Wine Tasting

Austria/Israel - white & red

2011-08-20T12:36:00.002+03:00

This defines a great evening: warm, smart and funny friends along with excellent food accompanied by great wines from Israel and Austria. Starting with the elegant GV von den terassen 2006 from FX Pichler then Margalit Cabernet Franc 2007. Common theme: spicy elegance. Both wines showed very well and were a very good match to Mediterranean food.

FX Pichler is among the most celebrated Austrian winemakers and is definitely a great producer. The quality of this wine was a surprise for me as it's a "standard" Smargad, but proved to be among the best I've had from this winery. Aroma and mouth wise, this is a very typical Smargad (highest quality level) Wachau Gruner Veltliner (GV).

Pichler GV Smargad von den terrassen 2006
Very elegant wine, starts with white flowers blossom and tropical fruits. Then you get the spices: pepper & vanilla. Everything works together towards a rounded and smooth mouth. Long elegant finish, 95

Margalit continues to produce the best red wines (unfortunately they stopped producing whites around 2000) in Israel. I voluntarily participated in producing the wines in 2007 - that was a birthday surprise, arranged by my wife. However, the wine tasted here was put into fermentation at another day. So, no personal interest here. This is mostly Cabernet Franc, with 10% Cabernet Sauvignon wine, from the upper Galilee.

Margalit, Cabernet Franc 2007
Deep, lively color. Very elegant, with black currents, black cherries and a note of blackberries along with black and green peppers. This is a very well integrated wines, with a smooth mouth feel and light tannin. Ready for drinking, but with years ahead. Great, long finish. 92

Good, cheap Bordeaux still exists!

2011-08-08T17:05:00.005+03:00

The sky-rocketing price of Bordeaux in recent years has left many wine-lovers with the impression that it simply isn't possible to get good, well-made Bordeaux for a reaonable price. But this simply isn't true. The perception arrises, in my mind, from a mistaken impression of what Bordeaux truly is. I'm acquainted (via the internet) with an American ex-Patriot who lives in Bordeaux, who made an very astute observation about the situation: the problem is that the American Bordeaux market equates Bordeaux with the Classified Growths, i.e., the Grand Crus. But stop and think: there are, if we include the Medoc, Pessac-Leognan, and St.-Emilion classifications, about 100 Grand Crus in Bordeaux. But there are about 5000 producers overall - it is the largest premier wine region on the planet. But the Amerian market thinks Bordeaux is supposed to some kind of block-buster, and the Grand Crus do deliver that in their youth, so that is what the market demands, and what sells. But a fine claret, as the English would say, is a beverage, not a cocktail - a sophisticated drink to accompany a fine meal. And if you still believe in traditional Bordeaux, there are still good deals to be found, no where more so than in Graves. Here's a fine, well-made, attractive, meat-friendly $11 Bordeaux I enjoyed with dinner last night.

Chateau Des Proms, Cuvee Bellevue, Graves 2008
Dark ruby red. Wonderful, classic Graves nose of earthy gravel, dark fruit, and hints of flowers. On the palate, blackberry and dark cherry, attractive by not overstated, with abundant gravel and stoney earth, hints of violets, and hint of herbs/tobacco leaf on the finish, with just the right touch of oak. Medium bodied with nice aromatic accentuation, good tone, and respectable density. Very classy. Needs a little while in the glass to show its best. Approachable now with air, but should age nicely over the 5 - 10 years. Excellent value at $11. * * (2 stars) = 88 points

William Fevre Chablis 2009

2011-07-22T21:32:00.000+03:00

Chablis is my favorite Chardonnay growing area. It produces good to great wines at a much more reasonable price than any other burgundy whites or the high end California chardonnay. Even more importantly, Chablis wines have a precise combination of richness, fine minerals and acidity that can't be found elsewhere. William Fevre is an excellent producer, this wine sets a very good example to basic Chablis, great value for money (approx. $20).

William Fevre Chablis 2009
Flowers blossom with melon, apricot a bit pears and slight butter aroma. All are integrated into a great nose. The flavor is smooth balanced with delicate acidity and minerals. Medium finish. All translates into a very good to excellent wine, Score: 90

Portteus Zinfandel

2011-06-24T21:39:00.002+03:00

Washington state wines are in many cases my preference when it comes to US wines. But when it comes to the beloved Zin wines, California wines are usually the best. Surprise! An excellent Zinfandel from Washington. Jumps immediately to the top of the list for Zins.

Portteus Zinfandel 2008
Dark color, very Zinfandel character: bold, ripe and Masculine. Starts with ripe plums and dark cherries which are balanced by good acidity and a medium/full body. The tannins are nicely integrated in the wine and the finish is long and tasty. Excellent: 90

Nipozzano Chianti Rufina Reserva 2007

2010-11-28T11:59:00.000+02:00

This is a wine that never disappoints. Year after year it delivers a true Tuscan character and excellent value. An enticing combination of cherries, pomegranate, spices, vanilla, just the right acidity and delicate tannins lead to an excellent finish. 90

Pelter Winery

2010-10-02T08:44:00.009+02:00

In a hot August afternoon, we visited the Pelter winery. Being a long time admirers of their Gewürztraminer and sparkling wines we had high hopes of the visit. Well, that was easy - the hopes were exceeded. In addition to their outstanding whites, we were happy to taste the outstanding quality of the reds. One of the nice aspects of the visit was a children friendly staff and environement that enabled us to enjoy tasting wines with 3 energetic boys. So friendly that our eldest son considers this visit among the highlights of his summer vacation.

