Dear friends,
Jancis Robinson's web site reports today on an e-mail she received from David Lloyd of Australia's Eldridge Estate winery, who was chair of this past weekend's Mornington Peninsula (Australia) International Pinot Noir Celebration. Mr. Lloyd reported that at this event, only three non-European wineries showed wine with conventional bark corks. (This is not surprising news; screw caps are ubiquitous on Australian and NZ wines.) He also reported that the corked bottle count among the Burgundies was 20 out of 185 (10.8%). This at an event at which the featured Burgundy producers were DRC, de Montille, and Serafin. My personal take on this -- I don't claim to be unbiased on this subject -- is that even at the level of the elite producers, and even among what were (presumably) current release wines for the most part, Burgundians just don't give a darn about a failure rate exceeding one bottle per case. Everybody is lining up to buy their wines anyhow. Caveat emptor if you're out there looking for 2009's to buy, or shopp ing for bargains among prior vintages.
Don't forget to have some rose bubbly in honor of Valentine's Day!
Best regards,
Russ
FYI
from NYTimes
February 1, 2011
Ready for the Next Argentine Invasion?
By ERIC ASIMOV
TORRONTÉ has been touted as the hottest thing to arrive from Argentina since the tango. Or at least since malbec. It.s a grape, and a white wine, and some say it will be as popular in the United States as pinot grigio.
Well, one day, perhaps. But first things first. Have you even heard of torronté The grape is grown pretty much nowhere else in the world but Argentina. Yes, Spain also has a grape called torronté but the two grapes are apparently unrelated. The Argentine grape has been shown genetically to be a hybrid of the muscat of Alexandria and the criolla, or mission, as it.s known in English.
The ancestry of the torrontéis interesting only in that it most definitely bears more than a passing resemblance to the gloriously fragrant muscat. The best torrontéare highly aromatic, exuberantly floral with a rich, hothouse citrus scent as well. Dip your nose into a glass, and you don.t know whether it ought to be sold as a wine or a perfume.
Argentina has a talent for obscure grapes. It took the malbec, a red grape that is forgotten in Bordeaux, overlooked in Cahors and known as côn the Loire Valley, and turned it into a juicy, fruity, money-generating phenomenon identified purely with Argentina. Can torrontébecome malbec.s white counterpart?
Indeed, in 2010, Argentina exported more than 231,000 cases of torrontéto the United States, according to Wines of Argentina, a trade group. That figure may seem minuscule next to the 3.15 million cases of Argentine malbec the United States received that year. But compared with the mere 29,333 cases of torrontéexported to the United States in 2004, the growth has been remarkable.
Given the rate of the torrontéonslaught, the wine panel felt compelled recently to taste through 20 bottles. We could easily have done 50, given the sheer amount of wine out there. For the tasting, Florence Fabricant and I were joined by Brett Feore, the beverage director at Apiary in the East Village, and Carla Rzeszewski, the wine director at the Breslin and the John Dory Oyster Bar on West 29th Street.
It was clear right away that torrontéhas issues of identity. These wines were all over the stylistic map. Some were indeed dry, light-bodied and crisp, like pinot grigios. Others were broad, heavy and rich, like ultra-ripe California chardonnays.
This may be a problem. All genres of wine have their stylistic deviations, but consumers can often read the cues. Chablis is a chardonnay that one can reasonably assume will be lean and minerally, without oak flavors. One would likewise expect a California chardonnay to be richer, and oaky flavors would not surprise. Of course, exceptions exist, often from labels that have been around long enough to establish an identity of their own. But torrontéhas no clear identity, not yet at least, and the unpredictable nature of what.s in the bottles will not help.
Wherever the wines landed on the spectrum, we found that their level of quality depended on one crucial component: acidity. Whether light or heavy, if the wines had enough acidity they came across as lively and vivacious. The rest landed with a thud, flaccid, unctuous and unpleasant.
Florence had other issues with the wines. .Some were concentrated, but finished with a kind of watery emptiness,. she said. .And often, the nose and the palate were not on speaking terms.. That is to say, the aromas often did not signal clearly how the wines would taste.
