines to a bit more oxygen and using more of the aged reserve wines in the blend -- hence why, in raised-nose company, I'd call it an oxidative style. The epitome of this style is beloved Bollinger, with Pol Roger doing admirable duty too. Less extreme, and to my taste often a bit more elegant for it, is the smaller Gosset, one of Champagne's most storied houses. If you're stepping up a bit, the lavish and leesy profile of Ruinart speaks to a certain opulence. These are all somewhat big wines, meant for heartier food and certainly ample in structure to last through a meal.
Now let's dial back the nuts and Sherry a bit -- if you prefer your bubbles not to resemble a tapas bar, that is -- to a more fruit-driven, precise style. There are many Heidsiecks in the realm, all with solid quality. I waver between two -- Charles Heidsieck and Heidsieck Monopole (the first owned by spirits firm Remy Cointreau, which also owns Piper-Heidsieck, the latter by Champagne firm Vranken, which also owns the very solid Pommery label, notable for its eloquent Cuvee Louise and its single-serve Pop) -- Charles a bit more flashy, though with gorgeous expression in vintage wines like its 1995 Blanc des Millenaires, Monopole somewhat stoic but so very fresh in its blue and yellow package. Both great. Along those lines, keep an eye out for the recently reinvigorated Ayala, now owned by none other than Bollinger, especially its laser-precise Zero Dosage. Ayala gets extra points for putting disgorgement dates on the bottle, which may bust the impression of all-bottlings-created-equal, but allows those of us forking over the cash to make more reasoned buying decisions. Also notably restrained in its style is Taittinger, which has won it its share of fans over time.
For just a bit more flash (but just a bit), the nonvintage wines of Louis Roederer continue to deliver in their subtle, nuanced style with just a hint of yeasty wildness lurking. Of course the vintage wines and, ahem, Cristal follow in that somewhat timeless mold. (If only the nonvintage was disgorgement-dated.) Henriot follows a similar path, though with somewhat more focus on Chardonnay. In that style, but with a bit more overt fruit to its nonvintage bottling thanks to about one-third Pinot Meunier, is Deutz. The nonvintage can benefit from a couple years of proper aging, and vintage Deutz -- especially the Blanc de Blancs and the top-end Cuvee William Deutz -- have tremendous cellar potential. Not that you needed that for New Year's.
To me, Jacquesson falls nicely in that on-the-road-to-opulent category too, though almost as a bridge to the grower realm; the Chiquet brothers' commitment to specific vintage expressions is really a treat. And as I've noted before, the Philipponnat label finds just the right balance between lean red-fruit precision and toasty opulence that, when I encounter the Royale Reserve nowadays, makes me always think of a poor man's Krug, to say nothing of Philipponnat's extraordinarily age-worthy Clos des Goisses. There is, of course, Krug, for those with the means. And Salon takes the opulence even further without losing precision, though at nearly $300 a bottle, it had better outperform.
Now to those indispensible grower folks. There is no shortage of love for the heavy hitters of the category, Egly-Ouriet (imported straight through Berkeley) and Pierre Peters (a superstar in Terry Theise's portfolio, along with Pierre Gimmonet). Certainly I have no quibble there, though I don't get to taste either as much as I'd like. Given their relative scarcity on shelves, you may have about the same luck. If you find a bottle of Egly's Vignes de Vrigny, all from Pinot Meunier, it's a unique wine worth experiencing, showing an austere side of that usually fruity grape.
But there are so many others. Aside from Leclerc Briant, our house Champagne is usually the NV Blanc de Blancs from Franck Bonville, in magnum when we can. (Both are imported through K&L, and available locally, when in stock.) The Larmandier-Bernier label is exceptional, including its Terre de Vertus bottling, undosed and a stoic expression of terroir from that Cote des Blancs village. Two other growers imported locally (through Martine's Wines) are Diebolt-Vallois and Gonet-Medeville, both consistently excellent and worthy of cellar time (especially the Diebolt, which can be a bit subdued when young.) The same is true of Agrapart, the Avize-based Chardonnay specialist.
Gaston Chiquet (cousins of the owners of Jacquesson) is on my hot list with a bullet. Chiquet took a while to leave an impression, but repeated encounters with its vintage Special Club effort (a series of top cuvees made by a close-knit group of growers) keeps convincing me to buy more and tuck them away. The 1998 was as fresh and focused (especially for that vintage) as the 1999 is opulent and monumental. Along those lines, another name encountered in our recent recommendations, but equally notable for their consistently good Cuvee Ste Anne, is Chartogne-Taillet, like Chiquet a player in the Theise book. (Those of us fortunate enough to keep tasting the full range of the Theise-imported wines get to play favorites. The Aubry and Jean Milan are also fantastic, if less my thing. Aubry's Campanae Veteres Vites, from now-obscure other Champagne varieties like Arbanne, is always fascinating, if primarily an intellectual thrill.)
Of course, there's Vilmart, the powerful, typically oak-aged Champagnes from Rilly-la-Montagne. I was a late convert to Vilmart's style, but the rounded texture it can show when young is lost like baby fat as precision and complexity take over. I'll pretty much buy Vilmart whenever I see it, if only because of its rarity and depth. (This is how some people feel about the utterly cultish Jacques Selosse, but we don't see much Selosse in these parts.) One of Vilmart's lesser known stars is its nonvintage roséthe Cuvee Rubis, our New Year's Eve Champagne from last year. The nonvintage Rubis brings a fruitier edge and intensity to the subtle house style, like strawberries through a fiber optic cable.
