Are we meeting this week? Many thanks to Ruth and Warren for a very relazing evening. Cheers, Jim ----- Forwarded message from The 30 Second Wine Advisor <wine(a)wineloverspage.com> ----- Date: Mon, 4 Sep 2006 12:29:08 -0400 (EDT) To: jellings(a)me.umn.edu Subject: 30SecWineAdvisor: Wine Focus - Chile vs. CalCab From: The 30 Second Wine Advisor <wine(a)wineloverspage.com> THE 30 SECOND WINE ADVISOR, Monday, Sept. 4, 2006 ________________________________________________________________________ TODAY'S SPONSOR * CALIFORNIA WINE CLUB *WINE SALE* Going On Now! Save up to 70 percent during The California Wine Club's Wine Sale Cornucopia! http://www.cawineclub.com/?Partner_ID=winelovers ________________________________________________________________________ IN THIS ISSUE * WINE FOCUS - CHILE VS. CALCAB If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then Cabernet Sauvignon may be the most flattered of wine grapes. We're focusing on California and Chile in our forums this month. * LOS VASCOS 2004 COLCHAGUA CABERNET SAUVIGNON ($9.99) This Chilean Cabernet from the makers of Ch. Lafite-Rotschild may bear some resemblance to Bordeaux, but not a first-growth. * LIBERTY SCHOOL 2004 PASO ROBLES CABERNET SAUVIGNON ($12.99) Crowd- pleasing Cabernet in the New World style, fruit-forward and sweet with a whack of oak. * CALIFORNIA WINE CLUB *WINE SALE* Going On Now! Save up to 70 percent during The California Wine Club's Wine Sale Cornucopia! * THIS WEEK ON WINELOVERSPAGE.COM Reports on a Swiss wine maker in Paso Robles, and wine plus art in Santa Ynez. On our forums we're talking Cabernet, exchanging tips on under-$20 values and comparing Chile's and California's renditions. * LAST WEEK'S WINE ADVISOR INDEX The Wine Advisor archives. * ADMINISTRIVIA Change E-mail address, frequency, format or unsubscribe. ________________________________________________________________________ WINE FOCUS - CHILE VS. CALCAB If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then Cabernet Sauvignon may be the most flattered of wine grapes. As the leading variety in Bordeaux, Cabernet Sauvignon for centuries has battled Burgundy's Pinot Noir, with few other contenders, for the title of most respected red wine grape. But it's only in recent years that Pinot has been grown with much success outside its native region; while Cabernet's fanciers have spread its production around the world's temperate zones for generations, growing it with great success in California, Australia, South Africa, South America and beyond. Grown with care on appropriate soils in a properly cool climate, nurtured in the vineyard to produce reasonable but not excessive yields, Cabernet Sauvignon makes serious, structured, complex and ageworthy wine. On the other hand, to be honest, if it's harvested under-ripe it can be lean, mean and tannic, reeking of green peppers or even green beans. Cabernet can also be greedily overcropped and mass-produced, soaked in oak to conceal its flaws, yielding an embarrassing rendition that may bear Cabernet's name but doesn't boast much of Cabernet's character. Then there's the question: To blend or not to blend. Bordeaux is rarely all-Cabernet Sauvignon, usually adding Merlot and Cabernet Franc and sometimes Petit Verdot and Malbec to the mix; in some parts of the region, particularly St.-Emilion and Pomerol and their Right Bank neighbors, it may take second or third place in the blend behind Merlot and Cab Franc. Even in the U.S., which all but invented 100 percent varietal Cabernet, there's a growing tendency to mix Cabernet Sauvignon into Bordeaux-style or even more idiosyncratic blends (some of the former labeled with the trademarked "Meritage"); and under current federal law, even a wine labeled simply "Cabernet" may contain up to 25 percent of other varieties. Indeed, as splendid as Cabernet can be, some might argue that it's best rounded out with other varieties in a blend. So many Cabernet-producing regions, so many styles, so many price points. Does any region outside Bordeaux produce a "benchmark" Cabernet? Must one invest in high-end Bordeaux or "cult" Napa Cabernets to sample the best? These are some questions we hope to address in our interactive forums this month, as we narrow our Wine Focus for September to a geographical look at the Cabernets of two New World wine regions: California and Chile. Value is