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1040 discussions

by Jim L. Ellingson

Greetings, Our plan B for this week is Zinfandel at Oddfellows, 4th and East Hennepin. Parking in the lot on the corner of 4th and 1st. Bob left a message on Monday, but they're not open Mon/Tues. Bob will let us know when they confirm. Next week, Cabernet Sauv at the St Paul Grill. Bruch, 5/22 at Bobino Oddfellows / Boom 401 E Hennepin Minneapolis, MN 55414 612-378-3188 Yes: (mostly guesses) Annette S. Brian Bob Roger Jim Nicolai Betsy late Russ Cheers, Jim April 27, 2005 Luring Women With the Chick Lit of Wine By PATRICIA LEIGH BROWN ST. HELENA, Calif. IS it wine for "Desperate Housewives"? Soccer moms? Or for when Carrie Bradshaw has dinner with Rachael Ray? The wine industry's seduction of the American female consumer has begun. Not to be outdone by Victoria's Secret, laundry detergent and countless other products, the "girlie" wine has dawned, dressed in gift bags resembling see-through organza negligees and bearing cosmetics-counter names like Seduction or hip-cute ones like Ros� the Riveter or Mad Housewife. Contrary to wine's male image, in which men score vintages and then hoard them in cellars, women buy 77 percent and consume 60 percent of the wine in America. In response, Beringer Blass Wine Estates, which is owned by the Foster's Group, is introducing a low-alcohol, low-calorie chardonnay called White Lie Early Season Chardonnay. The wine, its pedicure-red label and romance-novel cursive lettering - to flaunt on supermarket shelves - has a promotion involving Jennifer Weiner, a best-selling chick-lit author. The corks carry messages, familiar white lies like "I'll be home by 7" and "It's my natural color." The chardonnay comes from Santa Barbara grapes that have been picked early, when the sugar content is lower, and then further "de-alcoholized" to 9.8 percent. It is also the product of extensive market research, which included tasting dinners in three cities and informal conversations with book clubs, largely female phenomena that often involve wine as much as literary analysis, said Tracey Mason, director for innovation of Beringer. "As women, we understood how busy we are," said Ms. Mason, part of an all-woman team, including a winemaker, Jane Robichaud, that developed the wine. "Women also tend to give up things, whether it's time for themselves, or a gooey desert or that second glass of wine." To lure them, Beringer is promoting White Lie on cooking, travel and golf Web sites and blogs, and in a writing contest to be judged by Ms. Weiner, whose second novel, "In Her Shoes," is being made into a movie. "I saw 'Sideways,' " she said. "I thought, man, I've been drinking merlot all these years. I'm an idiot!" That kind of snobbery on display in the movie - the image of swirling, sniffing connoisseurs - has been one of many deterrents to mass consumption of wine, regardless of gender, said Robert Smiley, a professor and director of wine industry programs at the graduate school of management at the University of California, Davis. Only 10 percent of Americans drink wine regularly he said. And at the supermarket, where about a third of wine is bought, consumers "go to Safeway and see hundreds of different bottles, which makes them confused and nervous." The soft drink, beer and coffee businesses are dominated by huge brands like Anheuser-Busch, he said, "which spends more than 10 times on promotion than the entire wine industry." To compete, he added, winemakers "have to get innovative." So, with Freudian intensity, producers are finally delving into the female psyche. Women have a more sophisticated palate, said Barton O'Brien, whose O'Brien Family Vineyard makes Seduction, a Napa Valley red, described as "a voluptuous wine with sensual flavors and a velvet kiss" on the label. "Women are into mouth feel and a long finish," he said. In other words, seduction. To conceptualize Mad Housewife, which made its debut in January, Mike Lynch, a founder of Rainier Wine in Seattle, did Internet surveys with 250 women. "Our concept was the edgy housewife," he said. The label reads as if written by Hallmark's evil twin: "Somewhere near the cool shadows of the laundry room. Past the litter box and between the plastic yard toys. This is your time." Leslie Sbrocco, the author of "Wine for Women" (William Morrow, 2003), said that more than men, "women look for the experience" in wine. "We think about who we're with, what we're eating," Ms. Sbrocco said. "Women buy visually, paying attention to packaging. They look for a transition between day and night, work and play." Eric Asimov, the chief wine critic for The New York Times, called White Lie "wan and diluted." "But," he said, "there's some good flavor underneath." Not surprisingly, the very notion of a woman's wine has already generated a mini-backlash. "I find it demeaning," said Kris Curran, of Curran Wines in the Santa Rita Hills, near Santa Barbara. "It's implying that women don't have as sophisticated a palate." Ann Colgin, owner of Colgin Cellars in St. Helena, which makes collectible, small production "cult" wines, said she would find the idea of a male wine "a little silly." "Women enjoy fine wine as much as any man out there," she said. As for calories, she added: "I'd rather have one great glass of wine and a small piece of dark chocolate than a whole box of SnackWells." -- ------------------------------ * * Dr. James Lee Ellingson, Adjunct Professor jellings(a)me.umn.edu * * University of Minnesota, tel: 651/645-0753 fax 651 XXX XXXX * * Great Lakes Brewing News, 1569 Laurel Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104 *

20 years, 7 months

[wine] st. paul grill

by annette stadelman

HI all, Scott Ida at the St. Paul Grill would like to host us but requests that we book a Thursday that's event-less in downtown. That means this week is out, but next week (5-5) would work. The suggestion was California Cab. He would want to seat us at one of the big rounds which means a 10 person limit. Let me know if you'd like me to schedule for 5-5. Annette S.