And that brings us to the smile-inducing topic of Roséhampagne. The big discovery this year was Mandois, a small house in Pierry that takes a similar oak-minded approach as Vilmart, though with sometimes different results. Its Brut Rosérande Reserve is an extraordinary wine, made from a blend of white Champagne, saignépink wine and red wine. The irresistible earth notes of Pinot come shining through. Other excellent, if lesser known names in Rosénclude Louis de Sacy, and of course the utterly beloved Billecart-Salmon, though I find Billecart's pink wine too soft-edged, even though I adore the regular Brut and the vintage wines. (To ponder imponderables: Would Billecart's roséave caught on so well if the name didn't include "Salmon"?)
OK, now I'm thirsty, so I'll stop there. Now's your turn. What names do you look for when you're in the Champagne aisle?
Posted By: Jon BonnéEmail, Twitter) | December 22 2008 at 12:30 PM
Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/wine/detail?entry_id=33711#ixzz0bI6t80I4
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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 *
A bit off topic, but some good ideas about how to survive over-sold
airline travel.
Cheers,
Jim
December 20, 2009
Practical Traveler
The Flight Before Christmas
By MICHELLE HIGGINS
LAST Christmas, Kelly Hills.s United Airlines flight from Albany, N.Y., to Portland, Ore., on Dec. 20 was repeatedly postponed by snowstorms on both coasts. The next best alternative offered by the airline was a Dec. 27 departure . one week later.
At any other time Ms. Hills.s predicament might not have been quite so dismal. But this was the Christmas holidays, when huge crowds intersect with some of the worst weather of the year, creating the stuff of travel nightmares. Just one storm can send delays rippling across the system, wreaking havoc on flight schedules, causing mass confusion and testing the sanity of travelers and airline personnel alike.
Ms. Hills, an English tutor, was able to plead her way onto a plane three days before Christmas, but her troubles weren.t over. Both legs of her flight were delayed, turning an eight-and-a-half-hour trip into a 15-hour ordeal, and when her plane finally landed in Portland, it sat on the tarmac for an hour with no bathroom breaks for passengers. .No restroom after a five-hour flight isn.t fun,. she said.
Holiday travel is never fun, and this year may even be worse. Though fewer people are expected to fly, planes will be packed because of cuts in capacity. Travelers will pay to check their luggage or will battle with other passengers for space in overstuffed overhead bins. And if bad weather hits, the entire system may be thrown into disarray as flights are delayed or canceled.
To help you navigate through the chaos, here is a holiday travel checklist to be sure you are prepared for the worst as you head to the airport.
1. Map out Plan B. Figure out your next best flight options in case your plane is delayed or canceled. A simple online search at sites like Kayak.com or ITASoftware.com will give you a quick snapshot of available flights. That way you can suggest alternatives that you prefer rather than end up at the mercy of frazzled booking agents. Also, for $4.99 a month, OAG Flights2Go offers flight schedules and flight status information on your mobile phone.
2. Load up your cellphone with emergency numbers. In addition to the airline reservation line, include the number for the frequent flier representative if you are a member. Those booking agents tend to have more experience in looking for creative itineraries and may be helpful in finding an alternative flight. If you booked through a third-party travel site like Expedia or Travelocity, add its customer service line to your roster; it may be able to advocate on your behalf.
3. To make sure you.re not left out in the cold . or on the airport floor . when that snowstorm grounds all flights, add the numbers of some major hotel chains, like Starwood or Marriott, with airport locations. If you are an iPhone user, there are several free apps that offer nearby real-time hotel listings with available rooms, including HotelPal, Hotels.com and Kayak.com.
4. Set up a flight alert for yourself and anyone who may need to know your whereabouts, like the aunt who offered to pick you up at the airport. These services, offered by most airlines and Web sites like Flightstats.com, let travelers know if a gate or flight time has changed via e-mail or text message. Orbitz.com allows customers to alert up to six people at a time. Knowing about such changes early can give you an edge over the 100-plus other passengers on your plane if there is a cancellation and you need to alter your plans.
Another tip: iPhone users can download the FlightTrack or Flight Status app, which offer the status of thousands of flights, as well as arrival gates and baggage carousels, for a one-time $4.99 fee from Apple.s iTunes App Store.
5. Pack smart. Leave the shower gel or anything else you can pick up at your destination. Have gifts shipped ahead so you don.t have to lug them with you. Edit your wardrobe: do you really need three sets of heels for dinner at Grandma.s or will one pair do? A carry-on will also allow you to avoid the scrum at baggage claim and easily move between flights if your itinerary is wrecked by delays.
If you must check luggage, you can save $5 at most airlines by prepaying online. (Many airlines now charge $15 to $25 for the first checked bag and $25 to $35 for the second on domestic flights.) United passengers can also pay a $249 annual fee to check up to two bags on each flight, and avoid paying the usual fees.
6. Know your rights. This is critical during busy travel periods when flights are often overbooked and confusion reigns. Travelers can receive up to $400 if they are involuntarily bumped and rebooked on another flight within two hours after their original domestic flight time and within four hours for international flights. They are eligible for up to $800 in cash if they are not rerouted by then.
Complaints about airline service other than safety or security issues may be registered with the Department of Transportation.s Aviation Consumer Protection Division .
7. Check in ahead of time online. This may be common sense, but it.s important to arrive at the airport with boarding pass in hand because the last travelers to check in are often the first to be bumped when a flight is oversold. Most airlines allow travelers to check in online as much as 24 hours in advance.
8. Reserve a parking spot. Holidays are also crunch time at airport parking lots, where the best spots fill up fast. You can avoid circling the airport in search of a space by reserving a parking spots at off-airport lots, which offer shuttles to the airport. Services like Park .n Fly Network and AirportParkingReservations.com allow travelers to search for and reserve a spot by plugging in their departure airport and travel dates. Rates start at about $6 a day, but vary by airport.