the focus in our CompuServe/Netscape WineLovers Community, where the "Wine of the Month" feature will seek out "California and Chilean Cabernet for $20 or less." In our non-commercial WineLovers Discussion Group (WLDG), September's Wine Focus program invites you to compare and contrast Chilean and California Cabernet Sauvignon at any price level, from bargain-basement to high-end collectible. Please feel welcome to participate in both forums with your questions, comments and tasting notes; you needn't be a wine expert to take active part in these friendly, civil online communities. Today, let's open the discussion with a quick side-by-side look at two modestly priced 2004 Cabernets, one from Chile's Colchagua Valley, the other from California's Paso Robles on the Central Coast. As the month goes by, we'll hope to establish whether these wines are typical of what their growing regions and price points have to offer. Both wines are made for immediate enjoyment, and both went well with a dish made for Cabernet, lamb braised with fennel. ________________________________________________________________________ LOS VASCOS 2004 COLCHAGUA CABERNET SAUVIGNON ($9.99) Back in the late 1980s, the proprietors of Bordeaux's Domaines Barons de Rothschild, producers of first-growth Chateau Lafite-Rothschild, joined with California's Chalone to purchase this already respected Chilean producer, pledging to upgrade and modernize its facilities. As it turned out, high-end Rothschild continues to position Los Vascos ("The Basques") as an "affordable" wine made in significant quantities, more than 3 million bottles per year. Very dark ruby in color with reddish- orange glints, an initial high-toned whiff of volatile acidity blows off to reveal more characteristic Cabernet aromas of black fruit with fresh herbs - tarragon and oregano. Flavors follow the nose, lean and rather austere, good acidity and soft tannins. There's a definite French accent here in a wine with Bordeaux-like character, but frankly, it's like a rather low-end generic Bordeaux. U.S. importer: Pasternak Wine Imports, Harrison, N.Y. (Sept. 2, 2006) WEB LINK: Domaines Barons de Rothschild has a Los Vascos page here: http://www.lafite.com/en/php/vins/7_2_1.php?id_chateau=43 FIND THIS WINE ONLINE: Find vendors and check prices for Los Vascos 2004 Colchagua Cabernet Sauvignon on Wine-Searcher.com: http://www.wine-searcher.com/find/Vascos%2bCabernet/2004/-/USD/A?referring_… ________________________________________________________________________ LIBERTY SCHOOL 2004 PASO ROBLES CABERNET SAUVIGNON ($12.99) Very dark reddish-purple, clear garnet edge. Blackberries and blueberries, ripe and fruit-forward. Juicy and fresh, sweet berry fruit and a whiff of vanilla; appropriate acidity provides necessary structure. Oak becomes quite apparent with a distinct dill-pickle note that seems to increase with time in the glass. Easy drinking, New World style, but I'm not sure the varietal character is there to nail it as Cabernet Sauvignon in a blind tasting. For many years, Liberty School was a second label for Napa's respected Caymus Vineyards, but in 1997 the brand was sold to Chuck and Marlyn Hope, who had been grape growers for Liberty School in Paso Robles, and who now make it as a second label behind their more pricey Treana brand. (Sept. 2, 2006) WEB LINK: This Liberty School Cabernet Sauvignon fact sheet on the Treana Website includes a link to an Adobe Acrobat (PDF) file with further information about the wine. http://www.treana.com/ourwinescabernet.php FIND THIS WINE ONLINE: Find vendors and check prices for Liberty School 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon on Wine-Searcher.com: http://www.wine-searcher.com/find/Liberty%2bSchool%2bCabernet/2004/-/USD/A?