Now to the wines:

Semillon T-Selection 2009

Clearly, this is an outstanding effort. Saying that it's the best Israeli Semillon is easy. More siginificantly, it stands very well compared to some of the best Austrialian Semillon that I've tasted. It has excellent balance, shows complex fruity aromas: Guava, Apricot and lime. All lead to a long and excellent finish. Excellent / Exceptional (89 - 91) [26/8/2010]

Cabernet/Shiraz 2007

Nice wine, but not great.Cinamon, light pepper, black berries, long good finish. A bit too international. Excellent (87 - 89) [26/8/2010]

Cabernet Sauvignon T Selection 2007

This was one of the best in this tasing. A very dark colored wine and overall deep wine. Dominated by variatal aromas, especially bluberries. The finish is long and very pleasent. Tannins are still on the rough side, give it at least a year or two before openning. Outstanding (91-93) [26/8/2010]

Tasting 4 Vintages of Pontet-Canet

2010-07-22T17:42:00.003+03:00

I started collecting wine just as the tremendous 2000 vintage was being released, and so before I even had much experience with Bordeaux, by almost pure chance, my first serious Bordeaux cellar purchase was a couple bottles of the 2000 Pontet-Canet. How exciting its been to watch the ascendance of this 5th Growth since then, and how lucky I've felt to have those bottles in the cellar, with all the talk of Pontet-Canet having become a "super-second" with the 2005 vintage, and even the lesser vintages becoming more expensive than the 2000 was on release. The story of this chateau is well-known now: its location right next to Mouton-Rothschild, and how it was considered one of the top estates in the early 19th century; its slow decline to rock-bottom during the Cruse scandal of the 1970s; and finally how the Tesseron family painstakingly revived it over two decades, preparing it for its meteoric rise that started in the mid-1990s. Given my experience with the 1970 (below), it is clear that even at its lowest ebb, there was greatness lurking here. I've had the pleasure to taste more wines from Pontet-Canet than from any other Bordeaux estate, and the style has become familiar: dense, dark, tarry, firm. Some say Pontet-Canet now resembles St.-Julien more than Pauillac, and they may be right, but what it is for certain is a great example of a modern claret that has not sold its soul like many others.

A couple weeks ago, I organized a wine dinner featuring the 1970 and the 2002 vintages of the Grand Vin, and the 2000 of Let Hauts (which in a vintage like 2000 is practically a grand vin itself):

Chateau Pontet-Canet, Pauillac 1970
Base neck fill. Medium-dark garnet; good color! Very nice old Bordeaux nose, savory, and with glycerin showing. A succulent palate, with cherry/raspberry, cassis, and a bit of tar. Medium-full bodied. Opens and grows very nicely in the glass. Still has good fruit, with nice tone and structure; one can sense the intense 1970 structure this would once have had. Near the end of its very mature prime, but can probably hold at this level for a few more years; this wine is in great shape for its age. Quite a treat, and a consummate match to Julia Child's Boeuf Bourgignon! Excellent (87 - 90). [7/9/10]

Les Hauts de Pontet-Canet, Pauillac 2000
Medium dark ruby. Nose a bit funky and not much on the palate at first, but with time in the glass, it opens beautifully. Cherry/raspberry, cassis, tar/dark fruit, lots of mineral, hints of herbs, and hints of pencil lead. Succulent. Compared to the 1970 Pontet-Canet grand vin tasted just before, this drinks like a much younger version of the same wine, and seems to confirm the similarity between the two vintages (how nice to get to compare the two). In addition, nearly equal in quality to the 2002 Pontet-Canet grand vin tasted just after. Approachable now with air, but better in 3 - 5 years, and should drink nicely until 2020 or so. 2000 shows its depth here! Excellent / Exceptional (89 - 91). [7/9/10]

Chateau Pontet-Canet, Pauillac 2002
Decanted 2 1/2 hours, and needed further time in the glass to open (nose a bit funky at first). Opaque ruby. Excellent, dense, rich nose. Cherry, blackberry, cassis, tarry/leathery notes, a hint of roasted herb/tobacco, and a hint of pencil lead/mineral. Full bodied, ripe, and dense, with good tone. Needs time, perhaps another 5 years, and shouldlast last until 2020 - 2025. Quite an impressive performance from this maligned vintage, and for under $40, a very impressive value as well. Exceptional (90 - 93). [7/9/10]

And as chance would have it, I had also had the opportunity to taste the 2003 in May:

