Author: Bruno Donaggio

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On Monday afternoon the Union de Grands Crus de Bordeaux held their annual tasting of the newest Bordeaux vintage to be released, in this case the 2011’s. I think this is one of the best tastings of the year to have the opportunity to try so many Grand Cru Bordeaux in one place and to get a handle on how the current vintage is tasting. The event was held at the Waldof-Astoria hotel which is always a nice venue to have a tasting.

I did some researce into the 2011 vintage and the consensuses is that it was not one of the better years and certainly not as good as 2009 and 2010. The Wine Spectator in it’s evaluating said to “pick and choose” amoung the better estates. After the tasting I have to agree. In a so-so vintage as 2011 I was expecting wines to be hard as nails, instead I tasted a lot of feminine, elegant wines with beautiful aromas from some of the top producers, though they still needed some more time in the bottle to smooth out the rough edges. The lower tier wines didn’t do as well.

Pauillac 2011

Chateau Batailley. Medium red with a beautiful nose of warm mushroom and was concentrated with tight acids on the finish.

Chateau Lynch-Bages. Medium red with a beautiful nose of pencil shavings and tar with tight and dusty fruit and very accessible.

Chateau Pichon-Longuevelle. Medium to dark red in color with tar and pencil shavings on the nose with silky tannins but the fruit lightened up at the end with notes of bitter almond on the finish. A little unbalanced.

Chateau Pichon-Longueville Comtese De Lalande. Medium to dark red with a nose of warm black licorice and was concentrated and chunky with moderate tannin and finishing a bit short.

Chateau Lynch-Moussas. Clear, medium dark with a big perfume of roses and dark chocolate, tight with firm acids.

Chateau Clerc Milon. Medium red clear with a nice perfume of pencil shavings and black cherry with moderate black cherry notes on the fruit with a firm finish.

Chateau Grand-Guy-Lacoste. Medium dark in color with a nose of sweet cherry and tar with tight black cherry notes on the tart fruit.

Saint-Julien 2011

Chateau Leoville Poyferre. Dark red to black in color with a big perfume of black cherry and was chunky with firm, dusty tannins on the finish.

Chateau Talbot. Medium to dark red with a warm dusty nose of herbs and red candy and was tight and concentrated with moderate tannin at the end.

Chateau Leoville Barton. Medium red with a big perfume of dark roses and mint.

Chateau Gruaud Larose. Medium red with toasty oak and crushed black fruit on the nose and was very tight with citrus acids on the finish.

Chateau Beychevelle. Medium red with a perfume of dried mushroom with moderate fruit with big acids at the finish. I thought it was unbalanced at the end.

Chateau Branaire-Ducru. Medium to dark red with a nose of warm forest floor and some toastiness with oak flavors on the fruit with moderate tannin and acid.

Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 2011

Chateau Canon-la-Gaffeliere. Medium dark in color with a nose of warm black cherry and cigar-box and was chewy and chunky with a firm but balanced finish. Very nice.

Chateau-Figeac. Medium red with a toasty nose, tight and concentrated with dusty tannins on the finish.

Chateau Grand Mayne. Dark red to black in color with a nose of violets and red roses with silky, firm tannins on the balanced finish.

Clos Fourtet. Dark red to black in color with ripe vegetable notes on the nose and was tight with sour cherry tartness on the finish.

Margaux 2011

Chateau Brane-Cantenac. Medium red with a closed nose of roasted coffee, thin green fruit with a big hit of tannin at the end.

Chateau Giscours. Dark red to black in color with barnyard and black cherry on the nose with a big hit of tannin on the finish.

Chateau Cantenac Brown. Medium dark with toasty oak and mint on the nose and was tight with light and toasty notes on the fruit.

Chateau Malescot. Dark red to black with a nose of dried herbs and toasted oak and was concentrated and chewy with toasty notes on the finish and was firm but accessible.

Chateau Lascombes. Dark red to black with a nose of dirty diapers, black cherry and toasted oak, was chunky and concentrated with silky, mouth filling tannin at the finish.