9. Know your airport. If your flight is delayed, you may end up spending a lot of time there. Airport Maps, a $2.99 app for the iPhone, shows where gates, airline lounges, restaurants and shops are at more than 60 major North American airports, so you can easily pick up some last-minute gifts at the duty-free store. Another app, iFly Pro, offers details on 350 commercial airports for $6.99.
Another tip: through Jan. 15, Google is offering complimentary Wi-Fi in 47 airports across the country, including Las Vegas, Boston, Houston, Seattle and Miami.
10. Be polite. Courtesy definitely gets more results than pushiness. That was the approach that Dane Steele Green, chief executive of Steele Luxury Travel in New York, took last Christmas when his trip from Newark to Zurich was derailed by a series of delays and cancellations. .I was very polite; remember, who wants to be there on Christ- mas Day?. he said, noting how he tried to make the agent feel appreciated and important when explaining his situation. .All of a sudden I hear tickets being printed.. Mr. Steele and his companion, who were initially scheduled to fly in business class on three connecting flights on Swiss International Air Lines, were put on a nonstop all-business class flight on a partner airline, PrivatAir. .It was wonderful,. he said.
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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 *
FYI/FYBbls
Bargain market for high-end Champagne drinkers
Jon BonnéSunday, December 13, 2009
Falling prices mean now is the time to experiment beyond ...
In Champagne, this is a year for conversions.
It is not a particularly good time to be selling the king of bubbles. Shipments of Champagne to the United States plummeted 41.2 percent from January to August, according to the Champagne Bureau, the U.S. arm of the region's official trade group. Americans are the second-largest drinkers of Champagne outside France, which means a lot of bottles gathering dust in cellars in Reims and Epernay.
That has opened a window to slash prices. To those of us who always wish for Champagne to be just a bit more affordable, it is a lucky year - and a chance to get out of our Champagne comfort zones. Lackluster sales are partially a recession hangover, of course, but even as money returns to wine drinkers' pockets, there is still a hesitancy to conspicuously drink the real stuff, especially at the high end. So prices are being squeezed down to size.
"People don't even want to be seen buying Champagne, really," says Jean-Baptiste Cristini, export director for Champagne Salon and its sister Champagne label, Delamotte. "I'm seeing Champagne in the United States coming back to the $35 mark, which is more in line with where it is in Europe. A year ago it was closer to $50."
Not every Champagne house has stepped down a peg, but consumers who keep a close eye on store shelves will find deals not only on affordable nonvintage bottles but also on some of the most rarefied bottles to emerge from the region. The current 1997 release from Salon, that exquisitely rare and timeless Blanc de Blancs from Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, might otherwise approach $500, especially after blockbuster sales for its 1996 release. But it can be found for about half that on Bay Area shelves. The 2002 Cristal, the latest release of the Louis Roederer top cuvee whose fame predates the Diddy days by over a century, has dipped below $200 for the first time since the middle of the decade.
These prices are still prohibitive for most of us. But for those who can go there, these are screaming deals. Even Krug's nonvintage Grande Cuvee can be found at sale prices, thanks to a series of complex pricing maneuvers.
Yet many familiar names haven't wavered, which is where the conversion comes in. If you're looking for Veuve Clicquot's beloved Yellow Label at a discount, keep looking. Kyle Nadeau, manager of D&M Wine and Spirits, not only didn't reduce the price but lists it above $50, in part to encourage his customers to be more adventurous. "Any of my staff is going to try and put something else in their hands," he says.
Other labels, like Laurent-Perrier, continue to struggle after ambitious price increases at the start of the recession. And sometimes pricing seems to defy logic, with more expensive vintage bottlings being discounted while accessible nonvintage wines fetch a premium. The 2002 rose from Veuve Clicquot is on shelves for around $65, barely above the $60 nonvintage rose.
In the case of Salon, which sends a modest 8,000 bottles to these shores annually, the pricing is a simple reflection of reality, Cristini says. Wine already shipped needed to be sold. That's how bargains are born.
It's also precisely what's required to get price-sensitive bubbly lovers to make a change. Perhaps more than any other wine, Champagne is sold on image and brand loyalty - and, likely, fear of change.
A discount creates the opportunity to switch up. Do you feel like you're in a Champagne rut? Are you even just a bit curious? It's time to taste around.
When bottles of prominent but lesser-known houses like Gosset or Hiedsieck Monopole hit shelves for $30, or when Delamotte appears at $35, that's opportunity knocking with Champagne flutes in its hand.
Hence why, at K&L Wine Merchants, sales of big-name Champagne dropped 44 percent in the year ending in August, while sales of the small grower Champagnes it imports directly, like Franck Bonville and Tarlant, rose by 11 percent.
"I don't think that it's trading down for somebody to go from a $40 bottle of stuff that's not that interesting to a $30 bottle of something that's really good," says Gary Westby, K&L's Champagne buyer. "I see that as a customer trading up and saving $10 at the same time."
Grower Champagne, the small-production wines made by vintners who also grow the grapes, is particularly poised to notch up its profile. It now accounts for 4 percent of the U.S. market, according to the Champagne Bureau. As larger houses were starting to quietly offer discounts earlier this year, some importers of the grower labels asked their producers to roll back costs. That allowed Michael Skurnik Wines, which handles the Champagne portfolio of Terry Theise, who introduced Americans to grower Champagne, to start offering discounts on popular nonvintage bottles like those from Pierre Peters, Aubry and Chartogne-Taillet.
Orders are also surging for many rare grower wines, including those from cult producer Vilmart & Cie. and the many Special Club bottlings, top estate-made cuvees from a band of small growers. While expensive, these bottles are often far better deals than the top wines from larger houses, like Moet et Chandon's Dom Perignon. So business is plenty solid, says Kevin Pike, Skurnik's national director of sales and marketing.
"We're ecstatic, actually. Not only is it better than '08, we're coming up against '07 numbers" at the height of the most recent boom.