20 years, 7 months

[wine] Loire, Rhone at A'Rebours TONIGHT

by Jim L. Ellingson

Mostly an update. Reservation is for 8. I've got 9 on the list, but haven't heard from everyone. Perhaps we can give our hosts the heads up so the later comers have a place to sit. Including a note on the 2003 Rhones. Sounds like the warmest year, earliest harvest on record has created some very concentrated wines, at least by rhone standards. I suppose the price of sugar plummeted due to decreased demand from the vintners..... ----- Forwarded message from "Jim L. Ellingson" <jellings(a)me.umn.edu> ----- Date: Tue, 19 Apr 2005 11:13:40 -0500 From: "Jim L. Ellingson" <jellings(a)me.umn.edu> To: wine(a)thebarn.com Subject: [wine] Loire, Rhone at A'Rebours on Thursday (again) Greetings, Re-cycling this for this weeks re-scheduled event. Annette: Are we on for A' Rebours this week? C, J ----- Forwarded message from "Jim L. Ellingson" <jellings(a)me.umn.edu> ----- Date: Mon, 4 Apr 2005 11:22:28 -0500 From: "Jim L. Ellingson" <jellings(a)me.umn.edu> To: wine(a)thebarn.com Subject: Loire, Rhone at A' Rebours on Thursday User-Agent: Mutt/1.5.4i Greetings, This week, the group goes to St. Paul. A Rebours 410 St. Peter, 55102 651 665 0656 Annette Bob Lori Betsy (late) Roger Jim (late) Nicolai Brian Mallie Russ McC Sounds like the rest. is in the Hamm building? Better parking is away from the X and the Ordway. e.g. on 6th, Wabasha, 7th, etc. Meters are free after 5:00. Vallet Parking available. If your coming via I-94, then take the 10th st. exit to St. Peter, Right on St. Peter. Better parking on Wabasha, and on 6th st. One ways all around. Cheers, Jim April 20, 2005 WINES OF THE TIMES Not the Same Old, Same Old Nouveau By ERIC ASIMOV IF you don't love a good Beaujolais you don't love wine. To me, that's a bottom line. You can throw out all the other reasons that people buy and drink wine, whether for status or religious observance, as an investment, as an intellectual exercise, as a social lubricant or simply to get drunk. Those all may be legitimate motives for opening a bottle. But the sheer joyous lip-smacking pleasure of drinking a good lively Beaujolais is what separates those who love wine for wine's sake from those more concerned with the added values a bottle might bring. The problem is finding a good Beaujolais. Any number of mediocre, pallid or tricked-up wines call themselves Beaujolais. Technically they have the right, if the wines are made from the gamay grape and are grown in the Beaujolais region south of Burgundy. If the grapes come from better parts of the hilly northern end of the region, the wines might be called Beaujolais-Villages, and if they come from the best parts of the north, the wines can be named after one of 10 communes considered distinctive, like Moulin-�-Vent, Morgon or Juli�nas. But over the last 25 years or so the identity of Beaujolais has become muddied. Once it was clearly an inexpensive, exuberant wine, served by the barrelful in French bistros. Then came the Beaujolais nouveau explosion of the 1970's and 80's, which turned a quaint local custom of celebrating the new vintage into a worldwide marketing phenomenon. Before long half the entire production of Beaujolais was devoted to the nouveau. But soon enough the world got over the hype and was yawning at yet another proclamation that the Beaujolais "est arriv�." Other factors contributed to a fall in demand for Beaujolais. More and more cheap wine became available from Australia, South America, South Africa and Eastern Europe, cutting into the market. And as a side effect of the Beaujolais nouveau promotions, many grape growers and producers took shortcuts to make a reliable mass-market wine at the expense of traditional character. This is not to paint a nostalgic picture. There was always plenty of bad Beaujolais to go around. But today it takes extra effort to find a good Beaujolais, the kind that makes you happy to have a glassful of wine. To help pick out a few good bottles, the Dining section's wine panel decided to taste a selection from the vintage of 2003. As you may recall, heat waves swept through France that year, producing unusual vintages in the Burgundy and Beaujolais regions. Many have heralded this Beaujolais vintage because the heat let growers ripen their grapes to a point of rare intensity. Others have feared that the ripe grapes would produce jammy, baked wines that would lack liveliness. Luckily, the panel - Florence Fabricant and I, joined by our guests, Chris Goodhart, wine director of Balthazar in SoHo, and Karen King, beverage director of the Modern in Midtown - concluded that the 2003 vintage was excellent. It was one of our rare areas of agreement about the 26 bottles that we tasted, which included 3 plain Beaujolais, 5 Beaujolais-Villages and 18 cru Beaujolais, those named after one of the superior communes. And yet we were all excited by what we liked. Ms. King loved the silky, velvety textures of the wines and found the lineup as a whole delicious. Mr. Goodhart and I loved the idea of drinking these softly fruity, minerally wines with food. Ms. Fabricant was happy to find ripe cherry flavors in her favorite wines. Yet there were frustrating moments. I loved a fresh, unpretentious wine with plenty of fruit and a pleasing bitterness. It turned out to be a Beaujolais-Villages from Ch�teau de la Rigodi�re, marketed as Le Petit Coq in a cute 500-milliliter bottle for $10. But Mr. Goodhart and Ms. King were so unimpressed that the bottle did not make our Top 10 list. Similarly, I loved a cru Beaujolais from Andr� Rampon, from the commune of R�gni�, which I found exuberant and substantial. But I was alone. It did not make the list. On the other hand, Mr. Goodhart and Ms. King very much admired a Juli�nas, sold under the ubiquitous Georges Duboeuf flower label, which I found way too sweet and candied. It squeaked onto our list at No. 10. Personally I find over-sweetness a common flaw in many wines, including Mr. Duboeuf's flower-label series, but Mr. Duboeuf, the dominant figure in Beaujolais, also sells more textured, less obvious wines, like his Jean Descombes Morgon, which we put at No. 9. We had no such disputes at the top of the list, though. Our top choice, a Fleurie from Ch�teau de Ch�nas, was just what we were looking for, a lively, juicy wine with an almost chewy texture that was pure pleasure in the mouth. A Juli�nas from Michel T�te, No. 2 on our list, was pleasing and graceful, with fruit, herb and spice flavors. While most of the best Beaujolais come from the crus, it is not a hard rule. Our No. 3 wine was a Beaujolais-Villages from Domaine de la Madone, and our No. 6 was a plain Beaujolais. It illustrates what dedicated producers can accomplish when they don't cut corners. Too often producers more interested in high grape yields than in quality will pick early, before the grapes ripen sufficiently. They will then make adjustments in the cellar, like adding sugar or acidity: legal, but shortcuts just the same. Harsh filtering can assure stability for shipping but can also strip away character. Better producers may make less wine, but chances are it will be more distinctive. It may cost a few dollars more, but these producers take greater risks in delaying their harvests and trying to preserve the individuality of their wines. Even so, Beaujolais is not really a wine that lends itself to extended analysis. People have told me that if you take a fine cru Beaujolais and age it for a decade, it begins to resemble a Burgundy. No doubt. But making aging potential the measure of a Beaujolais misses the point. Why not celebrate the simplicity of a good Beaujolais? A simple wine does not have to be a childish wine, sweet and sappy as soda. It can be a grown-up pleasure, offering joy that is profound in its own way. I think all wine lovers can agree on that. Tasting Report: 10 That Basked in the 2003 Sun BEST VALUE Ch�teau de Ch�nas Fleurie $16 *** Juicy and balanced, with ripe cherry, earth and cranberry flavors and a velvety texture. (Importer: Cellar Door Selections, Columbia, Md.) Michel T�te Domaine du Clos du Fief Juli�nas $22 *** Light and graceful, with persistent mineral, fruit and herbal flavors. (Louis/Dressner Selections, New York) Domaine de la Madone Beaujolais-Villages Perreon $13 ** 1/2 Dense and earthy, with rich, lingering fruit and spice flavors. (Michael Skurnik Wines, Syosset, N.Y.) Marcel Lapierre Morgon $23 ** 1/2 Appealing aromas of cinnamon and mint, with juicy fruit flavors. (Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant, Berkeley, Calif.) Michel Guignier Morgon R�serve $20 ** 1/2 Succulent and balanced, with complex aromas of fruit, flowers and minerals and lingering flavors. (Village Wine Imports, New York) Domaine du Vissoux Beaujolais Cuv�e Traditionelle $14 ** 1/2 Dense and concentrated, with intense fruit flavors. (Weygandt-Metzler, Unionville, Pa.) Tr�nel Fils Morgon C�te de Py $18 ** Well balanced, with mineral flavors; more earthy than fruity. (Robert Chadderdon, New York) Ch�teau des Tours Brouilly $15 ** Ripe fruit flavors; pure and not too sweet. (Baron Fran�ois, New York) Georges Duboeuf Morgon Jean Descombes $14 ** Ripe and substantial, with persistent fruit flavors. (W. J. Deutsch & Sons, White Plains, N.Y.) Georges Duboeuf Juli�nas (flower label) $11 ** Ripe, juicy and very sweet; a crowd pleaser. (W. J. Deutsch & Sons, White Plains, N.Y.) -- ------------------------------ * * Dr. James Lee Ellingson, Adjunct Professor jellings(a)me.umn.edu * * University of Minnesota, tel: 651/645-0753 fax 651 XXX XXXX * * Great Lakes Brewing News, 1569 Laurel Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104 *