So, what did we like? Those beautiful aromas . or as Brett put it, .floral, mandarin, muscat, nice!. Carla found a touch of bitterness in some wines, which she very much appreciated.
Just to make torrontéa little more complicated, it turns out the grape in Argentina has three sub-varieties: the torrontéRiojano, the best and most aromatic, which comes from the northern province of La Rioja and Salta; the less aromatic torrontéSanjuanino, from the San Juan province south of La Rioja; and the much-less aromatic torrontéMendocino, from the Mendoza area, which . fasten your seat belts . may not be related to the other two at all.
While I would never want to assume which sub-variety was used, we did find a geographical correlation. Of the 20 bottles in the tasting, 11 were from Salta and other northern provinces. Eight were from Mendoza, and one was from San Juan. But of our top 10, seven were from the north, including our top four. Only three were from Mendoza, and they tended to be more subdued aromatically.
Our No. 1 wine, and our best value at $15, was the 2009 Cuma from Michel Torino, from the Cafayate Valley in Salta. With plenty of acidity, the Cuma was fresh and lively, which made its aromas of mandarin and cantaloupe vibrant rather than heavy. Likewise, our No. 2, the 2009 Alamos from Catena, also from Salta, was thoroughly refreshing with aromas of orange blossoms.
The story was similar for Nos. 3 and 4, both from Salta, too. The 2010 Crios de Susana Balbo was fragrant with melon and citrus, and well balanced, as was the 2009 TomáAchál Nóe, which had an added herbal touch. By contrast the No. 5 Norton Lo Tengo and the No. 6 Goulart, both from Mendoza, were far more reticent aromatically though pleasing and balanced enough.
At this stage in the evolution of torrontéquite a bit of experimentation is still going on. Some wines are clearly made in steel tanks, which accentuates the fresh, lively aromas. Others may have been briefly aged in oak barrels, adding depth and texture to the wines. Thankfully, we found very little evidence of new oak in our tasting.
For my part, I was encouraged by the wines we liked best, particularly our top five. Their aromatic exuberance is singular and pleasing, with the caution that the wines ought to be consumed while young. As for comparisons to pinot grigio, they seem both premature and misleading. The big-selling pinot grigios are so indistinct that they offend no one but those seeking distinctive wines. Torronté on the other hand, are quite unusual, which confers on them the power to offend. In wine, that.s often a good thing.
Tasting Report
BEST VALUE
Michel Torino Cuma, $15, ***
Cafayate Valley Torronté2009
Fresh and lively with depth, presence and flavors of orange and cantaloupe. (Frederick Wildman & Sons, New York)
Catena Alamos, $14, ***
Salta Torronté2009
Fragrant and refreshing with aromas of flowers and citrus. (Alamos U.S.A., Hayward, Calif.)
Crios de Susana Balbo, $13, ** ½
Salta Torronté2010
Well balanced with lingering flavors of mandarin and honeydew. (Vine Connections, Sausalito, Calif.)
TomáAchál Nóe, $17, ** ½
Cafayate Valley Torronté2009
Light-bodied and balanced with floral aromas and orange and herbal flavors. (Domaine Select Wine Estates, New York)
Norton Lo Tengo, $11, ** ½
Mendoza Torronté2009
Full-bodied but fresh and balanced with flavors of citrus and tropical fruit. (Tgic Importers, Woodland Hills, Calif.)
Goulart, $14, **
Mendoza Torronté2009
Subtle and restrained with flavors of minerals, melon and herbs. (Southern Starz, Huntington Beach, Calif.)
Coloméalchaquíalley, $12, **
Torronté2009
Balanced and pleasing with flavors of peaches, flowers and citrus. (The Hess Wine Collection, Napa, Calif.)
La Yunta Famatina Valley, $10, **
La Rioja Torronté2010
Straightforward with orange and herbal flavors. (SWG Imports, Bend, Ore.)
San Telmo Esencia, $15, **
Mendoza Torronté2009
Flavors of melon and citrus but a bit heavy. (Diageo Chateau & Estate Wines, Napa, Calif.)