Chateau Prieure Lichine. Dark red with a nose of warm dried herbs and dark berries and was concentrated and chunky with some tartness at the finish but not a bad glass.

Pomerol 2011

Chateau Gazin. Medium to dark red with a stinky nose that blew off as the wine sat in the glass followed by black cherry notes on the nose and was chewy with pencil shavings on the finish with firm tannin and low acids. I thought the finish dropped a bit at the end.

Chateau Le Bon Pasteur. Medium red with roasted meat and coffee on the nose.

Saint-Estephe 2011

Chateau Phelan-Segur. Medium red with mushroom and black licorice on the nose and was chewy and silky with black licorice notes on the finish, good balance and a long finish.

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Last Saturday afternoon I attended the Pinot Days wine event held at City Winery which is located at 155 Varick Street. I’ve been to many wine events at this venue and it’s a real winery complete with barrels and big tanks of wine aging in the back room. Pinot Days are Pinot Noir-centric events that were held or will be held in Chicago, Los Angles and San Francisco. Saturday was New York’s turn. The event featured mostly California Pinot Noir though a couple of Oregon wineries made an appearance as well as one table of New Zealand wines. The event was open to the trade for the first two hours and then the doors were swung open to the public later that afternoon. It was a fun tasting with some nice juice though I have to say there wasn’t a wine that blew me away. Some of what I sampled:

Gros Ventre Cellars “Campell Ranch” 2012 Pinot Noir (Sonoma Coast). Medium red with a nice nose of earth and black cherry with bright cherry fruit.

Loring Wine Company 2012 Pinot Noir (Sta Rita Hills). Medium red with a nose of smoky, black cherry.

Loring Wine Company 2012 Pinot Noir (Russian River). Bright red in color with velvery fruit and bright cherry cola flavors.

Inman Family Winery 2009 Pinot Noir “OGV” (Russian River). Beautiful perfume on the nose with barnyard notes on the silky moderate to light mouth filling fruit with a long finish.

J Vineyards 2012 Pinot Noir (Russian River). Medium red with an interesting nose of dried herbs, some barnyard and cherry cola with chewy fruit and a firm finish.

J Vineyards 2011 Pinot Noir ” Robert Thomas Vineyard” (Russian River). Medium to dark red with toastines and black cherry flavors on the nose.

I tried a trio of interesting Biodynamic wines from Benziger Winery poured by the winemaker himself,  Mike Benziger.

Benziger de Coelo 2012 Pinot Noir “Quintus” (Sonoma Coast). Medium red with a nose of ripe red fruit with moderate to light fruit on the palate.

Benziger de Coelo 2012 Pinot Noir “Terra Neuma” (Sonoma Coast). Medium to dark red with notes of warm dark berries and dried herbs on the nose with leather notes on the finish. A nice glass with some heat peaking through at the end.

Benziger de Coelo 2012 Pinot Noir “Arbore” (Sonoma Coast). Bright medium red with stone fruit on the nose with some chewiness and was light and tart on the finish.

Another trio of interesting wines from Belle Glos.  I enjoyed the wines but not typical Pinot Noir at all.

Belle Glos 2012 Pinot Noir “Dairyman” (Russian River). Dark red in color, juicy with notes of dried herbs on the fruit.

Belle Glos 2012 Pinot Noir “Los Alturas” (Santa Lucia Highlands). Very dark in color with notes of black cherry and earth on the nose, very juicy.

Belle Glos 2012 Pinot Noir “Clark & Telephone” (Santa Maria Valley).  Almost black in color with dusty crushed berries on the nose and was juicy with good balance.

Hillard Bruce 2011 Chardonnay (Sta Rita Hills). One of the few whites I had at the event, tight nose of mango with tight fruit with ripe fruit notes on the finish.

Hillard Bruce 2010 Pinot Noir “Sun” (Sta Rita Hills). Dusty, medium red color with some chewiness on the fruit and cola notes on the good balance.

Fess Parker 2010 Pinot Noir (Sta Rita Hills). Clear, medium red color with ripe fruit, silky finishes with some tart notes.