20 years, 7 months

[wine] Loire, Rhone at A'Rebours on Thursday (again)

by Jim L. Ellingson

Greetings, Re-cycling this for this weeks re-scheduled event. Annette: Are we on for A' Rebours this week? C, J ----- Forwarded message from "Jim L. Ellingson" <jellings(a)me.umn.edu> ----- Date: Mon, 4 Apr 2005 11:22:28 -0500 From: "Jim L. Ellingson" <jellings(a)me.umn.edu> To: wine(a)thebarn.com Subject: Loire, Rhone at A' Rebours on Thursday User-Agent: Mutt/1.5.4i Greetings, This week, the group goes to St. Paul. A Rebours 410 St. Peter, 55102 651 665 0656 Annette Bob Lori Betsy Roger Jim Nicolai Sounds like the rest. is in the Hamm building? Better parking is away from the X and the Ordway. e.g. on 6th, Wabasha, 7th, etc. Meters are free after 5:00. Vallet Parking available. If your coming via I-94, then take the 10th st. exit to St. Peter, Right on St. Peter. Better parking on Wabasha, and on 6th st. One ways all around. Cheers, Jim ----- Forwarded message from ANNETTE <mandastad(a)msn.com> ----- HI Jim We decided to do Bordeaux and Loire at the new French bistro in St. Paul - A Rebours - owned by the Bakery on Grand people with Michael Morse at the helm. I set the res. for 8 people. Let me know a count by Wed. if possible. I won't be there until after 7:00. The restaurant is on St. Peter street just west of Kinkaids and the St. Paul Hotel. Street parking or Lawson Bldg. ramp. Annette S. July 9, 2003 >From the Loire, Whites With Bite By FRANK J. PRIAL MENTION the Loire Valley to a white-wine lover and chances are he or she will immediately think sauvignon blanc. There are other white wine grapes, of course. At the mouth of the Loire River, near the city of Nantes, the grape is muscadet. Oh yes, and the harsh, untamed gros plant that is supposed to go well with oysters. Chenin blanc dominates Touraine, from Anjou and Saumur westward through Tours and Vouvray, but then slowly at first, sauvignon blanc begins to take over. >From around the city of Tours and on to Orl�ans, where the Loire begins its long, leisurely arc to the south, sauvignon blanc is the white wine grape of choice. At Sancerre on the west bank of the river and Pouilly-Fum� on the east, it truly comes into its own. Quincy and Reuilly, 30 miles west of Sancerre on the banks of the Cher, are also part of this world, with their own wines made from the white sauvignon grape. Of these sauvignon blancs, Sancerre is the best of the lot, with Pouilly-Fum� a close second. Local experts, unless they recognize a friend's wine, often have difficulty telling the two wines apart although some experts say the Fum�s are a bit fuller-bodied and richer. And at times, the Dining section's tasting panel had the same difficulty as we went through 15 Sancerres and 13 Pouilly-Fum�s (not to be confused with Pouilly-Fuiss�, a wine from the M�con region in southern Burgundy made from chardonnay grapes). We decided to taste them nicely chilled one boiling afternoon because, in the words of Eric Asimov, one of our regular panelists, "they are such friendly, relaxing summer wines." Mr. Asimov was joined on the panel by two other regulars, Amanda Hesser and me, and a guest, Daniel Johnnes, the wine director of Montrachet restaurant. After having tasted all 28 glasses, Mr. Johnnes called them a good sampling of what's happening in the Loire Valley. He said: "There are many different styles of these wines, and it becomes a matter of the commercial wines versus those showing the heights these wines can reach." And there were a good many wines that met all the criteria for a refreshing easy-to-drink Loire white. That is, they had a vivacity and crispness to them, that sharp bite that comes from good acidity. And they had a smoky, flinty flavor and aroma that tells us where these wines come from: Sancerre and Pouilly-Fum�. Most of the wines we tried were made in the traditional style, aged briefly in steel tanks or large, old barrels to retain the pungency of the sauvignon blanc grapes without adding a new oak flavor, as is often done in California. But a small group of Loire winemakers are experimenting with oak. Sometimes this is done with sensitivity, softly buttressing the sauvignon blanc flavors; often, the oak is overbearing. A glance at any map of Central France will help explain why Sancerre and Pouilly-Fum� stand out among sauvignon blancs. Chablis, which makes some of the greatest of all white wines, is only 50 miles to the east and shares its special terrain, chalk on Kimmeridgian marl, with Sancerre and Pouilly to the east (and Champagne to the north). In our sampling, we tried to hold the line at $25 a bottle. Except for one at $30, they ranged from $13 to $25, with the average price just over $17. Of our top 10 wines, six were Pouilly-Fum�s, four were Sancerres. Our top wine, with three and a half stars, was a Sancerre, Raimbault's 2002 Apud Sariacum ($15). It was also our best value, but isn't the easiest wine to find. Mr. Johnnes found the Raimbault "juicy, ripe and delicious." I found it to be more Californian that Loirean. Also at three and a half stars was a 2001 Pouilly-Fum�, Les Berthiers, from Domaine Gilles Blanchet ($18). Mr. Johnnes liked its "richness and precision," its "stony mineral finish." Two wines each garnered three stars, both Sancerres: a 2002 La Croix au Garde from the Domaine Henry Pell� ($21), and a village wine from Richard Bourgeoise ($15). Everyone liked the mineral qualities in the Pell�. The Bourgeoise wine was Ms. Hesser's favorite. One wine captured two and a half stars, a 2001 Pouilly-Fum� Les Pentes from Serge Dagueneau, the uncle of the more famous Didier Dagueneau of Pouilly-Fum�, whom many consider one of France's finest winemakers. Much of Serge's winemaking is done by his daughters, both of whom have worked in the Napa Valley. Didier Dagueneau's wines, which we did not include, as they start around $50, can be stunning, though they're hardly classic Pouilly-Fum�. He ages them in small oak barrels and achieves a richness and complexity unheard of in these wines. The wines we tasted were traditional feisty sauvignon blancs. In "The Wine and Food Guide to the Loire" (Henry Holt, 1996), Jacqueline Friedrich has fans sensing a move to a softer, California style, and she has them paraphrasing the poet and murderer Fran�ois Villon. "Where," they ask rhetorically, "are the Sancerres of yesteryear?" Our exercise indicated that the change has yet to happen. It had better not. Screw tops at the ready, New Zealanders are waiting in the wings. And they make terrific sauvignon blanc. Takes your breath away, mate. Tasting Report: A Welcoming Liveliness BEST VALUE Raimbault Sancerre Apud Sariacum 2002 $15 *** 1/2 Juicy, ripe and delicious, Daniel Johnnes said. Frank J. Prial called it a California-style wine, big, solid and rich. Eric Asimov found it pungent, fresh and lively. Amanda Hesser detected pineapple and mint in the nose and praised the long finish. Domaine Gilles Blanchet Pouilly-Fum� Les Berthiers 2001 $18 *** 1/2 Prial lauded the wine's beautiful nose and rare intensity. Johnnes found richness and precision, and a stony mineral finish. Asimov called it piquant, airy and herbal. Smoky and vivid, Hesser said. Domaine Henry Pell� Sancerre La Croix au Garde 2002 $21 *** Asimov found a rare complexity and depth in this wine. A lot going on, said Hesser, who detected passion fruit and pineapple aromas. Prial liked a mineral touch and long finish. Johnnes called it juicy, vibrant and concentrated with great minerality. Richard Bourgeoise Sancerre 2002 $15 *** Hesser's favorite: she liked its delicacy and clarity. Prial detected a wet stone aroma and praised the acidity. Johnnes liked the brightness and crisp finish. Asimov called it was a classic Sancerre with mint and lemon aromas. Serge Dagueneau Pouilly-Fum� Les Pentes 2001 $20 ** 1/2 Good concentration with presence and persistence, Johnnes said. Asimov found it lively but narrow, a simple wine. Hesser called it coarse, without much clarity. But Prial enjoyed its attractive touch of citrus. Marnier-Lapostolle Ch�teau de Sancerre 2001 $15 ** Asimov detected aromas of hay and sweetgrass and a touch of honey that he said added richness. Hesser, too, found honey and an earthiness. Johnnes noted a quality of minerals and decay, which he found appealing. But Prial tasted a sweetness that he didn't care for in sauvignon blanc. Langlois Pouilly-Fum� Ch�teau Les Pierre-Feux 2001 $16 ** Nicely balanced with a nice bite to it, Prial said. Hesser felt the nose lacked freshness, but liked the softness in the mouth. Johnnes found an attractive peachy quality. Asimov called it tart and minerally. J. C. Chatelain Pouilly-Fum� Domaine de St. Laurent-l'Abbaye 2001 $13 ** Lively, bright, delicious to drink, Asimov said. Prial liked the balance, acidity and finish. Hesser called it vibrant, but Johnnes felt it was light. Henri Bourgeois Pouilly-Fum� La Porte de L'Abbaye 2001 $15 ** Prial found the nose flowery and the wine vibrant. Fresh and clean with a snappy finish, Johnnes said. Hesser termed it drinkable but not intuitive. Asimov called the flavors clear but found it too tart. Domaine A. Calibourdin Pouilly-Fum� Cuv�e du Bois Fleury 2000 $17 ** Ripe with a long finish, but lacks concentration, Johnnes said. Hesser detected lots of fruit, lots of lemon zest. Prial called it correct and pleasant, though bland, and Asimov liked the rich aroma but felt it lacked character. -- ------------------------------ * * Dr. James Lee Ellingson, Adjunct Professor jellings(a)me.umn.edu * * University of Minnesota, tel: 651/645-0753 fax 651 XXX XXXX * * Great Lakes Brewing News, 1569 Laurel Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104 *