Which leads us again to that conversion moment. Since Champagne is bought as much on fear as taste, switching brands is often as simple as putting a glass in someone's hand. That requires an incentive. And this year the incentive is as simple as finding a bargain.
Champagne houses willing to take the gamble might find new converts when the boom times return.
For more on the terms used to describe Champagne go to sfgate.com/ZITH
Jon Bonnés The Chronicle's wine editor. Find him at jbonne(a)sfchronicle.com or twitter.com/jbonne.
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/12/13/FDC61B0MMK.DTL
This article appeared on page K - 4 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 *
Somewhere, there's an intro article for this list. Link is broken.
Budget sparklers for holiday parties
Wednesday, December 16, 2009; E05
Prices are approximate. Check Wine-searcher.com to verify availability, or ask a favorite wine store to order through a distributor.
Last week, Dave McIntyre recommended splurge sparklers, arbitrarily defined as costing more than $30. For celebrations on a budget, look to sparkling wines from France outside of Champagne: Alsace, Bourgogne, Loire and Limoux. Italy offers prosecco and Franciacorta (though the latter can be pricey). Spain brings us Cava, many California sparklers still retail for less than $30, and winemakers around the world can't resist toying with bubbles.
A large-format bottle makes a nice present for the wine lover on your gift list. The Chevalier de Grenelle Saumur, a sparkling chenin blanc from France's Loire Valley, comes with a pewter label on magnums and holds the equivalent of two 750-ml bottles. At $40, it is available in the District at Central Liquors, Magruder's, and Paul's of Chevy Chase, and in Maryland at Finewine.com in Gaithersburg, Bradley Food & Beverage in Bethesda, and Frederick Wine House (Monsieur Touton Selection).
Willm "CuvéLeon IX" ** Cremant d'Alsace, France, $16
What a wonderful value in a sparkling wine. Cremant d'Alsace doesn't give the complexity or richness of champagne (or the sticker shock, of course), but this example from Willm is topnotch, with great balance and a core of red fruit flavors that yield to a clean, refreshing finish. The package is attractive, too, which means this wine looks and tastes more expensive than it is.
Monsieur Touton Selection: available in the District at Ace Beverage, Burka's, Paul's of Chevy Chase, Riverside Liquor, Subway Liquors II; on the list at the Jockey Club. Available in Maryland at Adega Wine Cellars in Silver Spring, Silesia Liquors in Fort Washington, Frederick Wine House. Available in Virginia at Balducci's in Alexandria.
Gussalli Beretta, Saten, "Lo Sparviere" Brut ** Franciacorta, Italy, $26
Delicious and delicate, with fine balance and finesse. Intellectual rather than hedonistic.
Siema: available in Maryland at Cork & Fork in Bethesda, I.M. Wine in Fulton, Giolitti Delicatessen and Catering in Annapolis; on the list at Assaggi in Bethesda, Rip's Country Inn in Bowie. Available in Virginia at the Italian Store in Arlington, Rick's Wine & Gourmet in Alexandria, the Wine Cabinet in Reston.
Domaine Carneros Brut, 2005 ** California, $27
Domaine Carneros is consistently a leading producer of sparkling wine in California. Its association with the Taittinger champagne house can't hurt. The 2005 shows nice complexity and finesse.
Republic National: widely available, including in the District at Ace Beverage, Calvert Woodley, Chevy Chase Wine & Spirits, Circle Wine & Liquor, Magruder's, Morris Miller Wine & Liquor, Rodman's; on the list at Occidental Grille, 1789.
Domaine de Martinolles 2005 ** Cremant de Limoux, France, $18
The fine bead of bubbles gives this wine an ephemeral texture that envelops soft-spoken flavors of red currant and cream. An excellent aperitif wine. Predominantly chardonnay, with chenin blanc and pinot noir finishing the blend.
Wine Traditions: available in the District at D'Vines, De Vinos; available in Virginia at Wine Cabinet in Reston, Vienna Vintner.
Scharffenberger Brut ** Mendocino, Calif., $21
This wine, often found on sale in the $17-to-$19 range, is consistently one of the top values in California sparkling wine.
Republic National: widely available, including in the District at Bell Wine & Spirits, Chevy Chase Wine & Spirits, MacArthur Beverages, Schneider's of Capitol Hill, Watergate Wine & Beverage; on the list at Clyde's.
Alma Negra Sparkling Chardonnay 2007 * 1/2 Mendoza, Argentina, $20
Pricier than most Argentine fizz, but a step up in quality as well. This shows blanc de blancs' character with its golden color and its fat, orchard-fruit palate.
Winebow: available in the District at Bell Wine & Spirits, D'Vines, MacArthur Beverages, Zola Wine & Kitchen.
Domaine du Pas Saint Martin Brut 2006 * 1/2 Saumur, France, $18
Like drinking a crisp, fall apple straight from the tree, with bubbles.
Wine Traditions: available in the District at Cork Market, P&C Market; available in Virginia at Au Domaine in Alexandria.
Maison Vergnes "Le Berceau" Brut * 1/2 Blanquette de Limoux, France, $13
Delightful, crisp and citrusy, with a hint of roast nuts to give it some complexity. This is an excellent aperitif wine to be savored alone or with light appetizers. Made from the mauzac grape, sustainably farmed.
Wine Traditions: available in the District at Best Cellars, Cork Market, Whole Foods Market Tenleytown and P Street NW; on the list at Buck's Fishing & Camping, Cashion's Eat Place, Cork Wine Bar, Iron Gate, Johnny's Half Shell. Available in Virginia at Arrowine in Arlington, Cecile's Wine Cellar in McLean, Whole Foods Market in Arlington and Alexandria, Wine Cabinet in Reston; on the list at Inox in McLean.