Terrazas de los Andes, $21, **
Reserva Salta Torronté2008
Aromas of ripe oranges and flowers but a touch hot. (MoëHennessy, New York)
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* Dr. James Ellingson, jellings(a)me.umn.edu *
* mobile : 651/645-0753 *
* Great Lakes Brewing News, 1569 Laurel Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104 *
* james(a)brewingnews.com James.Ellingson(a)StThomas.edu *
>From the SFGC.
2006 Barolo: The Chronicle recommends
Jon BonnéSunday, January 9, 2011
Left-right: 2006 Guido Porro Barolo, 2006 Mauro Veglio Ba... Left-right: 2006 Giacomo Grimaldi Barolo, 2006 Vietti Barolo Left-right: 2006 Elio Grasso Barolo, 2006 Ettore Germano ...
Has northern Italy's most regal wine retrenched from its love affair with modern winemaking? We were on the lookout for evidence as we tasted about two dozen 2006 Barolos.
That vintage should now be on shelves after the region's mandatory three-year aging requirements, yet many wines remain unreleased, prompting us to wonder if there's a bit of a Barolo back stock.
2006 was a year for classicists. We found less oak and more classic flavors in the glass, though the wine's profound Nebbiolo signature - earthy, floral, full of transparent fruit and knotted tannin - wasn't as evident as in two recent benchmark vintages, 2004 and 2001.
But there was plenty to enjoy, especially in basic bottlings under $50, which was heartening. Barolo has fallen prey of late to both price spikes and an obsession with single-parcel bottlings that signal how completely Barolo has been mainstreamed.
If a return to tradition signals a wider range of bottles - for both short-term drinking and long aging - it's a welcome step toward the past.
2006 Mauro Veglio Barolo ($36):
This historic La Morra property made a commitment to a more modern approach in 1992; that has tapered somewhat, though the presence of new wood is forward here. Still, it's hard to resist the great expressive nose in this basic bottling - dried mint, asphalt, rose, conifer and raspberry. Flavors are more subdued, but there's potential in a couple years as the oak is absorbed. (Importer: Wine Warehouse)
2006 Giacomo Grimaldi Barolo ($42):
This Barolo estate was re-established in 1996 by Giacomo's son Ferruccio, and this entry-level effort is wonderfully earthy, if slightly closed right now, with kirsch, dust and rose pollen, and bright strawberry fruit. Big and structural, but the tannins and the fruit are in great balance. A leathery, anise-spiked finish hints at a good decade of potential. (Importer: Banville & Jones)
2006 Bartolo Mascarello Barolo ($85):
The work continued by Bartolo's daughter Maria Teresa remains a pinnacle of Barolo, never more than in a stoic vintage. If Mascarello wines can be standoffish as kids, this is already evocative, with fresh roses, ginger root, a subtle tar presence, bouillon and bright orange-rind highlights, all stitched together with rich cherry and kirsch flavors. Delicious, timeless stuff, surprisingly ready, but with what one panelist called a "violin-string" tension and a ton of structure for aging. (Importer: Robert Chadderdon Selections)
2006 Guido Porro Vigna Lazzairasco Barolo ($39):
Porro, based in Serralunga d'Alba, hews to a notably traditional style; this is Barolo as a snapshot of a recent past, from a south-southeast facing site. An immediately pretty dusty and caramelized orange-peel character, with a savory beef-jerky presence amid leathery black cherry fruit. Buoyant and fresh. A Barolo without guilt - not for a long-term wait, but a great deal for the next six to eight years. (Importer: Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant)
2006 Cordero di Montezemolo Monfalletto Barolo ($42):
The Monfalletto property was one of few in the commune of La Morra that left an impression this time. Aged in a mix of oak, it splits the difference between traditional and modern styles, with results that might spur debate. Properly tarry and tangy - toasted coriander and tangerine, green olive and sweet cherry. But it's surprisingly polished, making it approachable while not sacrificing its stoic guts. (Importer: Wine Warehouse)
2006 Ettore Germano Prapo Barolo ($70):
>From Sergio Germano's south-facing parcel just below his Serralunga winery, this is undeniably stylish, forward Barolo - a successful take on a modern style. Lots of rich vanilla accents to edgier lemon rind, apricot and mineral scents. The fruit is rich and deep, and the tannins classically strong. Should be plenty approachable within a couple years. (Importer: Oliver McCrum Wines)
2006 Elio Grasso Gavarini Chiniera Barolo ($90):
Grasso works the steep slopes of Monforte, and this muscular Barolo aged in large Slavonian barrels is a high-wire act - stylish, but with lots of tannic austerity. Aromas of spice box, balsam, clay, mandarin orange and cranberry, with a minty herbal kick. Grasso's gorgeous Ginestra Casa Mate ($90) is a touch more approachable right now. (Importer: Oliver McCrum Wines)
2006 Vietti Rocche Barolo ($130):
Luca Currado's effort from 45-year-old vines in his native Castiglione remains a Barolo benchmark, aged in Slovenian oak casks for 32 months. A rich cola-like and nutmeg presence, and a tamarind edge, bring depth to the fresh rose and woodsy accents. Deep, extracted and fancy, it's still got lots of classic stuffing - raspberry high tones, black cherry opulence and a vibrancy that remains through rich espresso tones. (Importer: Dalla Terra)
Panelists: Jon BonnéChronicle wine editor; Ceri Smith, owner, Biondivino; Wolfgang Weber, Chronicle contributor.