Chateau Pontet-Canet, Pauillac 2003
Decanted for over an hour. Dark, warm ruby; impressive color. Great nose!!! Black cherry, blackberry, juicy red currant, cassis, some floral notes, and a touch of citrus, with tobacco, a hint of pencil lead, mineral, roasted herbs, roasted meat, and espresso. Ripe, but not overly so, and there is a LOT of tannin hiding underneath. Has 2003 warmth, but with the tannin, density, and acidity to balance it. This is a wine you need to swirl in your mouth to perceive how well constituted it is under the ripe fruit. Approachable now and very pleasurable to drink, but will only get better, and I dare say it will achieve a more classical Bordeaux balance in its maturity. Has up to 20 years ahead of it; when will it hit its peak? Not sure - perhaps in 10 years. A lot of potential here. Extraordinary (93 - 95). [5/13/10]

Chateau Talbot, St. Julien 2001

2010-07-17T23:33:00.003+03:00

This wine helped in resolving a long standing family dispute over wine. For years, my wife claimed that Bordeaux can't meet the standards of our favorite wine region: Piedmont. Knowing her taste, the main point was around how Masculine are the wines (or the more feminine/elegant nature of a lot of Bordeaux wines that we had). Comes Talbot 2001 to show that the combination of masculine and elegant wines is not unique to Piedmont or Italy in general.

Chateau Talbot, St. Julien 2001
Started with excellent fruit: blueberries, black current later reveled earth and minerals with just a good hint of green notes. Masculine wine with an excellent elegant finish. Excellent / Exceptional (89 - 91)

First experience with an unusual grape: St. Laurent

2010-06-10T17:50:00.007+03:00

The red grapes of the central European countries, are an unusual lot, with combinations of flavors that most find at least perplexing, and some find off-putting. I for the most part have enjoyed my occasional meeting with such varieties as Blaufrankish and Zweigelt. Last night, I had for the first time a grape that to my palate is the most unusual of them: a St. Laurent, from Austria. It happens that Zweigelt is actually a cross of Blaufrankish and St. Laurent, so I've now met the "whole family." In short, a positive experience and an excellent wine. I'll be happy to have St. Laurent cross my path again, though I confess I might not seek it out.

Zantho, St. Laurent, Burgenland 2006 (Austria)
My first experience with this grape. Dark ruby. A rather stinky nose, but with some excellent components, notably showing the same wet gravel and tobacco notes that one finds in Haut-Brion, with dark fruit, a faint whiff of flowers (roses perhaps?), and a very prominent note of lemon. On the palate, cherry, dominate notes of tart lemon/citrus, dark, tarry plum, a faint hint of flowers, then very earthy wet gravel and tobacco notes. Medium-full bodied. The combination of prominent lemon acidity with a generous earthy character pushes the limits of conventional balance, but there is good quality and character in this wine, with excellent aromatic components. On the balance I like it quite a bit, and in its best moments I would give it an Exceptional (90 - 93) rating, but one does have to make some allowances, and meet it on its own terms. Drink now. Excellent / Exceptional (89 - 91). [6/9/10]

Morellino di Scansano

2010-05-20T18:54:00.005+03:00

Hoping now to start anew with more frequent posting, I return to that region with the red wines that most closely hold my heart: Tuscany. But on this occasion a somewhat unusual Tuscan: Fattoria Le Pupille, Morellino di Scansano 2004. Some background: Morellino di Scansano, recently upgraded to DOCG in 2007, is found in Maremma on the Tuscan coast. Morellino is the local name for Sangiovese, and with Brunello/Rosso di Montalcino, it is one of only two Tuscan wines required to be composed of 100% Sangiovese. I don't have a lot of experience with Morellino, but my limited sample suggests two distinctive characteristics: a ripe style of fruit, and very prominment earthiness. What's unusal about this particular wine is that, while having some distinct Tuscan characteristics if you had given it to me blind, I might very well have guessed it was from the Languedoc!

Fattoria Le Pupille, Morellino di Scansano 2004
Pure, juicy black cherry uprfront, with plum, hints of citrus rind and tomato, and prominent baryard-style earthiness, with herbs on the finish, the whole also having a pleasant "sea air" salty quality. Medium-full bodied with a ripe style of fruit (but not overly ripe), and a sharp style of acidity (but not unpleasant). White the citrus rind, tomato, and herbs mark it as Tuscan, the overall style of the fruit and the baryard remind me as much of Minervois in the Languedoc as they do of Tuscany, or within Italy, perhaps of Salento in Puglia. Whatever the case, this is quite a nice wine, perhaps now at its mature zenith, and should be drunk now or in the next two years. Excellent (87 -90) [5/8/10]

Surprising Gatinara - 1997

2010-05-09T09:07:00.003+03:00

Travaglini, Gatinara Tre Vigni 1997
A pleasent surprise from the mostly unknown Gatinara DOCG in Piedmont, Italy. Reading the reviews, I was afraid that this wine might not be a perfect choice for celebrating our 13th anniversary. But, this wine proved (again) that reviewers might be wrong. It was an excellent Nebbiolo expression: Opening with red berries, light earthy notes and a silky long ending, it developed in the glass to have leather, mushroom, more black fruits and great acidity. It is at its peak. Excellent / Exceptional (89 - 91)

