Le Caveau - Last Tasting of 2011 - 12/17/2011

Le Caveau - Last Tasting of 2011 - 12/17/2011
1) 2010 Domaine Du Vieux Chene - Viognier - 14% alcohol
sweet and lemony

2) 2009 François Chidaine Vouvray Clos Baudoin Sec - $28.99
94 Points Fine Wine Review: With each passing vintage the Clos Baudoin bottling from Domaine Chidaine gets better and better and the 2009 is an exceptional bottle. The ripeness here is even a tad higher than in the les
Argiles, as this just tops fourteen percent alcohol, but again there are no overt signs of this additional ripeness in the finished wine. This is by a fair measure the most concentrated bottling from Clos Baudoin that I have yet
tasted since the Chidaines took over this great vineyard, as the wine soars from the glass in a mélange of lemon, apple, delicate notes of honeycomb, a complex, chalky signature of soil, a hint of pineapple and a lovely, floral
topnote. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and really rock solid at the core, with fine framing acids, impeccable focus and depth and simply stunning length and grip on the reserved and classy finish. Great juice. 2015-
2040+." - John Gilman

3) 2007 François Chidaine Montlouis Sur Loire "Les Tuffeaux" Demi Sec - $24.99
François Chidaine got his fame from making wine out of the Montlouis appellation, which is 400 hectares and only a river separates it and Vouvray. It actually used to be a part of Vouvray until 1937, when it was granted AOC status. The soils are very similar in Montlouis and Vouvray with sand and a base of tuffeau (marine sedimentary rock unique to the Loire Valley of France). There is a slightly higher percentage of sand and rocks in Montlouis which many say gives the wine a more lean character. These are stunning values as the world has not quite caught up to the magic that the Chidaine's produce every year.
92 Points Wine Spectator: Still a touch tight, with a core of Bosc pear and Jonagold apple notes in reserve, finishing with hints of orange blossom, quince, cardamom and green almond. -James Molesworth

4) 2009 Chateau du Hureau Saumur-Champigny "Tuffe" - $22.99
This Cabernet Franc-based wine is crafted from 15 different batches of old and young vines grown on the distinctive free-draining "tuffeau" soils of the Loire. Scents of wild flowers and thyme meld with sweet mulberry fruit to produce a flavorful palate and a lingering finish. Deeply colored yet almost without tannin, this is a soft, sumptuous and thoroughly enjoyable wine that should age for up to 6 years.

5) 2008 Agnès et René Mosse Anjou Rouge - $23.99
A red blend of Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. Very nice fruit, dark mixed berries, and tangy minerality from the schistous soils. Very structured, yet very accessible. This is a fresh, clean, terroir-driven red wine to enjoy any time. Organic and unfiltered.
Prior to purchasing the estate in Anjou, Rene Mosse had a wine bar/bistro in
Tours with his wife, Agnès where you could drink a bottle in house or take it to go. This led to meeting a bunch of vignerons from the Loire, most notably François Chidaine . They became friends, hung out and eventually Rene
was inspired to attend an oenology program for adults and eventually worked in Burgundy for a year and a half.

6) 2004 Bodega y Cavas de Weinert Gran Vino - $26.99
40% Malbec, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Merlot
With nice dark garnet color, the nose shows black currant, tobacco, and smoked meat. The seamless palate is echoes the dark fruit on the nose with silky tannins, nice acidity and a persistent finish.

Weinert was founded in 1890 by a Spanish Immigrant family and to say they make wine in traditional ways may be understating the case. This is one of the few wineries in Mendoza (Argentina) where you will find no stainless steel tanks for fermentation. All the wines are fermented either in epoxy lined concrete tanks, or in large oak casks. If wines are aged in oak, they are really aged in oak – typically 3+ years and only in large old oak barrels ranging from 800 gallons to 3000 gallons in capacity.

Australian Shiraz - December 14th, 2011 - Ms. Marilyn

Australian or South African Shiraz/Syrah - December 14th, 2011 - Ms. Marilyn
Wikipedia: Syrah/Shiraz Syrah or Shiraz (Not to be confused with Petite Sirah which is a different varietal.) is a dark-skinned grape grown throughout the world and used primarily to produce powerful red wines.
Pairings: Shiraz is great for grilled meats or veggies, wild game, richly flavored red meats, beef stew and meat lover's pizza. Cheese Pairing ideas.