… ________________________________________________________________________ TALK ABOUT WINE ONLINE: To read and comment on today's column in our non-commercial WineLovers Discussion Group, click: http://www.wineloverspage.com/forum/village/viewtopic.php?t=3198 Today's article is cross-posted in our Netscape WineLovers Community, where we also welcome comments and questions. http://community.netscape.com/winelovers?nav=messages&tsn=1&tid=4765 To contact me by E-mail, write wine(a)wineloverspage.com. I'll respond personally to the extent that time and volume permit. ________________________________________________________________________ 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/print060904.html ________________________________________________________________________ THE CALIFORNIA WINE CLUB: *WINE SALE* GOING ON NOW! Save up to 70 percent during The California Wine Club's Wine Sale Cornucopia! We are clearing out our cellar and making room for the upcoming holiday season, which means every wine is on sale, including wines from our upper-level club and international selections. Stock up for the holidays, reorder a favorite or try something new. Visit www.cawineclub.com to select from a wide variety of award-winning, limited production wines. As always, every wine is 100% guaranteed. Call 1-800-777-4443 or visit www.cawineclub.com to order. Be sure to check out our Closeouts! With wines as low as $6.50 per bottle, you're sure to find something special for you. Sale ends Sept. 30, 2006. Half, full and mixed cases okay. All prices F.O.B. Ventura CA. ________________________________________________________________________ THIS WEEK ON WINELOVERSPAGE.COM Some highlights of recent articles on WineLoversPage.com that I hope you'll enjoy: * SCHAEFER ON WINE: Swiss movement When Swiss businessman Hans Nef first came to Paso Robles, he liked what he saw. His first venture into winemaking soon followed,Dennis Schaefer reports. http://www.wineloverspage.com/schaefer/swiss06.phtml * REPORTS FROM OUR READERS: Wine ... and art The limited-production wines of Artiste in Santa Ynez are inspired by the impressionist painters in Giverny. Here's reader Willy Pickett's report, with photos. http://wineloverspage.com/articles/serendipity/index.php?/archives/14-Artis… * HOT TOPICS IN OUR WINELOVERS DISCUSSION GROUPS Our WineLovers' Discussion Groups are the best places online to ask wine questions and participate in the civil and intelligent discussion of good things to eat and drink. Our WineLovers Discussion Group (WLDG) is the Internet's original wine forum, a non-commercial venue intended for wine-related conversations that range from apprentice-level to wine professionals. Our WineLovers Community on the Netscape/CompuServe service is dedicated to wine education, a friendly place to get quick answers to your questions about wine, beer, spirits and all good things to drink. POLL: SHOOTOUT - WHICH CABERNET? Let's start off this month's Wine Focus topic with an up-or-down vote: Considering these two choices only, and assuming similar vintage and similar retail price, do you prefer Chilean or California Cabernet Sauvignon? http://community.netscape.com/winelovers?nav=messages&tsn=1&tid=4764 FAVORITE UNDER-$20 "GO-TO" CABERNET SAUVIGNON Riffing off the Wine Focus competition, our WineLovers Discussion Group members are comparing tips on their favorite lower-end Cabernets. Start a shopping list, or add your own recommendations, in this discussion: http://www.wineloverspage.com/forum/village/viewtopic.php?t=2768 ________________________________________________________________________ LAST WEEK'S WINE ADVISOR INDEX The Wine Advisor's daily edition is usually distributed on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays (and, for those who subscribe, the FoodLetter on Thursdays). Here's the index to last week's columns: * Offbeat grape - Kerner (Sept. 1, 2006) http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvisor1/tswa060901.phtml * Revisiting old friends (Aug. 30, 2006) http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvisor1/tswa060830.phtml * Does tasting environment matter? (Aug. 28, 2006) http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvisor1/tswa060828.phtml * Complete 30 Second Wine Advisor archive: http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvisor1/thelist.shtml * Wine Advisor FoodLetter: Modifying recipes (Aug. 31, 2006) http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvisor1/tsfl060831.phtml * Wine Advisor Foodletter archive: http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvisor1/foodlist.phtml ________________________________________________________________________ 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 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=7d1109b668af1f87d36… 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. Monday, September 4, 2006 Copyright 2006 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 *