Fess Parker 2011 Pinot Noir (Bien Nacido).  Clear, medium red with a closed nose, silky, tight fruit with bright cherry notes on the finish.

Kenneth Volk Vineyards 2009 Pinot Noir (Santa Maria Valley).  Medium red with black cherry and dried herbs on the nose with tight, smoky fruit and good balance.

Kenneth Volk Vineyards 2010 Pinot Noir (Santa Maria Valley). Clear, medium red color with red leather on the nose with bright red fruit.

Saintsbury 2010 Pinot Noir “Stanly Ranch” (Carneros). Medium to dark red with bright barnyard notes on the nose and was tight and silky with a firm but balanced finish.

Saintsbury 2010 Pinot Noir “Brown Ranch” (Carneros). Medium to dark red with leather and barnyard on the nose and dark leather fruit with crisp acids on the finish.

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This past Saturday afternoon I decided to treat myself to a wine tasting. I attended an event held at the Italian Wine Merchants wine shop at 108 E 16th Street in Union Square. I’ve attended a few events at this venue and I know they throw a good tasting. The theme that afternoon was “Champagne and Amarone” which is probably at both ends of the spectrum you can go to with wine. It was a sit-down event with the usual excellent cheeses, prosciutto and bread served to nibble on. We tasted five sparklers and four Amarone. We started with the sparklers:

2010 Raventos i Blanc Conca del Riu Anoia Brut Rose de Nit NV (Spain). A Cava, Salmon in color with a nose of crushed strawberries and dried mushroom with nice acidity and balanced fruit. Very drinkable.

Andre Clouet “Silver Brut” NV (France). Light gold in color with notes of bread dough and green apple and pear on the nose nice and crisp with some slate notes on the finish.

Billecart-Salmon Brut Rose NV (France). Salmon in color with a perfume of crushed strawberries and light with good acidity at the end. Another very drinkable glass.

1999 Billecart-Salmon Brut Cuvee Nicolas Francois Billecart. (France). Dark gold in color with a pronounced nose of earth, barnyard and ginger with good crisp acidity upfront followed with bread dough notes on the finish.

2008 Venturini Amarone (Italy). Dark red in color  with crushed berries, violet and slate on the nose and was chunky and chewy with black licorice fruit and bitter almonds on the finish.

2008 Begali Amarone Monte Ca Bianca (Italy). Dark red to black with a big sweet nose of fresh rosemary and crushed black fruit and was concentrated and velvety with notes of bitter herbs on the finish and was balanced with great structure. My favorite red of the day.

2007 Nicolis Amarone (Italy). Dark purple to black, nose was a little closed but I was getting stone flavors and was dusty and velvety with firm tannins and acids at the end.

2005 Nicolis Amarone “Ambrosan” (Italy). Black in color some cigar-box on the closed nose and was concentrated with notes of crushed stone and herbs on the fruit and had big tonque coating tannin at the end. Some unbalance at the finish.

2012 Ca dei Mandorli Brachetti d’Acqui (Italy). We finished the tasting with this sparkler, medium red with a nose of crushed, sweet berries and was sweet with bluberry notes on the fruit.

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On Sunday I attended a symposium presented by Clark Smith, a California wine maker and author of “Postmodern Wine-making.”  He also founded the world’s largest wine technology provider Vinovation, that pioneered wine quality enhancement techniques and he founded WineSmith winery to explore a range of California terroirs.

The event took place at the Ace Hotel at 20 West 29 Street. It was a small, casual, sit-down event with about twenty five people in attendance including wine makers from Jamesport and Mattebella wineries from Long Island. They poured some of their wines in addition to wines from WineSmith. There was also someone from a winery in South Jersey and a home wine maker from Vermont that brought his blueberry wine to the event.

The central theme of the discussion was “manipulation” which is a dirty word in the wine world but Mr. Smith made the case that manipulation is a part of the wine-making process. He stated that even a drop of water in the glass changed the composition of the wine so every table was given a bottle of liquid with 13% alcohol to rinse the glasses with.

The first tasting was to compare the same wines with different levels of alcohol. Two bottles of Mr. Smith’s 2003 WineSmith Chardonnay (Napa Valley) with different alcohol levels were poured. The first was bottled at 14.8% while the second at 12.9%.