Jean-Baptiste Adam Brut * 1/2 Cremant d'Alsace, France, $20
Bright fruit and delicious crisp acidity make this wine a winner.
Winebow: available in the District at Wine Specialist.
Andre Delorme Reserve 100 Percent Chardonnay * France, $10
Although the label doesn't give an appellation, the producer is in Rully, Burgundy. This simple fizz delivers everything one would want for a sawbuck.
Monsieur Touton Selection: available in the District at Cleveland Park Wine and Spirits, Paul's of Chevy Chase, Riverside Liquor, Subway Liquors II, Wagner's, Wine Specialist; available in Maryland at Country Boy in Wheaton, Hillandale Wine & Beer in Silver Spring, Rodman's in White Flint; on the list at Praline in Bethesda.
Champalou Brut
*
Vouvray, France, $21
Textbook chenin blanc, with heirloom apple flavors studded with bubbles. This wine is good with slightly spicy Asian dishes.
Kermit Lynch/Winebow: available in the District at Cork 'N Bottle, Paul's of Chevy Chase, Whole Foods Market P Street NW; on the list at Art & Soul, Cafe Asia, Poste.
Cuvee Victoria Blanc de Blancs Brut 2003
*
Moldova, $17
There aren't many wines from Moldova on the market. This one is more than simply a novelty: It is refreshing, pleasant fizz that can help turn any day into a holiday.
Nice Legs: available in the District at Modern Liquors; available in Virginia at the Butcher's Block in Alexandria, Opera House Gourmet in Manassas, Whole Foods Market in Vienna; on the list at Morrison House in Alexandria.
Desiderio Jeio Brut
*
Prosecco, Italy, $18
Bright and light, with hints of tropical fruit.
Vias/Country Vintner: available in the District at MacArthur Beverages, Morris Miller; on the list at Posto. In Maryland, on the list at Brio Tuscan Grille and Harry Brown's in Annapolis.
Fitz-Ritter Riesling Sekt Extra Trocken * Germany, $19
For many lovers of German wine, a celebratory dinner begins with sekt, a dry sparkling Riesling that can refresh a tired palate before dinner.
Winesellers/Country Vintner: available in the District at MacArthur Beverages. Available in Maryland at I.M. Wine in Fulton, the Wine Source in Baltimore; on the list at Pure Wine Cafe in Ellicott City.
Juve y Camps Reserva 2005 * Cava, Spain, $14
Cava is not often produced as a vintage wine but is typically a blend of several vintages. This example shows an interesting complexity from its age.
Winebow: available in the District at U St. Mini Market; on the list at Jaleo, Vinoteca.
Canella Brut * Prosecco di Conegliano, Italy, $20
>From a leading prosecco producer, this is a fine aperitif, with hints of peach, nectarine and citrus.
Empson/Bacchus: available in the District at Burka's, Chevy Chase Wine & Spirits, Pearson's; available in Maryland at Wells Discount Liquors in Baltimore.
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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 *
This year, break the bubble barrier with something new
By Dave McIntyre
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
For most of us, champagne is a special-occasion drink, raised as a New Year's toast and sipped at weddings or landmark birthdays. It is too expensive to be an everyday tipple, and because we drink it only rarely we tend to stick with the familiar labels of the big champagne houses. Even if you don't drink it much, you've probably heard or seen at least some of these large-house names: Veuve Clicquot, Moë& Chandon, Mumm's, Taittinger, Pommery, Bollinger. These brands and others offer reliable quality, even if sometimes at premium prices. And these large houses produce enough champagne so that you can walk into just about any wine store and find something worth drinking.
But this year, if you're willing to splurge on a nice bottle of bubbly for the holidays, I encourage you to move beyond the familiar and try something new. (I'll have some bargain bubblies to recommend next week.)
There are two ways to do that. First, seek out small, artisanal champagne producers that might seem to be risky because their names are unknown. Though their prices can match those of the familiar brands, these small grower-producers often offer exceptional value. That's because many grow their own grapes and have total control over the winemaking from vineyard to bottle. The vast majority of champagne is produced by large houses that buy grapes from family farmers.
Unfortunately, small-grower champagne is hard to find because there isn't much of it. You can identify a small grower by looking for a code imprinted on the front label in infinitesimally small letters. (You can spot a wine nerd in the champagne aisle; he's the one peering closely at the label while moving his eyeglasses up and down.) If the code begins with "RM" or "SR," it means that producer farmed his or her own grapes. "NM" means that at least some of the grapes used by the winery were purchased.
While RM or SR generally means you have something unusual and potentially very special, NM is not an indicator of inferiority. Many small houses buy grapes as part of their business plan and still manage to produce outstanding champers. Ask your trusted retailer for suggestions.
The second way to break through the familiar bubble barrier is to move beyond champagne to some of the ultra-premium sparkling wines from elsewhere in the world. We flinch at paying champagne prices for bubbly from California or New Zealand, for example, but some of those match similarly priced champagnes for quality and complexity. (If the champagne lover sitting next to you just keeled over in apoplexy, it's because he hasn't read the next sentence yet.) They just manage that with New World exuberance rather than old-fashioned French style.
So this holiday season, think of toasting the New Year and its potential by embracing the unknown and trying something new.
McIntyre can be reached through his Web site, http://www.dmwineline.com, or at food(a)washpost.com.
Recommendations
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Prices are approximate. Check Winesearcher.com to verify availability, or ask a favorite wine store to order through a distributor.
Joséichel et Fils Brut Special Club 2002 *** Champagne, France, $62
This wine shows amazing finesse, with an appealing honey flavor though it's not sweet. After tasting several sparkling wines, I kept getting pulled back to this bottle.
Wine Traditions: available in the District at Cork Market; on the list at Cork Wine Bar. Available in Virginia at Arrowine in Arlington.
