Henri Bourgeois Sancerre - La Porte de Caillou 2007

I opened this wine for dinner yesterday. I found it refreshing with a honey overlay that was very interesting. It masked the citrus punch that seemed to be sitting just under the surface. The citrus elements wanted to burst through but were delayed by the heavier texture of the honey. There was a light lemonish flavor readily apparent with a foundation of other less distinguishable fruits. I caught something of peach and melon lurking in the background. The texture was light and crisp. It gave the clear impression of a firm body. It is a wine that is confident in itself. In addition the bouquet was highly aromatic and pleasing.

After dinner I replaced the cork and refrigerated the wine that was left. Opening it up today for lunch, Mary and I both found it overpowered by grapefruit and acid. It was crisp and pungent. It was reminiscent of the more upfront citrus varieties of New Zealand. However, we both missed the more subtle and muted tones of the night before. This is a fine wine worth the price of $20.00 plus.

Independance Day - 2009: American Wines Galore

The Issue

It's the Fourth of July, Independence Day, 2009. The 233rd anniversary of the founding of the Republic. Realizing we were going to be entertaining some of our oldest and dearest friends for the 4th, I ruminated about what wine selection would fit the occasion. The answer was simple, American wines! Since we were going to be doing some traditional grilling, I tried to pair wines that would go well with this style of cooking. I came up with a few wines that seemed to be perfect to augment our 4th of July Celebration. I went with two whites and two reds. The menu for the day contained both red meat(flank steak and hamburgers)and white meat (chicken, and turkey burgers) with asparagus, corn on the cob and potato salad. For appetizers we chose two cheeses, an Italian sweet Garganzola and a Spanish Monchego. Black olives and chips for dip rounded out the preliminaries. I would have to work with both red and white wines to give my guests some good pairing opportunities.

The Guest List

Our guest list was pretty full with some very discerning palates. The Brown's were coming from Brooklyn. The Ciaccio's from Douglaston, our son Dave, his fiance, Angela, coming from Astoria, our son Chris stopping in for a few mintues after working at Equinox Fitness Center, and our nephew Mike from Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. Alden Brown and Ed Ciaccio are rather experienced wine tasters, as well as aficionados of other adult beverages. If you know what I mean.

The Wines

I chose a La Crema 2007 Chardonnay for the appetizers. It was not my first choice. I had hoped to use a Cuvaison but the local wine shop did not have it in stock. La Crema is a fine Chardonnay from the Russian Valley with tropical fruits, good body, a toasty oak finish, full nose, and a soft texture. When I first tasted it I was taken by the oak and toasty flavor. To be honest, it was a tad too heavy for what I had hoped for. The oak was too strong for the appetizers or just didn't seem to fit perfectly with the sweet garganzola. Unfortunately, everyone else had opted to indulge in gin and tonics so I have no basis of comparison. I should have taken the hint when I alone went with the Chardonnay. Perhaps a nice Sauvignon Blanc would have been better. An Oyster Bay SB might have worked.

For the main meal I opened a 2005 Estancia Meritage which is a bourdieu blend of Cabernet, Merlot, Malbec and Petit Verdot. Alden looked up from his plate of flank steak and potato salad and said "This is excellent." His eyes told a story of real enjoyment. Mary concurred. She commented that it was superb with a great bouquet and smooth texture. A success!

The final wine which I had paired with the chicken and other dishes, such as the very light and heavenly potato salad and the asparagus in olive oil and lemon was a 2007 Eroica Riesling from the Columbia Valley estate of Chateau Ste. Michelle. I had never indulged in this wine. But the reviews were very positive. I had hoped the Riesling would be dry enough to be appropriate for the main meal. Maureen Brown thought simply: "It's too sweet for me." Mary thought it wasn't overly sweet but quite fine. I suspected this was a spouse coming to the rescue of a sinking husband. As for myself I thought it was quite good and paired well with the food although there was a sweetness to the wine. I would have preferred greater dryness.

All in all the wines were good as was the great camaraderie and good feelings. I would say the Estancia Meritage was the best fit. It superbly complemented the flank steak and burgers with just the right amount of body and an immense complexity, with hints of choclolate and spice. The Ciaccio's generously drove the Brown's to the LIRR for their trip back to Brooklyn. It was a charming and wonderful day with friends.

The Spanish Quarter - Chardonnay, Albarino and the Human Tower

Mary and I had the opportunity to visit friends out in West Islip Long Island this past Sunday. The day was one of only a few sunny warm days in the past month. June in New York has been wet and soggy almost every day. To celebrate the occasion, we brought a bottle of The Spanish Quarter, 2006, an exciting blend of Chardonnay (60%) and Albarino (40%) grapes. Upon arriving at the Tully's very comfortable and inviting home, Rich Tully asked my preference for serving the wine. Since we had also brought Mary's home-made clam dip I decided that The Spanish Quarter would go perfectly with the seafood. Rich served it enthusiastically out on the deck with the dip for all the guests to enjoy. At first sip Marina Trentacoste uttered "This is very good." I knew immediately we had a winner.

The wine was an interesting straw color, very vibrant and inviting. The nose had hints of citrus, with upfront fruit in the modern manner, and an overlay of peach, and possibly apricot and apple; very aromatic. It was crisp and refreshing. The finish was long and enjoyable, no bitterness but with a sharpness that lingered. The blend of Chardonnay muted some of the Albarino's traditional cutting quality. The bottle was finished in a flash. It was superb with the clams. I'm sure it would go with all seafood dishes. We had not experienced a blend of Chardonnay and Albarino. The Albarino grape is one of the most popular white wines in Spain. According to Gail Wallis of Suite 101:

"The albarino grape originates in Galicia, misty land of the ancient Celts. Located in the lushly green and hilly northwest corner of Spain, Galicia is a land heavily reliant on the fishing industry. The climate here is greatly influenced by the Atlantic Ocean, with wet and chilly winters, dry summers, and high humidity—perfect conditions for growing certain white grape varieties, such as Albarino. The grape also grows a bit farther south, in Portugal, where it is known as "alvarinho."

One of the added pluses to the enjoyment of the wine was the label. Mary explained to our friends that it is a hand painted rendition of an ancient Spanish tradition, the building of human pyramids. This takes place each year at the The Fiesta de La Virgen de La Salud (The Feast of the Virgin of Health) at the beginning of September in the town of Algemesi. Acrobats from all over Spain descend on the town and create human towers. The tradition started in late 18th century Catalonia and spread south. My wife tells me a part of this tradition was to have a small child be the very top of the pyramid. I could certainly see a nice bottle of The Spanish Quarter being enjoyed at such a spectacle. You can read about the pyramids in Graham Smith's article. I took the photo I posted here from that piece. It's truly amazing.

The Spanish Quarter also comes in a red variety which is a blend of Cabernet and Tempranillo.

Our visit to the Tully's reached it's crecendo with Idamarie's luscious pork dinner served with carrots, squash and other delicious morsels. Dinner was topped off with some amazing desserts compliments of our friends Sal and Marina Trentacoste and Kathy and Bill Carriero. It was an enjoyable day, with good friends and fine wine and food.