The Chardonnay with the 14.8% alcohol was dark gold with honey and botrytis on the nose with and hints of lime on the moderate fruit with a stinging finish. You could definitely feel the alcohol heat on the finish.

The Chardonnay with the 12.9% alcohol was gold in color with dried mushroom and slate on the nose with the lime and dried mushroom on the fruit with big viscosity and mouth-feel on the finish. The lower alcohol made for a rounder wine.

The discussion turned to red wines and Mr. Smith made a point that the growth Brettanomyces in wine is influenced by organisms in the wine. A couple of his reds were poured next:

2005 WineSmith Cabernet Sauvignon “Crucible” (Napa Valley). Dark red with crushed blueberries and mint on the nose and was tight and velvety with flavors of black licorice on the finish.

2006 WineSmith “Planet Pluto” Meritage (California). Dark red with a vegetal nose and dark berries and was tight with very crisp acids on the finish.

As a comparison a third wine was poured blind and it was the 2008 Windward Pinot Noir (Paso Robles). Medium red with red cherry and crushed rock notes on the nose and was very juicy with bitter almond on the finish.

The wine maker from Jamesport Vineyard in Long Island was present and he poured a couple of his wines.

2007 Jamesport Cabernet Franc (North Fork, L. I.). Medium red with a ripe nose of bubblegum and smoke with notes of black licorice and coconut milk on the fruit.

2007 Jamesport Petit Verdot (North Fork, L. I.). Dark red to black in color with roasted nuts and black berries on the nose and was concentrated and silky with black fruit flavors and was nicely balanced. Nice wine.

The owner of Mattebella Vineyards in Long Island was present as well and he brought several of his wines which were poured.

Mattebella Vineyards “Famiglia” Red Blend NV (North Fork, L. I.). Non-vintage, it was medium red with roasted nuts and mint on the nose and was juicy and velvety with good balance, not bad for their everyday glass.

The Old World Blend is a Bordeaux blend of red grapes and they poured five vintages.

2005 Mattebella Vineyards “Old World Blend” (North Fork, L. I.) . Dark red to black in color, with notes of slate and crushed rocks on the nose. concentrated and velvety with black licorice on the balanced fruit.

2007 Mattebella ‘OWB”. Dark red with stinky, sea-air on the nose and was ripe and concentrated with firm tannins and barnyard on the finish.

2008 Mattebella “OWB”. Dark red with a nose of toasted and crushed black berries and mint and was silky and concentrated with great balance. My favorite of the flight.

2009 Mattebella “OWB”. Dark red to black in color, some stemminess on the nose, velvet, tight fruit and I thought it was a little unbalanced at the end.

2010 Mattebella “OWB”. Dark red to black in color and had a big nose of fresh rosemary and red licorice with bright and dusty fruit with silky tannins.

A home wine maker from Vermont poured his blueberry wine which wasn’t too bad, a touch sweet but balanced.

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On Sunday afternoon I attended a wine and beer event presented by Tap & Cork. It was their “Winter Solstice” party and was a consumer event held at a club called Milk River located at 960 Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn on an industrial stretch of the avenue. It was an off the beaten path venue which made for an interesting event. They poured some interesting juice though we had to drink from a plastic cup which always takes some of the fun away from a wine tasting. There was also a “one ticket, one sip” policy but the price of a ticket gave you twenty stubs with the option to buy more which was more than enough for an afternoon of tasting. The event didn’t get very crowded and had a fun vibe to it and an enjoyable afternoon was had by all.

Some of the wines I liked;

2011 Domaine Felix & Fils St. Bris Sauvignon Blanc (Burgundy). Something unusual, a Sauvignon Blanc from Burgundy from the only Burgundy appellation permitted to grow Sauvignon. Nice sipping wine with some grassiness and crisp.

2008 Marquis de Gelida Gra Reserva Cava  (Spain). Notes of bread dough on the fruit and was crisp with lemon notes on the finish.