20 years, 7 months

[wine] Bayport Cookery Morel Mushroom Fest/Sunday, June 5, 2005

by Betsy Kremser

Lori has made a reservation for us at the Bayport Cookery's Morel Mushroom Fest: Date: Sunday, June 5, 2005 at 5:30 p.m. Cost: $55.00/person + $5 corkage/person We will be seated In the Fireplace Room. The reservation is for 14 people. We can figure out our wine theme some time before then.

20 years, 7 months

[wine] [jellings@me.umn.edu: Spanish Wines at Auriga] THURS

by Jim L. Ellingson

Greetings, Space available... ?? 8 spots around the table. no corkage 18% will be added to the bill. ----- Forwarded message from "Jim L. Ellingson" <jellings(a)me.umn.edu> ----- Date: Mon, 11 Apr 2005 18:32:47 -0500 From: "Jim L. Ellingson" <jellings(a)me.umn.edu> To: wine(a)thebarn.com Subject: [wine] Spanish Wines at Auriga Greetings, We're heading to Auriga (). Plan is to do a mix of whites and reds from spain. Yes Lori Betsy Russ Roger Jim Nicolai Later/Maybe Louise Bill Cheers, Jim ----- Forwarded message from "Jim L. Ellingson" <jellings(a)ME.UMN.EDU> ----- Date: Mon, 7 Mar 2005 16:32:30 -0600 From: "Jim L. Ellingson" <jellings(a)ME.UMN.EDU> To: wine(a)thebarn.com Subject: [wine] Que Syrah Sirah Greetings, Off to the newly remodeled Auriga, Thursday, 6:30. NW corner of Hennepin and Franklin Auriga Rest. 1930 Hennepin Ave, Mpls, 55403 612-871-0777 March 9, 2005 WINES OF THE TIMES; Priorat's Return Was Worth the Wait By ERIC ASIMOV ONE of the most fascinating stories of late 20th-century winemaking was the rebirth of the Priorat region in northeastern Spain. In the last 25 years, it has been completely transformed from a moribund area to one that makes intense, concentrated, expensive wines that manage the difficult trick of appealing to modern, globalized tastes without sacrificing their own distinctive character. Priorat's success is due in large part to its isolation. The vineyards, planted on breathtakingly steep slopes on craggy hills about 100 miles southwest of Barcelona, do not lend themselves to the sort of industrial farming that can result in tankers of insipid wine or that attracts big corporations. They demand determination and vast amounts of sweat. After the phylloxera louse ravaged European vineyards in the late 19th century, Priorat stagnated until around 25 years ago, when a group of idealistic young winemakers arrived. They were led by Ren� Barbier, who brought a French winemaking heritage to this Catalonian region, and their belief in the potential of the vineyards has been borne out. Now, millions of dollars later, Priorat is home to dozens of producers making small lots of wine that are coveted the world over. As with other reborn winemaking regions, a debate rages in Priorat that pits traditional, regional flavors against modern, international tastes. Old vineyards of Spanish grapes like garnacha and cari�ena (better known by their French names grenache and carignan) are prized in Priorat, but many of the newer vineyards are planted with cabernet sauvignon, merlot, syrah and other French grapes that are now planted all over the world. Instead of the clear stylistic divide between old and new that is seen in so much of the winemaking world, the Dining section's wine panel found in Priorat a region defined more by power, nuance and paradox. Florence Fabricant and I were joined by Adam Rieger, the wine director at Casa Mono, a Spanish restaurant on Irving Place, and Jean-Luc Le D�, who recently left his job as sommelier at Daniel to open up a wine shop in the West Village. We sampled 25 Priorat reds and were impressed by the consistency, richness, depth and personality of the wines we liked best. We were also surprised by what we did not find: wines overwhelmed by oaky flavors or sweetness, or that sought to duplicate expensive French, American or Italian wines. ''For such a young region, I'm surprised by the character of these wines,'' said Mr. Le D�, who has long had an affinity for Spanish wines. ''You get a real sense of place.'' Oh, that elusive sense of place. It's an issue that almost always comes up in our tastings. It's a fragile quality, difficult to define and hard to convey, yet it's what separates a well-made wine from a great wine, regardless of the price. And it's also partly what makes these wines so paradoxical. Priorat is a winemaking region with centuries of documented history. Yet winemaking there as currently practiced stretches back just a couple of decades or so. Is that long enough to give a sense of what these wines are all about? The question is implicit in our top-rated wine, the 2001 Finca la Planeta from Pasanau Germans. This wine is 90 percent cabernet sauvignon, and indeed, it would be easy to mistake it for a fine Bordeaux, with its deep aromas and flavors of tobacco and berries. It's powerfully tannic and acidic, yet it's also elegant, with earthy, mineral flavors and a whiff of smokiness. The other 10 percent is garnacha, and perhaps that's what makes the wine so singular. At $39 a bottle, the Finca la Planeta was also our Best Value. By contrast, our No. 2 wine, the 2001 Vall Llach, is made largely from the cari�ena grape with some merlot and cabernet thrown in. Cari�ena is most often a workhorse grape, especially in southern France, where it often tastes rustic and harsh. But the Vall Llach is concentrated, earthy and powerful, and the fruit has enough richness to withstand a healthy dose of oak. What do these wines have in common? An unusual intensity, a result most likely of keeping grape yields very low, and an earthy minerality that possibly comes from the slate soils in which the best vineyards are planted. On through our Top 10 wines, whether the 2000 Fra Fulc�, dominated by cari�ena, or from a blend like the 2000 Clos de l'Obac from Costers del Siurana, which has more garnacha, the hallmark was intensity checked by balance. Priciness was a constant, too. You can find Priorat wines under $30, and they can be decent enough, but none made our list. It's partly a reminder that ambitious winemaking in an unforgiving area is not an inexpensive proposition. But it's also an indication that, with the dollar falling against the euro, these wines are only going to get more expensive with each passing vintage. After a string of successful vintages, by the way, the 2002 vintage was difficult. The Clos Mogador, made by the pioneering Mr. Barbier, was forbiddingly tannic, yet evidence of ripe fruit was there, too. It will need time to develop. Luckily, we found plenty of Priorat wines from older vintages still in the stores, and any from 1998 to 2001 are preferable. Tasting Report: From the Good Earth, Fruit and Intensity BEST VALUE Pasanau Germans Finca la Planeta 2001: $39 1/2 ***1/2 [Rating: three and a half stars] Deeply aromatic with earthy, lingering flavors of fruit, smoke and minerals; reminiscent of a fine Bordeaux. (Importer: Classical Wines, Seattle) Vall Llach 2001: $70 *** [Rating: three stars] Dense and intense, with rich fruit, coffee and earth flavors. (Tempranillo Imports, Mamaroneck, N.Y.) Fra Fulc� 2000: $40 *** [Rating: three stars] Concentrated and powerful with ripe fruit and mineral flavors balanced by oak. (European Cellars Direct, New York) J.M. Fuentes Gran Clos 1999: $35 *** [Rating: three stars] Complex and layered, with berry and mineral aromas and persistent spicy flavors. (European Cellars Direct, New York) La Vinya del Vuit ''8'' 2001: $70 *** [Rating: three stars] Fresh aromas of berries and mint; needs time for powerful tannins to soften. (European Cellars Direct, New York) Costers del Siurana Clos de l'Obac 2000: $58 1/2 [Rating: two and a half stars] Solid and balanced, with spicy, earthy aromas and smoky berry flavors. (Tempranillo Imports, Mamaroneck, N.Y.) Clos Mogador 2002: $75 1/2 **1/2 [Rating: two and a half stars] Inky and dense with searing tannins balanced by ripe fruit; good wine in a tough vintage. (Europvin, Oakland, Calif.) Mas Doix Salenques 2001: $32 ** [Rating: two stars] Dark and fruity, not complex but delicious. (European Cellars Direct, New York) Costers del Siurana Miserere Mas d'En Bruno 2001: $44 ** [Rating: two stars] Tannic and closed, with succulent fruit and herbal aromas. (Tempranillo Imports, Mamaroneck, N.Y.) Cims de Porrera Classic 1998: $87 ** [Rating: two stars] Oaky and fruity in a ripe, modern style. (Europvin, Oakland, Calif.) WHAT THE STARS MEAN: (None) Pass It By * Passable ** Good *** Excellent **** Extraordinary Ratings reflect the panel's reaction to wines, which were tasted with names and vintages concealed. The panelists this week are Eric Asimov; Florence Fabricant; Adam Rieger, the wine director at Casa Mono, a Spanish restaurant; and Jean-Luc Le D�, formerly the sommelier at Daniel. The tasted wines represent a selection generally available in good retail shops and restaurants. Prices are those paid in liquor shops in the New York region. Tasting coordinator: Bernard Kirsch nytimes.com Recent wine columns from the New York Times are online: nytimes.com/wine. This week, members of the panel discuss their favorite wines from Priorat. -- ------------------------------ * * Dr. James Lee Ellingson, Adjunct Professor jellings(a)me.umn.edu * * University of Minnesota, tel: 651/645-0753 fax 651 XXX XXXX * * Great Lakes Brewing News, 1569 Laurel Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104 *