Wines of Arizona

2009-10-13T21:02:00.003+02:00

In July I found myself in Tucson with a few extra days on my hands, so naturally, the first thing I did was to find out how close the wineries were. Arizona has one AVA, Sonoita, which is located about an hour southeast of Tucson. The elevation slowly climbs in that direction, so that wine country is at about 4000 ft., and much cooler than Tucson. Scenic drive too. Clustered around the small town of Elgin are about 9 wineries, 3 of which were open on the Thursday I went there. The wineries charge a reasonable fee, $3 - 5, for tastings, but that includes the glass, and once you have a glass from one of the wineries, the cost for tasting at the others is discounted to $1 - 3. The wine industry is about 30 years old. Specialties, not surprisingly, are grapes from the hotter European climates. The potential of this region is massive, the wines reminding strongly of Tuscany, and the Sangiovese a ringer for Montalcino. And the capability (not just potential) for producing structured, long lived wines is there. This region deserves a reputation greater than Texas, but I suspect there just aren't enough wineries for it to ever come to prominence. If wine lovers find themselves in the Tucson area, make this your number one destination.

Kief-Joshua Vineyards
My first stop simply because it was the first winery I came to that was open. Because their vines haven't come to full maturity yet, they are currently getting their fruit from California. But clearly there is a good winemaker here, and a distinctive house style that will serve their Arizona fruit very well. Good future here, I think. Very nice tasting room.

Kief-Joshua Vineyards, Chenin Blanc, California 2007
Citrus, nectarine, grassy/herbal notes toward the finish. Pleasantly tart, with good body. 13.5% abv. Very Good / Excellent (86 - 88). [7/16/09]

Kief-Joshua Vineyards, Viognier, California 2007
Floral notes, citrus, tropical fruits. Nice aromatics. Lightish in body, and hides its alcohol (14.5% abv) well. Very Good / Excellent (86 - 88). [7/16/09]

Kief-Joshua Vineyards, Cabernet Franc, California 2005
Nice, clear, medium ruby. Excellent nose of savory red fruits and cedar. On the palate, tart cherry, currants, plum, perhaps a note of roses, and gentle cedar on the finish. Somewhat light in body. Should be very food friendly. Very Good / Excellent (86 - 88). [7/16/09]

Kief-Joshua Vineyards, Syrah, California 2005
Nearly opaque ruby/purple. Raspberry, plum, earth, spice. Nice finish. Medium-full bodied. Very Good / Excellent (86 - 88). [7/16/09]

Kief-Joshua Vineyards, Nebbiolo-Sangiovese-Tempranillo, California 2005
Nose of savory red fruits and a hint of forest floor. On the palate, tart, slightly savory red fruit. The fruit is very low-key. Lingering earthiness and french oak notes. Drink now or in the next 2 years. Very Good (85 - 87). [7/16/09]

Kief-Joshua Vineyards, Cabernet Sauvignon, Mendocino 2003
Medium, opaque ruby/garnet. Funky nose. Cherry, savory blackberry, spice, and oak. Needs plenty of breathing. Drink now or in the next 3 yrs. Very Good / Excellent (86 - 88). [7/16/09]

Village of Elgin Winery
A prolific winery, offering ~40 wines (perhaps more) under at least two different labels. Eclectic style here, with unusual blends and winemaking methods. Definitely a sense of humor and adventure here. Very competent winemaking, the wines quite at ease with their seeming lack of "conventional polish." Fun wines to taste.

Village of Elgin Winery, Sangiovese, Sonoita [AVA] 2006
Medium ruby/garnet. Nice nose of cherry, smoke, and a hint of orange rind. Savory palate, with cherry, strawberry, plum, orange rind, smoke, herbs, and spice. Good acidity and body. Very good effort. Very Good / Excellent (86 - 88). [7/16/09]

Village of Elgin Winery, Old World Cuvee, Sonoita [AVA] NV
Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon, aged in chesnut. Pure, medium ruby. Nose of cherry blackberry, and chesnut. On the palate, cherry, blackberry, and very prominent chesnut, with smoke, orange rind, and nutmeg. Nice but gentle grip to the acid and tannin. Good effort. Very Good / Excellent (86 - 88). [7/16/09]

The story on aging in chesnut is that the winemaker discovered in researching historical winemaking that chesnut was supposedly the first wood used for wine barrels.

Village of Elgin Winery, Barbera, Sonoita [AVA] 2006
Light garnet. Very pleasant nosee of sweet red fruit, a touch of smoke, and oragne rind. Sweet cherry on the palate, with savory herbs, and hints of smoke and orange rind. Chalky tannis. Very Good (85 - 87). [7/16/09]

Village of Elgin Winery, Bella, Sonoita [AVA] NV
Moscato and Colombard. Light, clean, sparkly silver-yellow. Orange, peach, melon, and a barest hint of sweet nettle. Off-dry. Pleasant picnic wine. Very Good (85 - 87). [7/16/09]

Village of Elgin Winery, Vino della Primavera, Sonoita[AVA] NV
A blend of six different grapes. Cherry, banana, nectarine, leather, and sweet greeness. Good acid and body. Strange, but suprisingly good. Excellent (87 - 90). [7/16/09].