Tasting Notes:
The Welcome Wine - Chook Chinook Shiraz - $5.99 @ Trader Joes

1) 2009 Shotfire Shiraz, Austrailia, Barossa Valley, Thorne-Clarke - $17.99 @ Total Wine
14.8% alcohol
Color: dark purple-red, mostly opaque, nice thick legs
Nose: dark fruit, plum, sweetness, reminds me of Port, high alcohol on nose
Palate: a bit of pepper, some blackberry, tart, very dense, tannic
Other comments: the name Shotfire originated from the hazerdous job of lighting charges in the mines. On the bottle it says it has chocolate and plum with oak and vanilla flavors
*this was one of my favorites of the evening.

2) 2010 Jam Jar Sweet Shiraz, South Africa, Western Cape - $9.99 @ the Liquor Store on corner of 17th & Northside Drive by IKEA.
12.5% alcohol
Color: clear ruby red, light, translucent, almost no legs
Nose: earthy (graphite/caulky),
Palate: sweeter, cherry wine, cola, tastes like a lighter Port, jelly/jam, cherry jam soda, like a red white zin,
Other: Pairs well with spicy food, but can't drink an entire bottle alone, too sweet, Leslie correctly guessed this was Jam Jar, summertime-dessert wine, on bottle says juicy-berry with hints of dark chocolate

3) 2006 Torbreck, Woodcutters Shiraz, Barossa Valley - $20.00 @ small liquor store on Terrell Mill
14.5% alcohol
Color: dark purple red, opaque
Nose: nice and pleasant at first, then tinge of kitty litter or dirty socks. Olive perhaps? earthy, no fruit, smells of pine or evergreen bark.
Palate: smooth, medium bodied, slight bitterness, some citrus notes, licorice/fennel
Other: bottle says to pair with hearty meal
*this was one of my favorites of the evening.

4) 2010 Layer Cake Shiraz - South Australia - $15.98 @ Kroger in Sandy Springs
14.1% alcohol
Color: Midnight Purple, almost black, long legs
Nose: perfumey
Palate: smooth, faintly sweet, jammy, dry finish, slightly tart, a sweet jam then pucker, savory
Other: would pair well with game, recommend the 2008 Layer Cake (supposedly tastes better than the 2010), bottle says it has fruit/mocha/chocolate - spice - rich.

5) 2010 Terra Barossa Shiraz - Thorne & Clarke - $12.99 @ Total Wine
14.5% alcohol
Color: red purple, jam, dark, slow legs
Nose: herb/earth, peaty, damp spice, musty
Palate: tart, pucker, pepper, cranberry, dry finish, a bit of alcohol burn going down.
Other: This is apparently the #2 selling Shiraz at Total Wine. Bottle says plum, soft tannins, appealing spiciness

6) 2007 Le Pousseur Syrah- Bonny Dune vineyards - Santa Cruz California ~$16.00 @ CostCo (?)
13.5% alcohol
Color: lighter, clearer, magenta, more pink,
Nose: layered nose, pepper, vanilla-clove-coffee
Palate: smooth, full flavor but surprisingly light finish

7) 2010 Lindemans Bin 50 Shiraz, Southeast Australia - $7.99 @ Trader Joes
13.5% alcohol
Color: clear-ish, claret-red
Nose: dark cherry, dark chocolate, alcohol, cocoa powder, caramel
Palate: approachable, drinkable, almost too easy to drink, butterscotch,
Other: pairs well with chocolate, definitely needs food with it. bottle says plum and spice and to pair with pasta or red meat.
My fave quote of the evening was from Aubrey "You can feel this in your teeth, and some of them aren't even mine!"

8) 2009 Villa San Juliette - Petite Sirah - Paso Robles, San Miguel, California ~ $17.00 @ Costco or Le Caveau (she couldn't remember which)
Color: dark violet
Nose: violets, oak
Palate: jammy, lingering then abrupt dry finish, "it's good but...not?"
Other: Leslie says this is the wine from the makers of American Idol. bottle says "Blueberry motor oil" and mocha, pairs well with meats and cajun cuisine. Another recommendation from same winemaker is Chorum

9) 2010 MollyDooker - Shiraz - The Boxer - McLaren Vale Australia - $21.99 @ CostCo
16% alcohol
Color: dark purple/red, high alcohol
Nose: red fruit, chocolate, caramel, vanilla, butter
Palate: dry, deep cranberry, pepper at the end, oak, full-bodied
Other: This is Abbie's favorite Australian Winemaker, she tried it for the first time at Morrell's Wine Bar in NYC Rockafeller Center. Matt remarked on his first look "It has legs like a Rockette up in here!" The legs are so lovely, lingering, and slow, they practically stain the glass.
**NOTE: Sometimes you can find this for $19.99 at Kroger, but it goes fast so you have to snatch it up quick**
MollyDooker is slang for "Left-Hander"
Another recommendation is MollyDooker - Shiraz- Blue Eyed Boy, but this one runs about $45/bottle. however it is worth it if you can splurge.