20 years, 7 months

[wine] Spanish Wines at Auriga

by Jim L. Ellingson

Greetings, We're heading to Auriga (tentative). Plan is to do a mix of whites and reds from spain. Yes Lori Betsy Russ/Sue Roger Jim Cheers, Jim ----- Forwarded message from "Jim L. Ellingson" <jellings(a)me.umn.edu> ----- ----- Forwarded message from "Jim L. Ellingson" <jellings(a)ME.UMN.EDU> ----- Date: Mon, 7 Mar 2005 16:32:30 -0600 From: "Jim L. Ellingson" <jellings(a)ME.UMN.EDU> To: wine(a)thebarn.com Subject: [wine] Que Syrah Sirah Greetings, Off to the newly remodeled Auriga, Thursday, 6:30. NW corner of Hennepin and Franklin Auriga Rest. 1930 Hennepin Ave, Mpls, 55403 612-871-0777 Best wag at who's coming: Lori Betsy Roger Nicolai Jim Russ/Sue Cheers, Jim Tasting Notes Spanish wines (and one ringer) at Marimar . 11/13/03 The Thursday evening friends enjoyed Spanish wines and chef Brian Crouch.s excellent cuisine at Marimar. Wines tasted blind, in flights, as usual. Bubbly 1: aromatic, clean, attractive Cava. [ Segura Viudas, .Aria. (Cava). ] Bubbly 2: just OK Cava, less aromatic and either a little sweetish for my taste or lacking acid structure. [ Montsarra (Cava). This has been commonly available in the Twin Cities market for the past six months or so. I.ve had much better bottles, or at least bottles that seemed much better at the time. ] Later in the meal, we also opened an attractive Cava from Marques de Gelida. White 1: big fresh sauvignon blanc nose, tastes like riesling with sugar/acid interplay, finish lacks length but this is fresh and good, a touch too much residual sugar for the acid structure? [ Fritz Allendorf, 2002 Winkeler Jesuitengarten Riesling Kabinett Trocken (Rheingau). Guessed by some to be albarino, of course. ] White 2: interesting older white wine nose, oxidative notes (in a good way), trace of a sour smell (not off; a description, not necessarily a criticism), big body and fruit, good length and power on finish. Tastes and finishes younger and fresher than the nose led me to expect. I guessed this to be white Rioja, and just because the wine is readily available in the market, thought it was probably Lopez de Heredia.s Vina Tondonia. I personally like this style, although I also like dry sherry (and Arbois wines); not everyone will care for the oxidative character, of course. [ Segura Viudas, .Creu de Lavit. Xarel-Lo (Penedes). .Xarel-Lo. is the grape. ] Switching to red wines: 1.1: medium to light purple pinot noir color, Beaujolais nose, good fruit, quite dry, good mouthfeel and body, trace of Italian style bitterness, nice finish, quite good. [ Martinez Bujanda, 1999 .Condee de Valdemar. (Rioja Crianza). ] 1.2: badly corked. [ 1996 Vina Mayor (Ribeira del Duero). ] 1.3: dark color; shy nose with some depth; tannic mouth entry, then fruit, good quality, dark and forceful. [ Valpiculata, 2000 .Puertas Novas. (Toro). ] 1.4: dark and a trace cloudy; shy nose; tannic and, to me, rather cooked tasting. [ Castano, 2001 .Hecula. (Yecla). ] 2.1: glycerine .legs. in the glass; medium color; vegetal nose although with fruit too; mature and soft, low acid and tannin with fair fruit, OK finish with trace of bitterness. With somewhat more air, Annette Peters pronounced this one corked and with that coaching, I was able to find the mildewy bathroom smell and agree. [ Alejandro Fernandez, 2000 Tinto Pesquera (Ribeira del Duero). ] 2.2: dark, trace cloudy? Shy nose but with depth of dark fruit, another soft wine although more structure than 2.1, then power, aroma and fruit on the finish but with the alcohol sticking out a bit. [ Alejandro Fernandez, 1999 Tinto Pesquera (Ribeira del Duero). This wine absolutely blossomed in the glass and with another 40 minutes. air, the nose and midpalate fruit came out, the alcohol on the finish came into balance, and I thought it was competition with 3.2 for wine of the evening. 2.3: very dark, lovely deep nose, good structure with midpalate fruit shyish but coming, clean aromatic finish. Could wish for more power but good length, best of the evening so far? [ 1999 Valdubon (Ribeira del Duero). ] 3.1: medium color absolutely crystal clear; shyish nose with depth of black fruits, silky mouth entry, then the tannin/acid structure hits you with explosively aromatic if overripe fruit, powerful finish as it tastes and then an interesting aroma of leather at the very end. The overripeness of the fruit had a bit of an old fashioned late harvest zinfandel character to me, although the wine was not nearly that alcoholic. [ 1994 Montecillo Gran Reserve (Rioja). ] 3.2: quite dark; glycerine .legs. in the glass, fine dark fruit bouquet although could wish for more power on nose, fantastic structure in the mouth with maple, currant and blackberry flavors expanding, powerful finish with a touch of red raspberry. The nose picked up an interesting sour cherry overtone with air. Very, very good, a complete wine, much the best of the evening on initial tasting, still best or in top 2 after the wines aired. [ Europvin Falset, 2001 .Laurona. (Montsant). An item in Annette Peters. new portfolio. According to the label, 30% garnacha, 30% carignena, 15% syrah, 15% merlot, 10% cabernet sauvignon, and they made 56,000 bottles of this, very substantial production for such excellent quality. ] ----- End forwarded message ----- -- ------------------------------ * * Dr. James Lee Ellingson, Adjunct Professor jellings(a)me.umn.edu * * University of Minnesota, tel: 651/645-0753 fax 651 XXX XXXX * * Great Lakes Brewing News, 1569 Laurel Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104 *