Sonoita Winery
The oldest winery in the state. Potentially world-class wines, confident winemaking, and a very high standard of quality. Apparently started as an agricultural experiment, the founder having researched the location, climate, etc., and determined that it was ideal for winemaking. Their flagship wine is their Pinot Noir, which was unfortunately not available for tasting, but I can only imagine that it would be a very excellent wine. In addition, here is a winery that could make long lived wines, as evidenced by the available library releases of their Cab. Sauv., including the 1984, a wine they say is drinking quite well. They deserve some respect and attention!

Sonoita Winery, Colombard, Cochise County, Arizona NV
Light golden. Bright citrus, green apple, and melon. Refreshing but rich, with great body. Excellent (87 - 90). [7/16/09]

Sonoita Winery, Sonoita Fume, Sonoita [AVA] NV
Prominent smoke and flint on the nose. Citrus and green apple on the palate, with good focus, mouth-puckering acidity, and lots of flinty mineral. Good body. Excellent (87 - 90). [7/16/09]

Sonoita Winery, Sonora Rossa, Sonoita [AVA] NV
Merlot, Cab. Sauv., and Colombard. Dark salmon/ruby. Nice, aromatic nose. Cherry and blackberry, with Colombard's citrus and apple on the rear palate. Very interesting. Very Good (85 - 87). [7/16/09]

Sonoita Winery, Sangiovese, Sonoita [AVA] 2007
Medium ruby/garnet. Cherry, black raspberry, a touch of strawberry, hints of savory herbs, and orange rind, with oak giving it great body. Almost like a Rosso di Montalcino. Sangiovese like this could put Arizona on the map. Should drink well for another 5 years, perhaps longer. Excellent (87 - 90). [7/16/09]

Sonoita Winery, MeCaSah, Sonoita [AVA] 2006
Merlot, Cab. Sauv., and Syrah. Medium garnet. Good nose. Cherry, blackberry, and currant. Toward the finish, a good, savory quality, with a hint of orange rind. Relatively closed at this stage. A wine of good quality. Having tasted this, one can certainly see how in a good year, their wines could age very well (they reported that their library release 1984 Cabernet Sauvignon is drinking nicely). Will improve over the next 5 - 10 years. Excellent (87 - 90). [7/16/09]

Sonoita Winery, Desert Zin, Arizona 2008
I'd always heard that Zinfandel could produce a port-style wine from natural sugar content, and yea verily, here is one, with 16.5% abv, and 6% RS. Deep ruby towards black. Concentrated black cherry and black raspberry, a savory touch, orange rind, and tabacco. Very intense - has some punch to it! Great stuff. Excellent (87 - 90). [7/16/09]

Sonoita Winery, Arizona Sparkles, Brut, Sonoita [AVA] NV
Colombard and Muscat. Citrus, apple, and melon; like their still Colombard, with the addition of bubbles. Not quite as good though, its balance a bit lacking. Very Good (85 - 87). [7/16/09]

Uccelliera

2009-08-25T22:51:00.006+03:00

Back after a long year without a single blog. That's a direct result of starting to work for Microsoft - a wonderful, exciting and challenging experience, but no time for wine blogging. Comes our vacation to Umbria, Italy and there is a bit time to blog.

Taking the advantage of Tuscany's proximity to Umbria, we headed towards Montalcino. Uccelliera is not a big producer (20,000 bottles per year) and that's exactly why it was chosen. The bigger Brunello houses are geared to cater to the international wine drinker and this shows in the wine. Uccelliera is positivly unique. These are wines with personality.

Uccelliera has very modern wine production equipment and still experiments in creating the best Brunello. They age the Brunello half in new oak and half in big Slovanian barrels. The later provides the more delicate aromas that are associated with "old" world. We drank the same vintages (2006, 2007) from both methods and the difference is clear: the wines from the big barrels is more delicate, with less tannins but less pronounced fruit. The small barrels result with more spice and bigger fruit. The combination is irrisitable. These Brunellos are 1st class, among the best I've tasted.

We had an Uccelliera Rosso di Montalcino 2006 with dinner a couple of days later, which was excellent. Food friendly wine, just the right cmbination of sweet red fruit, black fruit, spice and oak along with the right acidity. Excellent / Exceptional (89 - 91)

Soon to return, with Texas, Colorado, and Arizona!

2009-07-26T08:44:00.002+03:00

Hello Folks! Been very busy the past 6 months and just haven't found the time for writing up a lot of tasting notes, but will return in the near future with notes from three unlikely Southwestern wine growing states: Texas, Colorado, and Arizona. Stayed tuned!

A mostly Cabernet tasting

2009-01-09T18:05:00.003+02:00

I have a favorite wine shop in Wichita (KS), Anton's Vintage Wine & Spirits (highly recommended), and the owner has become a friend over the past few years. But we had never had the chance to taste wines together. So, we got together the day after Christmas. He was interested in tasting an Israeli Cab, so I brought one, and he provided some other Cabernet based wines. He enjoyed the Israeli, and the wines he provided were quite a treat!

