Champagne Nicolas Feuillatte Palmes d’Or Tasting at The Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia, April 24th
Filed Under Wine Tastings
Champagnes:
Cuvée Palmes d’Or Brut Vintage 1998
Cuvée Palmes d’Or Brut Vintage 1997
Cuvée Palmes d’Or Brut Vintage 1996
Cuvée Palmes d’Or Brut Vintage 1995
Cuvée Palmes d’Or Brut Vintage 1992
Cuvée Palmes d’Or Brut Vintage 1991
Cuvée Palmes d’Or Brut Vintage 1990
Cuvée Palmes d’Or Brut Vintage 1985
Menu by Chef Rafael Gonzalez:
Stuffed Oysters with Caviar
Fois Gras Terrine w. Rhubarb Chutney
Smoked Salmon “Toad in the Holeâ€
Spring Pea Soup with Morels
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A Most Unusual Zinfandel
Filed Under Wine Reviews
Blueberries and spice and everything boozy and nice, right? I mean, that’s Zinfandel, isn’t it?
Well, not always.
Last weekend, at the Barossa and Beyond class, we tasted a most unusual Zinfandel–the Glaymond 2003 “Krause’s Berg” Single Vineyard from the Barossa Valley. Instead of rich, ripe fruit and gently mouth-tingling alcohol and spice, this bottling showed tar and black fruit and the slightest hint of flowers in the background. Kind of like what the lovechild of Cali Zin and Northern Rhone Syrah would taste like.
Unexpected? Perhaps. Addictively delicious? Without a doubt.
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Report from Bordeaux
Filed Under The Wine World
Just a quick report from Bordeaux…
We just returned to the farmhouse we’re staying in for the week (purple-teethed, all of us) after a day in St.-Emilion with the winemaker from Chateau Ausone and his brother, who owns an amazing wine shop in the town called Vignobles & Chateau. It was, to say the least, a breathtaking day, full of great wine, fantastic people who could not be more helpful, and a landscape as beautiful as any in the world.
And not only is the wine here as amazing as you’d hope, but the food is absolutely mind-boggling. For me, the Bordelais relationship with food can be summed up with this magnificent fact: We purchased a jar of foie gras in the lot we parked our car in this morning in St.-Emilion. That’s right: parking-lot foie. What a wonderful place.
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Champagne? Oui!
Filed Under The Wine World
It’s now been a week since the Wine School’s Champagne event with The Four Seasons and Nicolas Feuillatte’s Palmes d’Or, and I’m finally getting around to writing about it because I needed some distance for a sense of objectivity to set in.
Alas, I fear that objectivity may not be possible. How is it with such a stellar line-up of wines? (After starting the the Feuillatte 1999 Blanc de Blancs, we moved on to the house’s Palmes d’Or 1998, 1997, 1996, 1995, 1992, 1991, 1990, and 1985.) And how is it with such a luxurious menu? (It included stuffed oysters with caviar, foie gras terrine with rhubarb chutney, smoked salmon and quail eggs, and spring pea soup with morels.) And how is it with the winemaker there, and in the magnificent Washington Room, and attended by an absolutely wonderful group of people, friends old and new?
Sometimes, objectivity is just not possible. In these cases, it’s simply best to remember the evening, smile, and look forward to the next one.
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Wine 101: Intro to Wine, April 16th
Filed Under Wine Tastings
First Flight
1. Mercer 2007 Riesling, Yakima Valley (WA)
Second Flight
1. Blockheadia Ringnosii 2006 Sauvignon Blanc, Napa County (CA)
2. Domaine Jean Touzot 2006 Macon Villages, Burgundy (FR)
Third Flight
1. Nobilo 2007 Pinot Noir “Icon,†Marlborough (NZ)
2. Falesco 2007 Sangiovese, Umbria (IT)
Fourth Flight
1. Panarroz 2007 Garnacha, Jumilla (SP)
2. Marquis Philips 2006 Shiraz, South Eastern Australia (AS)
Fifth Flight
1. 2 Brothers 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon, Colchagua Valley (CH)
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Premier Class: Chateauneuf-du-Pape, April 10th
Filed Under Wine Tastings
First Flight
1. Guigal 2003 Gigondas, Rhone Valley (FR)
2. Edmunds St. John 2003 “Shell and Bone,†Paso Robles (CA)
Second Flight
1. Tablas Creek 2005 Cotes de Tablas, Paso Robles (CA)
2. Domaine La Garrigue 2004 “La Cantarelle,†Rhone Valley (CA)
Third Flight
1. Vieux Telegraphe 2003 Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Rhone Valley (FR)
2. Domaine Paul Autard 2003 Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Rhone Valley (FR)
Fourth Flight
1. Perrin & Fils 2004 Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Rhone Valley (FR)
2. Domaine du Pere Caboche 2005 Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Rhone Valley (FR)
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Giddy Over Grenache
Filed Under The Wine World
I don’t use the word lightly, but, yes, I am officially giddy over tonight’s “Chateauneuf-du-Pape and Beyond” class. Anyone who’s ever taken a class with me knows that, were I to find myself marooned on a desert island, I would be perfectly content to spend my time drinking Mosel Riesling, reds and whites from Burgundy, and Chateauneuf. Maybe it’s the tar. Or the herbs. Or the fig paste. Or any of the other million things that great Chateauneuf brings to the table. Whatever it is, tonight’s class is going to be i-n-s-a-n-e: Four vintages of Chateauneuf, Gigondas from 03 and 04, an 03 Rhone Ranger beauty, and the Torbreck Steading. My tongue may be calloused when I wake up tomorrow morning, but I really don’t care: These wines are more than worth it.
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Rose Cava? Rose Cava!
Filed Under Beer, Wine Reviews
PLCB stores recently began carrying a delicious rose Cava–the Conde de Subirats NV Rose, an $11.99 pink sparkler that both charms and goes blissfully easy on the wallet. It shows notes of ripe cherries and a touch of spice, all of it bound up in a thoroughly gulpable, supremely food-friendly package that easily justifies picking up multiple bottles as the weather turns warmer and the need for something refreshing grows with each longer day.
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Planning for the Palmes d’Or Tasting
Filed Under The Wine World
We’ve been planning for the Palmes’ d’Or vertical tasting for a while now, and it’s all starting to come together. We have confirmation on the wines we’ll be tasting: 1985, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1995, 1996,1997, and 1998. And we’ve been going over pairing options with the team at the Four Seasons. Which is all to say this: We’re getting downright giddy as April 24th draws nearer.
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The Wines of Australia, March 6th
Filed Under Wine Tastings
First Flight: Unexpected Whites
1. Chapel Hill 2007 Verdelho, Fleurieu (AS)
2. Pikes 2006 Viognier “Gill’s Farm,†Clare Valley (AS)
Second Flight: Rhone Varieties
1. Yangarra 2004 Grenache “Old Vine,†McLaren Vale (AS)
2. Magpie Estate 2005 Mourvedre “The Black Sock,†Barossa Valley (AS)
Third Flight: Bordeaux Varieties
1. Bleasdale 2001 Malbec, Langhorne Creek (AS)
2. Penfold’s 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon “Bin 407,†South Australia (AS)
Fourth Flight: Two Styles of Shiraz
1. Brothers in Arms Vineyards 2002 Shiraz, Langhorne Creek (AS)
2. Kangarilla Road 2006 Shiraz – Viognier, McLaren Vale (AS)
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