Legras & Haas Cuvee Prestige Grand Cru Vielles Vignes *** Champagne, France, $90
It's a definite splurge, but this wine is beguiling. Initially deceptive, it develops complexity with every sip. It features appealing aromas of autumn and winter; I thought of freshly cut pumpkin (the smell you get when carving a jack-o'-lantern), though my wife thought I was nuts.
Murray-Sikes Selection/Nice Legs: on the list in the District at BlackSalt, Cedar. Available in Maryland at Cork & Fork in Bethesda; on the list at Grapeseed in Bethesda. Exclusive Wine Imports: available in Virginia at Arrowine in Arlington, Ashburn Wine Shop, the Butcher's Block and Rick's Wine & Gourmet in Alexandria, Maison du Vin in Great Falls, Wine Seller in Herndon.
Guy Charlemagne Grand Cru Reserve Blanc de Blancs Brut ** 1/2 Champagne, France, $51
>From Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, an area of Champagne known for sublime all-chardonnay fizz, comes this big, bold sparkler with lots of bready yeast and toast flavors.
William-Harrison: available in the District at Connecticut Avenue Wine & Liquor, MacArthur Beverages, Magruder's, Paul's of Chevy Chase, Whole Foods Market Glover Park. Available in Virginia at Cecile's Wine Cellar in McLean, Whole Foods Market Reston, Wine Seller in Herndon; on the list at L'Auberge Chez Françs.
Jean Vesselle Brut Reserve ** 1/2 Champagne, France, $43
Rich and fat, with lots of toast; with food, it comes into focus. Very stylish wine.
Dionysus: available in the District at Whole Foods Market Tenleytown; on the list at Restaurant Nora. Available in Maryland at Balducci's in Bethesda, Finewine.com in Gaithersburg, North Charles Fine Wine & Spirits in Baltimore; on the list at Tavira in Chevy Chase. Available in Virginia at Balducci's in McLean and Alexandria, Rick's Wine & Gourmet in Alexandria, Vienna Vintner, Ellwood Thompson's Local Market in Richmond.
No. 1 Family Estate Cuvee No. 1 ** 1/2 Marlborough, New Zealand, $36
Made by a Champagne winemaker transplanted to New Zealand's Marlborough region, this all-chardonnay blanc de blancs is stylish, fruity and rich, with a whiff of smoke to give it complexity. Bravo! New to this market.
Nice Legs: available in the District at D'Vines, De Vinos; available in Virginia at the Organic Butcher of McLean, Vienna Vintner, Wine Seller in Herndon.
Vve Fourny & Fils Premier Cru Grande Reserve Brut ** 1/2 Champagne, France, $40
Delicate and creamy, with great style and finesse, this wine provides an elegant backdrop for food or a special event, without intruding.
Kermit Lynch/Simon 'N' Cellars: available in the District at Ace Beverage, Cleveland Park Wine and Spirits, Potomac Wine & Spirits; available in Virginia at Arrowine in Arlington, Fern Street Gourmet and Unwined in Alexandria, the Vineyard in McLean.
Schramsberg Blanc de Blancs 2006 ** North Coast, California, $38
Chardonnay with bubbles and no oak, stylishly produced by one of California's oldest sparkling-wine houses.
Bacchus: available in the District at Chevy Chase Wine & Spirits, Morris Miller Wine & Liquor, Trader Joe's; on the list at Againn and BlackSalt. Available in Maryland at Bradley Food and Beverage in Bethesda, FineWine.com in Gaithersburg, Corridor Wine & Spirits in Laurel, Wells Discount Liquors in Baltimore, Wine Cellar in Annapolis; on the list at the Inn at Perry Cabin in St. Michaels.
Duval-Leroy Brut ** Champagne, France, $40
Bright and full, tasting like it's dominated by chardonnay. This is a leading house, though not by any means a "small grower," in the Cotes des Blancs region of Champagne. Duval-Leroy has not had representation in our market for a few years but was recently picked up by International Cellars.
International Cellars: available in the District at Ace Beverage, Bacchus Wine Cellar, Bell Wine & Spirits, Calvert Woodley, Modern Liquors, Paul's of Chevy Chase, Tunnel Fine Wine & Spirits, Whole Foods Market Glover Park, Wine Specialist; on the list at Adour, Et Voila, Montmartre, Oval Room, Oya, Proof.
Alfred Gratien Brut ** 1/2 Champagne, France, $50
The red grapes (pinot noir and pinot meunier) shine through with a minerally, red fruit character. This wine nicely combines toast and yeasty flavors that give heft with delicacy and finesse.
Domaine Select/Bacchus: available in the District at Calvert Woodley, Wide World of Wines; on the list at Poste. Available in Maryland at Chesapeake Wine Co. in Baltimore, State Line Liquors in Elkton, Wine Merchant in Lutherville.
Ch. Gardet & Co. Brut ** 1/2 Champagne, France, $58
New to this market, it impresses with richness and body, yet a delicate finish. It gets even better the next day.
Bacchus: available in the District at Ace Beverage, Cork Market; on the list at Corduroy, Cork Wine Bar, Proof, Vidalia. Available in Maryland at Wine Cellar of Annapolis, DiWine Spirits in Pikesville.
Domaine Chandon Etoile Brut ** 1/2 California, $40
No finesse, just joy: It's consistently one of California's top bubblies, lively and almost electric. Unfortunately, there is not much of it around.
Washington Wholesale: available in the District at Ace Beverage, Calvert Woodley; on the list at Art & Soul, Enology, Kellari Taverna.
Jacquesson Cuvee No. 733 ** 1/2 Champagne, France, $64
Jacquesson (pronounced pretty much like "Jackson") has a legion of fans for its rich, complex style, which comes from aging the base wine in large oak casks. Its single-vineyard champagnes, though well into the triple digits pricewise, are fantastic. This cuvee, based on the 2005 vintage, shows excellent focus and depth.