Other notes:
Recommended - 2002 The Prisoner by Orin Swift Cellars (label photo is lovely):

Le Caveau - Artisan Wines Portugal Tasting - 12/10/2011

Le Caveau - Artisan Wines Portugal Tasting - 12/10/2011
Today was a special tasting featuring Gail Lawing and Paul Hearn of Artisan Vines - conducting a Portuguese tasting with the following:

1) 2009 Vale d'Algares Seleccion White - $21.99
55% Viognier, 30% Alvarinho, 15% Verdelho
"The vineyard is located in the Tejo DO of Portugal. Tejo (Tey-joo) is the main Iberian river, called Tagus in Latin and English. The Tejo region has been known as a wine producing region since the middle ages. This wine offers aromas of citrus and green plum with a hint of peach and fig on a palate. It has a touch of smoke due to aging in 90% French oak and a fine acidity that brings balance to the finished product."

2) 2008 Quinta Nova Touriga Nacional - $79.99
100% Touriga Nacional (the main varietal in Port)
"very aromatic, perfumed nose: floral with some blackberry and dark cherry fruit. The palate is beautifully expressive with lovely fresh dark fruits. Very expressive with some grippy tannin on the finish. Ripe and lush but not at all jammy." It is recommended to decant this one for at least 1.5 hrs, but you can have it open in the bottle for up to 1 week, it will open very nicely.

3) 2006 Sanguinhal Touriga Aragonez - $13.99
100% Aragonez (Tempranillo) - another varietal in Port.

4) 2009 Quinta Nova Pomares - $18.99
40% Touriga Nacional, 40% Touriga Franca, 20% Tinta Roriz - port blend
pretty ripe berry flavors.

5) 2009 Monte da Ravasquiera "Fonte de Serrana" - $14.99
Aragonez, Alicante Bochet, Cabernet Sauvignon Blend
I liked this one, it had Braille on the bottle label, for a blind tasting (pun).

6) 2009 Quinta Nova Colheita Duoro - $21.99
Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz, Tinto Cao Blend
"An unoaked cuvee. Spicy and chocolatey with a slightly balsalmic edge to the ripe blackberry and berry fruits. The palate is ripe, dense, and sweetly fruited with some spiciness and chocolatey richness"
I really enjoyed this one.

7) 2006 Quinta Nova LBV Port - $29.99
LBV means Late Bottled Vintage. This one had an amazing nose, very perfumed wine, but it was a bit too sweet on the palate for my taste. I have not yet found a port that I adored, but I tasted this one just in case it was that one special port for me.

8) NV Quinta Nova CLA Port - $28.99
Same as above for me. I could inhale the nose all day long, but the palate just doesn't do it for me. The other folks at the tasting seemed to like these Ports however. I much preferred the other red wines mentioned above.

Moo- some interesting Cow News

Cows Fed Wine Dregs, emit less methane?

"HOW do you feel after imbibing a bit of red wine? Euphoric, excited, or perhaps simply cheery? Or are you one of those drinkers prone to suffering a nagging feeling of guilt, combined with an uncomfortable sensation inside your head?

Well now, thanks to new research by Victorian scientists, you could instead simply feel content that you are doing your bit for the environment, as well as for the nation's dairy herd.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/environment/animals/gone-with-the-wind-study-finds-cows-fed-wine-dregs-emit-less-methane-20111207-1ojbl.html#ixzz1g2ssuu91"

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Jazz for Cows?

"http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/lXKDu6cdXLI?rel=0"

Tip for Saving on Wine

Tip for Saving on Wine purchases from RealSimple magazine.
article link
"How to Make the Holidays More Affordable -Save on Wine

Tips from an anonymous sommelier
People tend to stock up on wine and spirits at the closest store, but that place may not have the best deals. Go to wine-searcher.com (an inventory database of several thousand stores nationwide) and enter the vintage or the wine’s name and your ZIP code to find the cheapest retailer in your area. Or fill your “cellar” with wines from affordable online retailers, like Zachys.com and Winelibrary.com. Both have a huge inventory and e-mail specials to customers on a weekly basis; you may be able to get discounts of up to 40 percent off or free shipping.

Also consider buying bottles from somewhat less prestigious wine-growing regions, such as Oregon; Santa Barbara, California; and France’s Loire Valley. These wines are priced up to 50 percent less than their more famous counterparts. A high-quality Bordeaux, for example, costs between $20 and $50, whereas a comparable bottle from the Loire Valley might cost as little as $10."