2010 Mouton Noir “O.P.P.” Pinot Noir (Willamette Valley). With hints of earth and strawberry on the nose, light with moderate fruit.

2011 Mouton Noir “Oregogne” Pinot Noir (Willamette Valley). Medium red with barnyard on the nose with bing cherry on the silky fruit with crisp acids on the finish.

2010 Dunham Cabernet Sauvignon XVI (Columbia Valley). Dark red with notes of dark berries on the nose with dusty, black cherry on the firm, balanced finish.

2011 Farina “Remo Farina” Valpolicella Ripasso (Veneto). Medium to dark red with notes of black cherry on the nose and was moderate chunky with hints of mint on the balanced finish.

2006 La Fiorita Brunello di Montalcino (Tuscany). Medium red with notes of dark cherry and coffee on the nose with medium, tarry fruit.

2011 Pappillon Crozes-Hermitage (Rhone). 100% Syrah, dark red in color with a big nose of barnyard, barnyard floor and was rustic and chunky with crisp acids on the good finish.

2009 Domaine Mavette Gigondas (Rhone). Dark red with notes of black pepper and pencil shavings on the nose with roasted coffee flavors on the fruit with very firm tannin on the finish.

2010 Tour De L’Isle Chateaunuef du Pape (Rhone). Dark red with notes of roasted red fruit, dark berries and slate on the nose and was chewy with big tannin on the finish.

2005 Chateau Ramafort Medoc Cru Borgeois (Bordeaux). Equal parts Carbernet Sauvignon and Merlot and was dark red with a nose of minerals and pencil shavings with moderate, dusty fruit that dropped to firm tannins at the end.

2008 Crossroads RGF (New Zealand). A blend of six varieties, it was dark red  with notes of toasted coffee and nuts on the nose and was dense and tight with dark chocolate flavors on the finish.

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On Sunday evening I attended a wine tasting held at NY Vitners wine shop on 21 Warren Street. They have many, varied wine tasting events weekly with some of the tastings paired with food prepared from the kitchen they have on property. The theme of Sundays tasting was “Holiday Pairings” and they served a couple of courses of food to pair with them.

It was a sit-down tasting with approximately twenty-five people in attendance.

As we came in we were served a glass of sparking wine, Balivet Bugey-Cerdon“Methode Ancestrale” NV (France). Organic and made in the old way with the primary fermentation in the bottle instead of two (as in Champagne). Made from the Gamay grape, it was medium red with a grapey nose with hints of crushed strawberries with a touch of sweetness at the end.

We were served two whites to be paired with the starter dish which was an excellent cioppino.

2012 Mayu Sauvignon Blanc (Chile). Yellow with greenish tints and had a dusty nose of white flowers and baked bread and peaches with crisp acidity and notes of lime on the finish. The dustiness blew off with time in the glass and I thought it was the best white for the cioppino which brought out more of the Sauvignon Blanc grassy nuances.

2011 Fleuron Chardonnay (Sonoma &  Lake Counties). An organic wine, medium gold with notes of over-ripe vegetables on the nose with the same over ripeness carrying over onto the fruit with a funky finish. Not my favorite.

Three red wines were paired with a braised pork belly with mashed Hawaiian yams and glazed carrots. The yams were purple which made for a very dramatic presentation on the plate and the dish was excellent. Of the three reds my favorite and the one I thought went the best with the pork was the:

2001 Calabretta Etna Rosso (Sicily). Grown on the slopes of Mount Etna, it was medium to dark red in color with an amber robe with notes of cigar-box, red roses and dark red fruits on the nose and was dusty and chunky with some barnyard and nice acids on the finish. As the wine opened up in the glass I started getting notes of dark chocolate on the nose.

2012 Bodegas Los Bermejos Maceracion (Canary Islands). In a unique bottle and made through carbonic maceration, it was dark purple with a nose of red licorice and crushed red fruit and was juicy with notes of bitter almond on the finish. Interesting.

2010 Fleuron Cabernet Sauvignon (Sonoma). Mostly Cabernet with some Merlot thrown in, was dark red in color with a nose of funky shellfish and mint and was velvety with a tang of sea air with firm tannins on the finish.