Vintage 59/Winebow: available in the District at Bacchus Wine Cellar, DeVino's, Griffin Market. P&C Market; on the list at Bistro Bis, Proof, Vinoteca.
Lamiable Brut Grand Cru ** 1/2 Champagne, France, $55
Rich and yeasty, this is one for those who prefer their champers on the powerful side.
Kacher/Washington Wholesale: available in the District at Calvert Woodley, MacArthur Beverages; available in Virginia at Au Domaine in Alexandria.
Pascal Doquet Brut Grand Cru ** 1/2 Champagne, France, $67
Powerful, rich and long on the finish, with toasty flavors. An excellent partner for rich foods.
Kacher/Washington Wholesale, available in the District at Calvert Woodley, Dixie Liquor, Rodman's; on the list at Marcel's. Available in Virginia at Au Domaine in Alexandria.
Haton & Fils Brut Chardonnay Premier Cru, Cuvee Renéaton ** Champagne, $48
This has very nice, delicate chardonnay fruit with good balance and finesse.
William Harrison: available in the District at MacArthur Beverages, Magruder's, Paul's of Chevy Chase, Whole Foods Market Glover Park. Available in Virginia at Wine Seller in Herndon; on the list at L'Auberge Chez Françs, the Inn at Little Washington.
Jean Laurent Blanc de Noirs Brut ** Champagne, France, $50
This wine is aged on the lees for five years, compared with 1 1/2 to 2 years for most non-vintage champagnes. That gives it a little extra color and weight.
Hand Picked Selections/Republic National: available in the District at Magruder's.
Pierre Morlet Grande Reserve Brut Premier Cru ** Champagne, France, $50
It's yeasty, with aromas of exotic melons, excellent body and finish.
Constantine: available in the District at Paul's of Chevy Chase, Schneider's of Capitol Hill.
Domaine Glinavos, Poeme Cuvee Brut 2005 * 1/2 Zitsa, Greece, $39
Quite good, this is expressive in toasty flavors and body, though not as harmonious as it should be. Still, it would be a fun wine for a game of "stump the wine nerd" or to relive your Greek islands vacation.
Constantine: available in the District at Paul's of Chevy Chase, Schneider's of Capitol Hill.
Key
*** Exceptional
** Excellent
* Very Good
Prices are approximate. Check Winesearcher.com to verify availability, or ask a favorite wine store to order through a distributor.
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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 *
Late Bottled Vintage Port
Lynne Char Bennett
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Dow's Porto Fonseca Porto Gould Campbell Porto Graham's Port More...
The holiday season is a time for indulging in desserts, which includes Port. Vintage port is considered the ultimate, but is expensive and needs lengthy aging and decanting. An affordable alternative is Late Bottled Vintage Port - referred to as LBV - which is made to be enjoyed as soon as it is purchased.
The LBV style is a relative newcomer. It is aged in wood casks for four to six years, then typically is filtered or fined before bottling, eliminating the need for decanting. Most LBV is made to drink in its youth when it has offers some characteristics of mature vintage Port.
Enjoy LBV Port on its own or with mild cheddar cheeses and soft, less salty blue cheeses. Moderately chocolate-y desserts - especially those made with semisweet chocolate - also pair well with Port. Whether served to guests or received as a gift, Late Bottled Vintage Port can help ring in the holidays.
2003 Dow's Late Bottled Vintage Porto ($20):
One of several houses within the portfolio of the Symington family. Dow's was one of the first in the 1960s to adopt modern production technology. Dark berry fruit, chocolate mint and mocha truffle with subtle aromas until it opens with some air. An ebullient, rich fruit palate; powerful and balanced. (Importer: Premium Port Wines)
2003 Fonseca Late Bottled Vintage Porto ($20):
Complex nose with brown sugar, lightly spiced fruit and hint of earthy tobacco-like aromas. Wonderfully balanced, fine tannins and less overtly sweet; finishes with smoky edge. (Importer: Kobrand)
2001 Gould Campbell Late Bottled Vintage Porto ($19):
Founded in the late 1700s by Garret Gould and acquired by the Symington family in 1970. A lifted floral impression on the nose, then dark chocolate, plum and dusty grapes with mouthfuls of chocolate and ripe fig. Still lively with nice finish, though a touch of heat starts to peek through. (Importer: Ex Cellars)
2003 Graham's Late Bottled Vintage Porto ($22):
A bottling that is fairly available, even in grocery stores. A serious nose of blueberry, plum, dried cherry, chocolate-covered caramel and hint of black pepper. Tannins on the finish moderate the sweetness. (Importer: Premium Port Wines)
2002 Quinta do Crasto Late Bottled Vintage Porto ($25):
Quinta do Crasto's roots go back to the 17th century. This LBV was bottled unfined and unfiltered, so will probably need decanting after some time in the bottle. Milk chocolate, mint chocolate chip, and dried cherry aromas plus a whiff of damp soil. Rich and mouth-filling with slightly chalky tannins on the finish. (Importer: Broadbent Selections)
1995 Smith Woodhouse Late Bottled Vintage Porto ($30):
A more traditional-style unfined/unfiltered wine that will require decanting. Ruby with touch of bricking along the edge; more nuanced aromas and flavors. Fig, golden raisin with spiced mocha undertones; offers a long finish and gentle tannins. (Importer: Premium Port Wines)
2003 Taylor Fladgate Late Bottled Vintage Porto ($23):
Recognized as the first house to develop an LBV bottling from its 1965 vintage. Deep and dark, showing some almost yeasty notes and hint of menthol under fresh, very ripe fruit aromas. Chocolate-covered Bing cherry on the straightforward palate with tannins on the finish. (Importer: Kobrand)
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/12/06/FDBR1AT9ER.DTL
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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 *
FYI/FYE
Note: Parker's book features.