Galil Mountain, Cabernet Sauvignon, Galilee 2003
Medium ruby toward garnet. Love the nose - sweet, and very aromatic, with raspberry, marmalade, and roses - not quite heady, but rich. On the palate, sweet cherry upfront with overtones of cassis, followed by a midpalate of sweet raspberry, orange rind, and roses. Finish drops off, however. Medium bodied, with nice aromatics. Fills the senses (even with the short finish). Seems to be holding nicely - for drinking soon, but without fear. Lovely wine. Kosher. Excellent (87 - 90). [12/26/08].

Chateau La Louviere, Pessac-Leognan 2005
Nice color - deep ruby with a touch of purple. Awesome nose of earth, black fruit, and tobacco - but subtle and reserved at this stage, and not as good as it will be in time! Similar notes on the palate, but very tight at this stage. Full bodied. Very impressive - a great wine. I'd give it 10 more years, and I'll guess it will last for 10 - 20 years after that. Should be something really special in time. Love it! Exceptional (90 - 93), and potentially Extraordinary (93 - 95) with time. [12/26/08]

Paul Hobbs, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley 2005
Last glass from a bottle opened the day before, but kept under inert gas. Nice color - deep ruby with a touch of purple. Big, rich, heady, Napa nose of cassis, earth, and tobacco. On the palate, cherry, cassis, tobacco, and earth. Big but not huge. Great fruit! Not a wine to evaluate, but one to sit back and enjoy. Should last another 10 - 15 years. Can't decided whether this or the Beringer Private Reserve 1997 tasted after it is the best California Cabernet I've had, although they are in very different styles. Extraordinary (93 - 95). [12/26/08]

Beringer, Cabernet Sauvignon, Private Reserve, Napa Valley 1997
Impressive color - deep, youthful ruby, going to pink with a touch of brown at the edge (but notably, no garnet). Funky, candied nose at first, but after that blows off, red and black currants, with Graves-like earthiness, a hint of tobacco, and a touch of espresso - a great nose! On the palate, cherry, red currant, cassis, raspberry, orange rind, and espresso. Touch of earthiness on the finish. Full bodied, with good balance. Somewhat Bordelais in style. A very high quality wine. In its prime, and should hold there for another 5 years, but probably won't improve any further. This would be the best California Cabernet I've had if not for the Paul Hobbs Napa 2005 tasted just before it - can't really decided between the two, although I'd say the this one has the edge, although in a very different style. Extraordinary (93 - 95). [12/26/08]

Pinot Noir Around the World

2008-12-08T17:47:00.005+02:00

I organized a Pinot Noir tasting at my place, which took place on Nov 21 (two weeks ago today). I had always wanted to do something like this, and for me the main interest was to put some New World PNs head-to-head with red Burgs, so as to answer the eternal questions: (1) are red Burgs any better than New World PNs, and (2) do New World PNs actually taste like PN? I also had always wanted to put Nuits against Beaune, Oregon against California, and hot climate against cool climate. In short, the overall quality was high, we all learned a lot, and there were a number of [mostly pleasant] surprises. All wines were served immediately after opening.

First the notes, then some reflections.

Flight 1. The Classics: Europe

Joseph Drouhin, Chorey-Les-Beaune 2006
Light ruby. Lovely, aromatic nose that practically fills the room. Cherry and a touch of dark raspberry on the palate, the fruit having the lovely, vibrant, accentuated style that is typically associated with the Cote-de-Beaune. Nice finish and body. Should last another 5 years or so. At around $20, the best value in red Burgundy I've had. Excellent (87 - 90).

Nicolas Potel, Cote de Nuits-Villages, Vieilles Vignes 2006
A somewhat darker ruby (compared to the Chorey-Les-Beaune tasted before it), but still clear. Nice nose of leather. On the palate, cherry, blackberry, leather, and spice. Does have a touch of the meatiness that is associated with the Cote-de-Nuits. Not all that impressive at first but gets better and better as it opens. Too young, I think - needs another 5 years, and should last for 10, but when it hits its prime it should be something special, and I imagine it will justify its almost $40 price tag as well. Decanting or breathing for an hour might do the trick as well. Excellent (87 - 90), and potentially Exceptional (90 - 93) with time.

August Ziegler, Pinot Noir Spatlese (trocken), Cuvee August, Pfalz 2005
Dark ruby, with a touch of purple. Nice nose. Cherry and mixed berries on the palate. Nice acidity, and the high alcohol (14%) gives it richness without making it unbalanced. Tastes like its seen a moderate amount of oak, which doesn't seem necessary. A ripe, attractive style that is very pleasing initially, but doesn't have any underpinnings to contrast, and so may just have a bit too much fruit for its own good. Still, an excellent and well-made wine, but not quite my style. Should last another 5 years. About $20, which is a fair price. Excellent (87 - 90).

Flight 2. The Challengers: United States

Willamette Valley Vineyards, Pinot Noir, "Whole Cluster Fermented," Willamette Valley 2007
Ruby / purple. Sweet strawberry, cherry, and a touch of blueberry. Attractive, accentuated fruit, and in some ways very similar to the Chorey-Les-Beaune tasted earlier in the evening. Classic Oregon PN. Very nice. Drink in the next 3 - 5 years, I think. Around $15, and a good value. Excellent (87 - 90).