20 years, 7 months

[wine] TN Italians at Trattoria da Vinci 4-7-05

by russellmccandless＠frontiernet.net

Good food! Bubbly - rich rose color, attractively berryish nose; clean, rich, minerally, quite full-flavored; lip-smacking finish. Castillo Perelada, Cava "Torre Galatea" Brut Rosado (nv). 1.1 - quite dark color, nose of full young fruit, big astringent midpalate forcefully states "I'm Italian," balanced tannic bite, well structured, could wish for more fruit on the finish but this is very good. La Valentina, 2002 Montepulciano d'Abruzzo. 1.2 - dark color; sappy oak nose less forthcoming than first wine; quite full bodied and full flavored midpalate, purple plums and blackberries with the oak, delicious in an unusual way, aromatic finish, quite attractive. Allegrini, 1996 Palazzo della Torre (Valpolicella Classico Superiore). 1.3 - medium purple, reticent mushroomy nose, midpalate smooth, earth and fruit, some tannin, finish pleasant, quality OK plus, prefer the first two wines. Terenzi, 2000 Cesanese del Piglio "Colle Forma." 2.1 - corked. 2.2 - medium color, sharp-weird unattractive nose, not tasted. Lamborghini, 2001 Trescone (Umbria IGT). 2.3 - young dark color; very vegetal stemmy green note on nose, plenty of fruit too; midpalate round and sweet, the note of greenness continuing; finishes as it tastes. Gives the impression of something unripe (cab? merlot?) blended into other very ripe grapes. Massotina, 1997 Colli di Conegliano Rosso. 3.1 - quite dark; reticent nose, chocolatey oak on nose after much airing; midpalate flavor picks up the mushroom sauce on the ravioli VERY nicely, good-sized rich wine, some acid to lose, smooth transition to finish though, nice length. Best on the finish, probably needs time, improved quite fast with time in the glass. Felsina, 2000 Fontalloro (Toscana IGT). 3.2 - clear light aged Burgundy color; nose of herbs, spices and sappy dried fruit, attractive vegetal notes, fish, very complex bouquet; smooth taste basically as it smells but sweeter, long and aromatic, excellent. Antoniolo, 1995 Gattinara. 3.3 - dark color, sharp-smoky nose, big sangiovese midpalate, very ripe but not all that sweet, finish rather alcoholic at this point, midpalate is the wine's best feature, quite long, needs more time in bottle. Castello di Brolio, 1999 Chianti Classico. Dessert - light to medium golden bubbly; perfectly fresh, rich and exotic muscat nose jumps out of the glass, midpalate rich, honeyed, sweetness perfectly balanced by the acidity, flowers, baking spice, pronounced lemon custard flavor, very long, superb. La Spinetta, 2003 Moscato d'Asti "Bricco Quaglia." An extraordinary example of what the influential British critic Tom Stevenson considers the world's greatest sweet sparkling wine. Moscato d'Asti is very light - this one was five and a half percent alcohol - and only "frizzantino," much less fizzy than Champagne (or Cava); because of the lower pressure, it comes in a standard bottle with a standard cork rather than the heavy bottle, fat cork and wire cage setup of fully sparkling wines. Cheers!