Jon Bonnés The Chronicle's wine editor. Find him at jbonne(a)sfchronicle.com and @jbonne on Twitter.
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/01/09/FDJ11H3SSU.DTL
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* Dr. James Ellingson, jellings(a)me.umn.edu *
* mobile : 651/645-0753 *
* Great Lakes Brewing News, 1569 Laurel Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104 *
* james(a)brewingnews.com James.Ellingson(a)StThomas.edu *
>From the NY Times
January 31, 2011
A Home Treatment Kit for Super Bowl Suffering
By BENEDICT CAREY
Every year scientists report that watching the Super Bowl is somehow unhealthy, even dangerous. Large bowls of snacks encourage overeating. Traffic accidents may increase after the game, too.
This year, a study in the journal Clinical Cardiology released on Monday warns that a loss by the hometown team in the big game leads to .increased deaths in both men and women, and especially older patients.. One of the authors said in a press release that .stress reduction programs or certain medications might be appropriate in individual cases..
Therapists in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania are prepared. Most have seen plenty of people who suffer from what could be called Football Attention Neurosis (F.A.N.), in their practices, in their living rooms, and sometimes in the mirror.
.The belief that these patients have is that the world will end if the Steelers . uh, I mean, their team loses,. said Mark Hogue, a psychologist at Northshore Psychological Associates in Erie, Pa., who owns a trunkload of Pittsburgh Steelers paraphernalia, including a Snuggie. .As a therapist, you need to take that fear seriously..
.Many patients, it needs to be said, will be self-medicating,. said Ursula Bertrand, a psychologist in private practice in Green Bay, Wis. .This can be helpful, but in excess it can also make anxiety attacks more likely..
The causes of those attacks are very specific to the fan.s team, experts said.
A patient with an attachment to, for instance, the Green Bay Packers may be especially symptomatic if he or she sees the team.s quarterback running unprotected with the ball, especially if that quarterback has suffered previous concussions. The same patient might also suffer heart palpitations .whenever the Packers go out to receive a punt,. said Bradley C. Riemann, director of the Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Center and cognitive-behavioral therapy services at Rogers Hospital in Oconomowoc, Wis., who has tickets to the Super Bowl and often travels to follow the Packers.
In contrast, a patient with an attachment to, for example, the Steelers might experience stabs of panic whenever he or she sees the team.s offensive line try to protect its quarterback from a surging defense. .They.ve had so many injuries on the line that it can be very hard to watch. for the patient, said Sam Knapp, a psychologist in Harrisburg, Pa., who records every Steelers game and watches only the victories.
Clearly, there.s a need for guidelines to deal with such patients. The following are derived from years of observations in the field and conversations with hundreds of sufferers of F.A.N. No licensed professional had, or would have, anything to do with them. They are the therapy version of fantasy football.
However, unlike many medical interventions, you can try these at home.