Angeline, Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley 2006
Ruby / purple. Cherry, and rich blackberry. Wonderful, pure fruit. Californian in style but still has the finesse and grace that PN should have. Very, very nice. The best California PN I've had, and at a mere $15 a bottle, the best value in Pinot Noir I've encountered. Drink in the 4 - 6 years. Excellent / Exceptional (89 - 91).

Crescendo, Pinot Noir, Napa Valley 2005
Deep garnet. Nice nose. Black cherry, liqueur-like blackberry, and a touch of blueberry, with nice vegetal/wood/tea undertones. Great body. For me, a big surprise, as I didn't expect a PN from such a hot climate to taste like PN, or even work as a wine - yet this is a reasonably faithful PN in style, and yet also very distinctly Napa. Should last another 5 - 7 years. I'm not completely certain, but I think this is around $15, which makes it a great value (although the comparable Russian River Valley PN tasted before it is just a touch better). Wonderful stuff. Excellent / Exceptional (89 - 91).

Flight 3. The Up-and-Coming: Southern Hemisphere

Kim Crawford, Pinot Noir, Marlborough 2007
Dark ruby / purple. Lovely nose of red berries (with a note cranberry in particular) and earth (although the nose is a little unusual, perhaps even a bit funky, initially). On the palate, cranberry, cherry, strawberry, and a touch of darker fruits, with nice touch of black tea and vegetal tones. Cool, pure, juicy fruit - practically screams Marlborough. Just a bit earthy (in the most pleasant of ways), and with great body. The best Pinot Noir I've had (a mild but most pleasant surprise). Should last another 4 - 6 years. Just under $20, and a tremendous value. Exceptional (90 - 93).

Matetic, Equilibrio, Pinot Noir, San Antonio 2005 (Chile)
My first Chilean PN. Light, reddish purple. Nice but a bit funky nose that reminds one, oddly enough, of buttered popcorn. On the palate, cranberry, cherry, and dark fruits, with great warmth and spice. Very ripe. Nice, but a blockbuster sort of wine, and a bit too much for me. Has a touch of the soft red fruits of PN, but otherwise behaves like a lighter-bodied Cabernet. As a friend put it "Everything this does, a Chilean Cab does better." Drink in the next 3 - 5 years. A very excellent wine, but to my palate, not a very good PN. Not unreasonably priced at around $25. Exceptional (90 - 93), but not my style.

Now my reflections: 1. It is nice (or perhaps I just got lucky) to have a pair a red Burgs that demonstrate the differences between Cote de Beaune and Cotes de Nuits. I must confess, although I was still very pleased, that perhaps I was expecting the Burgs to be a bit more impressive - on the whole they were blown out of the water by the New Worlds, although stylistically I preferred them to most of the New Worlds. 2. Although I haven't had very many, I'm beginning to think that maybe I don't care for German Pinot (aka Spatburgunder) - they have an attractive style, but no real underpinnings (no earth, vegetal tones, spice, etc), to lend them contrast and interest. 3. I've been in the habit of saying that Oregon tastes more like Burgundy, but it's nice to have that confirmed in a head-to-head (although, once again, maybe I got lucky on the selection). Based on this and the other Oregons I've had, it seems maybe that they lean specifically toward the Beaun-ish side. 4. I was impressed and surprised by the Calis - I've been complaining for years that Cali Pinot often doesn't taste like Pinot, but these two overturned that conception, and more or less killed the Burgs for quality. As I noted above, the Napa Pinot was a big surprise. 5. As much as I love Marlborough, the fact that it has produced the best PN I've tasted was a unlooked-for but delightful surprise. And, as I've noted in the past, you can sense in Marlborough PN the same, cool, juicy, pure fruit as in the Sauv Blancs. 6. I had heard very promising things about Chilean PN, but now I question that, because if this was a typical example, then I'm not all that interested in tasting any others. One would think that high-altitude and thus cooler conditions would produce more balanced, more graceful PN.

Rosenblum Tasting

2008-10-16T17:18:00.004+02:00

I gather from some people I've talked to that Rosenblum has a "love it or hate it" style. The wines are certainly archtypically Californian - ripe, extracted fruit and high alcohol. But, to my Old World tuned palate, they offer something more. Most of their reds have great character, with lots of nice undertones - earth, spice, minerals - that throw the ripe fruit into relief, and make for a complex and satisfying package. I tasting the following wines at the local wine shop last month. I should also add that their Black Muscat, a fortified dessert-style wine, is excellent as well, and a great value at around $10 per half bottle. Some notes for other Rosenblum wines I've tasted in the past are also posted after this recent batch.