20 years, 7 months

[wine] Italian at Tratoria Da Vince

by Jim L. Ellingson

As you've read by now, A' Rebours was not an option this weeek so we're/you're doing Italian at TDV. Trattoria da Vinci 400 Sibley St., St. P, 55101 222-4050 It's in the "far end" of down town St. Paul, near the Farmer's Market. If you're traveling on I94, take the 7th St. Exit. Who? Annette Bob Betsy Lori Bill Warren/Ruth Russ/Sue Dave? Nicolai? Karin? Have fun. I'll be watching NCAA Final 4/Gopher Hockey.... Other things. Would be good to re-expand our Italian options. Perhaps January/February would be a good time to get into the place at Raymond and University in St. Paul (Biagio?) France 44 Sale is on-going. Cheers, Jim ----- Forwarded message from The 30 Second Wine Advisor <wine(a)wineloverspage.com> ----- X-MessageWall-Score: 0 (smtp-relay.enet.umn.edu) Date: Fri, 1 Apr 2005 14:45:04 -0500 (EST) To: jellings(a)me.umn.edu Subject: 30SecWineAdvisor - Two Italian whites From: The 30 Second Wine Advisor <wine(a)wineloverspage.com> X-Sender: <wine(a)wineloverspage.com> THE 30 SECOND WINE ADVISOR, Friday, April 1, 2005 ________________________________________________________________________ TODAY'S SPONSORS: * CALIFORNIA WINE CLUB Special Edition Coming Up! http://www.cawineclub.com?Partner_ID=winelovers * FRENCH WINE EXPLORERS Speaking of the Rhone, won't you join me there in June? http://www.wine-tours-france.com/RhoneValleyWineTour.htm ________________________________________________________________________ IN THIS ISSUE * TECH NOTE E-mail distribution problems continued on Wednesday. * TWO ITALIAN WHITES Even with the booming Euro, these offer decent value - and they're great with seafood. * MACULAN 2003 "PINO & TOI" VENETO BIANCO ($12.49) A crisp, tart varietal blend from Northeastern Italy. * CABRAS 2002 "CIELO BLEU" VERMENTINO DI SARDEGNA ($11.99) From Sardinia in the Med, a fresh and snappy aromatic white. * ADMINISTRIVIA Change E-mail address, frequency, format or unsubscribe. ________________________________________________________________________ TECH NOTE That loud chattering sound you may have heard Wednesday was me gnashing my teeth as our E-mail distribution system failed midway during delivery again, for the second issue in a row. I'm hoping we've got the technical problem solved today and you'll all get this edition in due course. Please cross your fingers with me! Again, my apologies to those who missed us Monday and Wednesday. To catch up on those and other past issues, check the archives, http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvisor1/thelist.shtml. ________________________________________________________________________ TWO ITALIAN WHITES It's Friday, it's spring, baseball season is back, and nobody wants to work this afternoon. Let's cut right to the chase today, with quick tasting reports on a couple of recently tasted Italian white wines. Both wines are dry and crisp, with snappy citric acidity that makes them natural-born companions with a range of seafood and fish. Coming from opposite ends of Italy, they both offer a taste of "interesting" regional grapes that provide a break from the more familiar varieties. And, in spite of the continued strength of the Euro against the dollar that's forcing up U.S. prices for imports, both still offer decent value for the money. Doubly so if you're reading this in a place where your local currency isn't taking a Euro-hammering. Quickly told, today's first wine is another of those with a short, attention-grabbing front-label name - "Pino & Toi" from Maculan - with the particulars in fine print on the bottle's back side. (It's a Veneto Bianco IGT, a blend of the local Tocai Friulano with Pinot Grigio and Pinot Bianco.) The other wine of the day is a Vermentino, a white grape that hails from offshore Sardinia and also from Liguria, the Italian Riviera. ________________________________________________________________________ PRINT OUT TODAY'S ARTICLE Here's a simply formatted copy of today's Wine Advisor, designed to be printed out for your scrapbook or file or downloaded to your PDA or other wireless device. http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvisor1/print050401.html ________________________________________________________________________ TALK ABOUT WINE ONLINE If you'd like to ask a question or comment on today's topic (or any other wine-related subject), you'll find a round-table online discussion in our interactive Wine Lovers' Discussion Group, where you're always welcome to join in the conversations about wine. http://www.myspeakerscorner.com/forum/index.phtml?fn=1&tid=60053&mid=514272 If you prefer to comment privately, feel free to send me E-mail at wine(a)wineloverspage.com. I'll respond personally to the extent that time and volume permit. ________________________________________________________________________ MACULAN 2003 "PINO & TOI" VENETO BIANCO ($12.49) A blend of the regional Tocai (60%) with Pinot Bianco (25%) and Pinot Grigio (15%), this wine from Northeastern Italy shows a clear straw color in the glass. Light white-fruit aromas add a whiff of almond. Bone-dry and crisp, lemony acidity gives structure, and a distinct bitter-almond note adds a touch of flavor interest in the finish. It's on the simple side, but clean and fresh, and its tangy citric snap makes it a natural with seafood. U.S. importer: Winebow Inc., NYC, a Leonardo Locascio Selection. (March 17, 2005) FOOD MATCH: A natural match with linguine with white clam sauce. VALUE: It's up 25 percent from the $10 tag on the 1999 vintage, but in fairness, the Euro is up 60 percent against the dollar. Not a bad buy at current rates, but it fits best as an under-$10 wine, and is still selling in that range at some vendors. WHEN TO DRINK: Freshness is a virtue. Drink it this year, then move on to the 2004 when it comes in. WEB LINK The U.S. importer has a fact sheet on Pino & Toi here: http://www.winebow.com/wine_basicinfo.asp?ID=237&producer=41 FIND THIS WINE ONLINE: Look up Maculan Pino & Toi on Wine-Searcher.com: http://www.wine-searcher.com/find/Maculan%2bPino%2bToi/-/-/USD/A?referring_… ________________________________________________________________________ CABRAS 2002 "CIELO BLEU" VERMENTINO DI SARDEGNA ($11.99) This is a clear, pale-gold wine from Sardinia, with a good, fresh scent of white fruit lent complexity by aromatic notes of almonds and banana oil. Light and crisp, fresh and snappy white-fruit flavors evoke apples and pears, with a squirt of lemon in its clean, tart finish. U.S. importer: HB Wine Merchants, NYC. (March 18, 2005) FOOD MATCH: A natural match for seafood and fish, it went well, too, with a vegetarian pasta dinner, rapini (broccoli rabe) with orechiette. VALUE: It would have sold under $10 before the rise of the Euro, but it's still fairly priced against the competition. WHEN TO DRINK: The bold aromatics should hold it, and possibly see a little additional complexity evolve, over the next year or two. PRONUNCIATION: Vermentino = "Vehr-men-TEE-no" FIND THIS WINE ONLINE: Find vendors and compare prices for Cabras Cielo Bleu on Wine- Searcher.com: http://www.wine-searcher.com/find/Cabras%2bCielo%2bBleu/-/-/USD/A?referring… ________________________________________________________________________ SUBSCRIBE: * WineLoversPage.com RSS Feed (free) http://www.wineloverspage.com/rss/ * 30 Second Wine Advisor, daily or weekly (free) http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvisor/index.shtml * Wine Advisor FoodLetter, Thursdays (free) http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvisor/foodletter.shtml * Wine Advisor Premium Edition, alternate Tuesdays ($24/year) http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvisor/premium.phtml ARCHIVES: For all past editions: http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvisor1/thelist.shtml CONTACT US E-mail: wine(a)wineloverspage.com SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES: For information, E-mail wine(a)wineloverspage.com ________________________________________________________________________ ADMINISTRIVIA To subscribe or unsubscribe from The 30 Second Wine Advisor, change your E-mail address, switch from weekly to daily distribution, or for any other administrative matters, click to http://www.wineloverspage.com/admin.php?id=20970&cs=7d1109b668af1f87d36d12e… We welcome feedback, suggestions, and ideas for future columns. We do not use this list for any other purpose and will never give or sell your name or E-mail to anyone. All the wine-tasting reports posted here are consumer-oriented. In order to maintain objectivity and avoid conflicts of interest, I purchase all the wines I rate at my own expense in retail stores and accept no samples, gifts or other gratuities from the wine industry. Friday, April 1, 2005 Copyright 2005 by Robin Garr. All rights reserved. ----- End forwarded message ----- -- ------------------------------ * * Dr. James Lee Ellingson, Adjunct Professor jellings(a)me.umn.edu * * University of Minnesota, tel: 651/645-0753 fax 651 XXX XXXX * * Great Lakes Brewing News, 1569 Laurel Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104 *