Treatment Guidelines
Football Attention Neurosis
I. Establishing a Therapeutic Alliance (Pregame)
Patients often arrive on the couch well before kickoff, agitated and highly resistant to treatment. Proceed with care. Attempts at small talk or queries about their mental well-being may at first be met with an irritated stare, a gesture toward the flat screen and insensitive remarks like .Do you mind?. or .The game.s about to start, O.K.?.
This is the disorder talking, not the person.
It also provides an opportunity to establish trust, by sitting with the sufferer and his or her feelings. A strong alliance is essential going forward, because it is often the case that treatment will involve asking the patient to do things that may be frightening or profoundly uncomfortable, like sitting quietly with eyes open as an erratic kicker attempts a late field goal.
II. Evaluating the Severity of Impairment (First Half)
The severity of the disorder will usually reveal itself early in the first half of the football contest. Some patients will exhibit physical symptoms, including flushing, heart palpitations, chest pain, even a choking sensation, when their team chokes. Others may show psychological signs, like disorientation, a numbed trancelike state, or disordered vocalizations like .What the...,. .How in the name of...,. .Oh, lord, no..
.Tell me that didn.t just happen!. is another characteristic rhetorical reaction to an undesired play in the contest, almost always followed by this remark: .I can.t watch this anymore..
Caution: Do not approach patients in these moments. They are fragile and prone to hurling nearby objects, including mini-bagels, plastic cups, pigs in a blanket . even themselves, in extreme cases, to the floor.
The time to complete the assessment is during commercial breaks, which are frequent and lengthy. Be sure to determine the family history (sample question: .Was your mother buried in a Reggie White jersey?.) and to make a careful review of medications, including nutritional supplements, prescriptions and a rough count of the 40-ounce malt liquor cans arranged like a mini-Stonehenge around the couch.
III. Formulating a Treatment Plan (Halftime)
Patients ritually leap to their feet and disappear at halftime. This break allows the therapist time to develop an intervention for the second half, when symptoms are most severe and disabling. The goals of treatment are the same for all patients: to reduce anxiety, to eliminate avoidance behaviors, to soothe physical symptoms like sleep loss, chronic groaning and cursing at the TV and the pets. Yet each individual suffers at different times and for different reasons, and the treatment plan must be tailored accordingly.
IV. Administering Therapy (Second Half)
The first commercial break after the second-half kickoff is the time to explain to the patient that his or her suffering is rooted in cognitive misconstruals, automatic assumptions that do not stand up to scrutiny.
For example, beliefs like a player .always fumbles. or .never makes late kicks. or .couldn.t cover my grandmother. represents an overestimate of risk. Each player is competent; each has succeeded in the past; all could cover Grandma, even on a slippery field.
Likewise, the notion that world will end if the patient.s team loses . catastrophizing, as this sort of thinking is known . does not stand up to the evidence. Remind the patient: Life resumed after each previous loss that the team suffered. And, in time, taste returned to food, colors became visible, feeling returned to extremities.
Breathing exercises are highly recommended and become increasingly important as the football contest nears the fourth quarter, when events on the field are likely to prompt strong physiological reactions, like a pounding heart, hyperventilation, even dizziness. These internal cues, as they.re called, can escalate the feeling of panic, a self-reinforcing cycle resulting in groans and cries that can be frightening to small children, pets and sometimes neighbors.
In the final minutes of the game, be forewarned: Many patients will move beyond the reach of therapy. Their faces may change, their breathing appear to stop. Researchers have not determined whether this state is closer to Buddhist meditation or to the experience of freefall from an airplane. All that is known is that, once in it, patients will fall back on primal coping methods, behaviors learned in childhood within the cultural context of their family.
Like emitting screams. Or leaping in an animated way, as if the floor were on fire. Or falling on their back and moving their arms and legs like an overturned beetle, in celebratory fashion.
Important note to therapist: At this point, if you are rooting for the same team as the patient, it will not violate ethical standards to join in.
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* Dr. James Ellingson, jellings(a)me.umn.edu *
* mobile : 651/645-0753 *
* Great Lakes Brewing News, 1569 Laurel Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104 *
* james(a)brewingnews.com James.Ellingson(a)StThomas.edu *