1. No point scores.
2. No vintages
3. Other opinions...
c,
j
Books on drinking offer good value
Jon BonnéSunday, November 29, 2009
Robert Parker's Wine Bargains, The World's Best Wine Valu... Holiday gift books for 2009 Russian River Brewing's Consecration ($23), a dark, tart ... Macon More...
Books about drinking are in a curious place this season. Familiar names, familiar concepts. That's not a bad thing. It's a good year to provide solid value per page, and that's what you'll find in these selections.
If you want to understand the sea change in the realm of Robert Parker, here's what you do: Take a copy of Parker's "Wine Buying Guide" (sixth edition) and flip through for 10 minutes. Take Parker's Wine Bargains (Simon & Schuster, 497 pages, $18) and do the same.
What's different? For one, no scores. No vintages either, a choice both savvy and disorienting. And don't overlook the extra voices in the mix, including contributors like Riesling expert David Schildknecht, who help bring a sensibility that - and let's be fair here - reflects the shelves of a smart wine shop far better than the Wine Advocate might have even a few years ago.
Hence wines like Riesling from Austria's Loimer and Basque Txakoli from Xarmant, plus more mainstream fare like the (excellent) Chablis from Gilbert Picq.
"Bargains" makes a larger statement about the state of Parkerdom. Producers and places, not numbers, are given center stage. In that sense, it can serve as a very handy guide to consistently worthy wines; its shorthand descriptions balance the usual fruit rigmarole with solid contextual detail.
Let's be honest: Rather than nabbing a one-time superstar, much of our wine buying is about hunting for labels we trust. That's the approach in "Bargains," and for a Parker book to fly without scores is yet another sign of how the world's most powerful wine critic is finding a way to stay relevant in changing times.
Another new release with familiar pedigree is The Concise World Atlas of Wine (Mitchell Beazley, 352 pages, $30). The key word is "concise," as this largely replicates the 2008 edition of the World Atlas edited by Hugh Johnson and Jancis Robinson (an occasional Chronicle contributor).
This paperback form may contain less detailed text (and no wine labels), but all the 200 maps are retained. At substantially less than the $50 hardcover, this allows the curious drinker on a budget to access what has become the indispensable source for understanding wine's geography.
I already noted the arrival of Randall Grahm's compilation of writing, "Been Doon So Long," (UC Press, 318 pages, $35), but as holiday bells draw clear, the collected works of the bibulous muse of Santa Cruz hold sway. Grahm's tributes to literature ("The Love Song of J. Alfred Rootstock") mostly illuminate his brilliant excesses of biochemical creativity.
But move past that and find there's also a serious side in Grahm's repertoire. It's here that Grahm's talents truly shine, as when he turns Friulian winemaker Josko Gravner into his own Salinger in "Six Feet Under." When he's on, Grahm manages the sort of wine writing that rarely finds a place in print anymore: rhapsodic, smart and frank, if not for the beginner.
Now to strong tipple. All cocktail books need a hook, and Kara Newman has found a novel one for "Spice & Ice" (Chronicle Books, 159 pages, $17): drinks with a notable kick beyond the alcohol.
In their most interesting form, this includes beverages like a jalapeno-enhanced julep or the cayenne-powered Gunpower Gimlet from Presidio Social Club's Tim Stookey.
At its less glorious, it wraps in beverages like the "Hot Lips" Chocotini, and there's a preponderance of ginger, perhaps a reflection of the root's elderflower-style saturation in cocktails. (Trend wager: Ginger on the wane in 2010.)
Aspiring mixologists note: Adding spicy heat to drinks requires infusions and other boozy legerdemain, so most concoctions require planning. But for those who want their drinks with a whomp - like me - Newman has conveniently sleuthed out most of what's in the canon.
If you got a postmodern twinge from that last paragraph, take comfort in the re-release of Bill Boothby's 1891 "Cocktail Boothby's American Bar-Tender," ($14.95) newly reproduced by Fritz Maytag's Anchor Distilling. Still available from the California Historical Society, it's useful enough as an old-timey drink reference but also serves as a window to the Barbary Coast days, when Madeira could be synthesized with 40 gallons of cider, spirits, sugar and a dream. Boothby's book is as much a chance to revisit San Francisco's pre-righteous past as it is about making a proper Gin and Pine.
Speaking of gin, Gaz (a.k.a. Gary) Regan's "The Bartender's Gin Compendium" ($24, Xlibris, 371 pages) is worth lingering over. (Disclosure: I edit his longtime Cocktailian column, familiar to many readers.) Though a large chunk of the book is taken up by profiles of individual gins, anyone who has spent more than a few minutes at a bar with Regan (disclosure: me) will know of his longtime academic interest in the subject.
"Compendium" is a self-started project, but it's also one of few efforts to look at the subject in such detail, perhaps so much that only a true juniperhead would need it. Those interested in diversifying their martini repertoire will find plenty of compelling detail.
Finally, it's worth noting - not recommending - one other offering. Jonathan Nossiter, who directed the documentary "Mondovino," has taken a widespread drubbing for his new book, "Liquid Memory: Why Wine Matters" ($26, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 272 pages).
No surprise. Nossiter frames "Memory" as a consideration of wine's "profound relation to the general culture," but the effect is more a name-dropping travelogue as a vehicle to lament the many threats to vinous tradition he perceives.
For an alleged ode to loving wine, the tone is surprisingly sour. Maybe he should flip through Parker's "Bargains" and see that even in the wide world of wine, things change.
Jon Bonnés The Chronicle's wine editor. Find him at jbonne(a)sfchronicle.com or twitter.com/jbonne.
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/11/29/FD0Q1ANL8O.DTL
This article appeared on page K - 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 *