20 years, 8 months

[wine] Re: Loire, Rhone at A' Rebours on Thursday

by Betsy Kremser

I passed Annette's message on to Bob. He left me a message that he's made a 6:30 p.m. reservation for 8 people on Thursday at Tratorria da Vinci . Italian wine. Betsy Betsy Kremser Health Planner/Policy Analyst Anoka County Community Health & Environmental Services 763.323.6096 (voice) 763.422.6988 (Fax) >>> "annette stadelman" <mandastad(a)msn.com> 04/05/05 9:51 AM >>> A Rebours has booked a private party for Thurs. but would like to host us again. Italian at Trattoria da Vinci is suggested unless someone else has a better option. annette -----Original Message----- From: wine-bounce(a)thebarn.com [mailto:wine-bounce@thebarn.com] On Behalf Of Jim L. Ellingson Sent: Monday, April 04, 2005 11:22 AM To: wine(a)thebarn.com Subject: [wine] Loire, Rhone at A' Rebours on Thursday Greetings, Had some nice Merlot at JP's. FYI, FFR (for future reference...) JP's has a *limited* number of very nice stems that they use to sell their premium wines. Last Thursday, all of these nicer stems were in use. SO, in the future, they would prefer that we : 1. Ask for stems. 2. Understand that the good stuff may not be available. Maybe they'll find a different place for us to sit. That way, we're not tempted to use the stems and we won't be blasted w/ the wonderful aromas from the kitchen. ("Hey, are you getting seared thai chili on the nose?") This week, the group goes to St. Paul. A Rebours 410 St. Peter, 55102 651 665 0656 Annette Bob Lori Betsy Roger Fredd? Nicolai Sounds like the rest. is in the Hamm building? Better parking is away from the X and the Ordway. e.g. on 6th, Wabasha, 7th, etc. Meters are free after 5:00. Vallet Parking available. If your coming via I-94, then take the 10th st. exit to St. Peter, Right on St. Peter. Better parking on Wabasha, and on 6th st. One ways all around. Cheers, Jim ----- Forwarded message from ANNETTE <mandastad(a)msn.com> ----- HI Jim We decided to do Bordeaux and Loire at the new French bistro in St. Paul - A Rebours - owned by the Bakery on Grand people with Michael Morse at the helm. I set the res. for 8 people. Let me know a count by Wed. if possible. I won't be there until after 7:00. The restaurant is on St. Peter street just west of Kinkaids and the St. Paul Hotel. Street parking or Lawson Bldg. ramp. Annette S. July 9, 2003 >From the Loire, Whites With Bite By FRANK J. PRIAL MENTION the Loire Valley to a white-wine lover and chances are he or she will immediately think sauvignon blanc. There are other white wine grapes, of course. At the mouth of the Loire River, near the city of Nantes, the grape is muscadet. Oh yes, and the harsh, untamed gros plant that is supposed to go well with oysters. Chenin blanc dominates Touraine, from Anjou and Saumur westward through Tours and Vouvray, but then slowly at first, sauvignon blanc begins to take over. >From around the city of Tours and on to Orléans, where the Loire begins its long, leisurely arc to the south, sauvignon blanc is the white wine grape of choice. At Sancerre on the west bank of the river and Pouilly-Fumé on the east, it truly comes into its own. Quincy and Reuilly, 30 miles west of Sancerre on the banks of the Cher, are also part of this world, with their own wines made from the white sauvignon grape. Of these sauvignon blancs, Sancerre is the best of the lot, with Pouilly-Fumé a close second. Local experts, unless they recognize a friend's wine, often have difficulty telling the two wines apart although some experts say the Fumés are a bit fuller-bodied and richer. And at times, the Dining section's tasting panel had the same difficulty as we went through 15 Sancerres and 13 Pouilly-Fumés (not to be confused with Pouilly-Fuissé, a wine from the Mâcon region in southern Burgundy made from chardonnay grapes). We decided to taste them nicely chilled one boiling afternoon because, in the words of Eric Asimov, one of our regular panelists, "they are such friendly, relaxing summer wines." Mr. Asimov was joined on the panel by two other regulars, Amanda Hesser and me, and a guest, Daniel Johnnes, the wine director of Montrachet restaurant. After having tasted all 28 glasses, Mr. Johnnes called them a good sampling of what's happening in the Loire Valley. He said: "There are many different styles of these wines, and it becomes a matter of the commercial wines versus those showing the heights these wines can reach." And there were a good many wines that met all the criteria for a refreshing easy-to-drink Loire white. That is, they had a vivacity and crispness to them, that sharp bite that comes from good acidity. And they had a smoky, flinty flavor and aroma that tells us where these wines come from: Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé. Most of the wines we tried were made in the traditional style, aged briefly in steel tanks or large, old barrels to retain the pungency of the sauvignon blanc grapes without adding a new oak flavor, as is often done in California. But a small group of Loire winemakers are experimenting with oak. Sometimes this is done with sensitivity, softly buttressing the sauvignon blanc flavors; often, the oak is overbearing. A glance at any map of Central France will help explain why Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé stand out among sauvignon blancs. Chablis, which makes some of the greatest of all white wines, is only 50 miles to the east and shares its special terrain, chalk on Kimmeridgian marl, with Sancerre and Pouilly to the east (and Champagne to the north). In our sampling, we tried to hold the line at $25 a bottle. Except for one at $30, they ranged from $13 to $25, with the average price just over $17. Of our top 10 wines, six were Pouilly-Fumés, four were Sancerres. Our top wine, with three and a half stars, was a Sancerre, Raimbault's 2002 Apud Sariacum ($15). It was also our best value, but isn't the easiest wine to find. Mr. Johnnes found the Raimbault "juicy, ripe and delicious." I found it to be more Californian that Loirean. Also at three and a half stars was a 2001 Pouilly-Fumé, Les Berthiers, from Domaine Gilles Blanchet ($18). Mr. Johnnes liked its "richness and precision," its "stony mineral finish." Two wines each garnered three stars, both Sancerres: a 2002 La Croix au Garde from the Domaine Henry Pellé ($21), and a village wine from Richard Bourgeoise ($15). Everyone liked the mineral qualities in the Pellé. The Bourgeoise wine was Ms. Hesser's favorite. One wine captured two and a half stars, a 2001 Pouilly-Fumé Les Pentes from Serge Dagueneau, the uncle of the more famous Didier Dagueneau of Pouilly-Fumé, whom many consider one of France's finest winemakers. Much of Serge's winemaking is done by his daughters, both of whom have worked in the Napa Valley. Didier Dagueneau's wines, which we did not include, as they start around $50, can be stunning, though they're hardly classic Pouilly-Fumé. He ages them in small oak barrels and achieves a richness and complexity unheard of in these wines. The wines we tasted were traditional feisty sauvignon blancs. In "The Wine and Food Guide to the Loire" (Henry Holt, 1996), Jacqueline Friedrich has fans sensing a move to a softer, California style, and she has them paraphrasing the poet and murderer François Villon. "Where," they ask rhetorically, "are the Sancerres of yesteryear?" Our exercise indicated that the change has yet to happen. It had better not. Screw tops at the ready, New Zealanders are waiting in the wings. And they make terrific sauvignon blanc. Takes your breath away, mate. Tasting Report: A Welcoming Liveliness BEST VALUE Raimbault Sancerre Apud Sariacum 2002 $15 *** 1/2 Juicy, ripe and delicious, Daniel Johnnes said. Frank J. Prial called it a California-style wine, big, solid and rich. Eric Asimov found it pungent, fresh and lively. Amanda Hesser detected pineapple and mint in the nose and praised the long finish. Domaine Gilles Blanchet Pouilly-Fumé Les Berthiers 2001 $18 *** 1/2 Prial lauded the wine's beautiful nose and rare intensity. Johnnes found richness and precision, and a stony mineral finish. Asimov called it piquant, airy and herbal. Smoky and vivid, Hesser said. Domaine Henry Pellé Sancerre La Croix au Garde 2002 $21 *** Asimov found a rare complexity and depth in this wine. A lot going on, said Hesser, who detected passion fruit and pineapple aromas. Prial liked a mineral touch and long finish. Johnnes called it juicy, vibrant and concentrated with great minerality. Richard Bourgeoise Sancerre 2002 $15 *** Hesser's favorite: she liked its delicacy and clarity. Prial detected a wet stone aroma and praised the acidity. Johnnes liked the brightness and crisp finish. Asimov called it was a classic Sancerre with mint and lemon aromas. Serge Dagueneau Pouilly-Fumé Les Pentes 2001 $20 ** 1/2 Good concentration with presence and persistence, Johnnes said. Asimov found it lively but narrow, a simple wine. Hesser called it coarse, without much clarity. But Prial enjoyed its attractive touch of citrus. Marnier-Lapostolle Château de Sancerre 2001 $15 ** Asimov detected aromas of hay and sweetgrass and a touch of honey that he said added richness. Hesser, too, found honey and an earthiness. Johnnes noted a quality of minerals and decay, which he found appealing. But Prial tasted a sweetness that he didn't care for in sauvignon blanc. Langlois Pouilly-Fumé Château Les Pierre-Feux 2001 $16 ** Nicely balanced with a nice bite to it, Prial said. Hesser felt the nose lacked freshness, but liked the softness in the mouth. Johnnes found an attractive peachy quality. Asimov called it tart and minerally. J. C. Chatelain Pouilly-Fumé Domaine de St. Laurent-l'Abbaye 2001 $13 ** Lively, bright, delicious to drink, Asimov said. Prial liked the balance, acidity and finish. Hesser called it vibrant, but Johnnes felt it was light. Henri Bourgeois Pouilly-Fumé La Porte de L'Abbaye 2001 $15 ** Prial found the nose flowery and the wine vibrant. Fresh and clean with a snappy finish, Johnnes said. Hesser termed it drinkable but not intuitive. Asimov called the flavors clear but found it too tart. Domaine A. Calibourdin Pouilly-Fumé Cuvée du Bois Fleury 2000 $17 ** Ripe with a long finish, but lacks concentration, Johnnes said. Hesser detected lots of fruit, lots of lemon zest. Prial called it correct and pleasant, though bland, and Asimov liked the rich aroma but felt it lacked character. -- ------------------------------ * * Dr. James Lee Ellingson, Adjunct Professor jellings(a)me.umn.edu * * University of Minnesota, tel: 651/645-0753 fax 651 XXX XXXX * * Great Lakes Brewing News, 1569 Laurel Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104 *

20 years, 8 months

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