Rosenblum, Viognier, Appellation Series, Kathy's Cuvee, California 2006
Citrus and wonderful, ripe, sweet peach and tropical fruits, with creamy vanilla. Lots of character. Wow. This is the best Viognier I've had to date. This can be had for under $15, and at that price a tremendous value. Excellent / Exceptional (89 - 91). [9/6/08]

Rosenblum, Mourvedre, Appelation Series, San Francisco Bay 2004
Nice, interesting nose. On the palate, cherry, plum, violets, smoke, and spice. Frim finish. Very fruity and aromatic for Mourvedre. Lots of character. Great wine. Around $15, and a good value. Excellent / Exceptional (89 - 91). [9/6/08]

Rosenblum, Syrah, Rominger Vineyard, Yolo County 2006
Dark berries, earthy herbs, spice, and a touch of mineral. Very nice, but not nearly as interesting as the Mourvedre. If you can find this for $15, it's worth trying, but the price online seems to be around $20, and at that price I'd pass. Excellent (87 - 90). [9/6/08]

Rosenblum, Zinfandel, Appellation Series, Paso Robles 2006
Softish cherry with a touch of raspberry upfront, then blackberry, and a spicy finish. Quite good, but more or less 'just another' California Zin, and for around $15, not all that exciting (although it's not an unfair price). Excellent (87 - 90), but only merely. [9/6/08]

And now a round up of my older notes for their wines:

Rosenblum Cellars, Black Muscat, Gallagher Reserve, Central Valley 2005
A sweet, fortified red. Cherry/stawberry upfront, followed by dark berries, with almost tarry notes, and chocolate. Great stuff. Exceptional (90 - 93) [9/30/07].

Rosenblum Cellars, Petite Sirah, Appelation Series, Heritage Clones, San Fransisco Bay 2005
Dark purple. Blueberry, blackberry, mint, and juniper. Very rich. Textbook Petite Sirah, but has some pretty distinct character. Big finish. Could have a hair better balance. Worth trying, although perhaps a bit pricey at $20. Excellent (87 - 90) [7/28/07]

Rosenblum, Syrah, Vintners Cuvee, California 2004
Sweet cherry and plum, with minty herbs, mild earthiness and spice, and a hint of wildberries toward the finish. Suprisingly good. Very Good / Excellent (86 - 88) [2/17/07]

Rosenblum, Mourvedre, Appellation Series, San Francisco Bay 2004
Sweet cherry, with mineral/smoke, violet, and spice. Driven more by its undertones than its fruit. A formidible, even brooding wine that fills the senses from pour to finish. Parker would love this one. Excellent / Exceptional (89 - 91) [7/17/07]

Wieninger - A Chardonnay made in Vienna

2008-08-22T21:17:00.008+03:00

Vienna is a city with many charms. Wine is one of the unique things about it. Wine is an integral part of its tradition, wine will be served even in kids birthdays (for the parents...). Vienna is one of the only cities in the world with significant wine production - around 700 hectares of vineyards. One of the well known and best wineries in Vienna is Wieninger, which produces a pretty diverse set of wines. I've always loved their Chardonnay Select (mid range chard.) and the 2006 stood up to the expectations.

Wieninger Chardonnay Select 2006
Light straw color with a medium body. Summer flower blossom, Mellon, green pears along with Vanilla. The mouth feel is very smooth and just slightly buttery. The affect of using large casks and just some barrel creates a lighter wine which works great in the local heat. Nice finish. Excellent 89

A nice promotional video about the winery is available on youtube.

A taste of the Midwest: Butler Winery

2008-08-15T18:29:00.005+03:00

Winemaking in the American Midwest, although appreciated and respected by those 'in the know,' has a supprisingly low profile given its historical significance. Missouri was the most significant wine producing state before Prohibition. Happily, Missouri has slowly been rebuilding its reputation, and it's star grape, Norton, has an international following. However, the home of the first commercial wine industry in the US has remained relatively obscure: Indiana.

Since I currently live in Indiana, I've had the chance to taste wine from the more significant wineries on many occasions. In fact, in my current home of Bloomington, we have not one but two wineries. Oliver Winery is the oldest and largest winery in Indiana. They grow mostly hybrids, plus Concord, Niagara, and Catawba, and even produce a few locally grown vinifera wines. They also purchase west coast fruit, and it is those wines that to some extent dominate their tasting room. Oliver is a more polished operation, producing wines in an international style. It should be noted that the winery grounds have beautifully gardens, and they sell cheeses, meats, breads, crackers, etc. for picnics. Interestingly enough, the Wall Street Journal listed Oliver as one of 12 wineries to visit in the US. It is certainly worth a visit.

The second and smaller of the Bloomington wineries is Butler Winery. They grow almost exclusively hybrids. Their in-town tasting room in Bloomington might be better known for its wine and beer making supplies. But anybody who ventures out to the winery is in for an unexpected treat. The grounds are very charming, and rather than simply a cooler with sandwhiches and such, they have made to order sandwhiches, appetizers, and such, served in cafe style. And the food is rather good too! Butler is more charmingly and authentically Midwestern than Oliver, and although I was not at first impressed, My appreciation and enjoyment of their wines and winery has grown considerably over time. And although some people might not find it as 'impressive' as Oliver, I actually recommend it with equal enthusiasm, although for entirely different reasons. This past weekend I went to their in-town tasting room to buy wine-making supplies, and took the opportunity to taste a few of their wines.

Before the notes, a special focus on a particular grape. Most of Butler's red wines focus on the hybrid Chambourcin. Chambourcin is among my favorite grapes, no allowance for its hybrid status necesary. In fact, although it is a 'hybrid,' about 60% of its paretage is actually vinifera, although which vinifera has been a matter of debate - the once common misconception is that it was none other than Pinot Noir, but it turns out to be a rather obscure vinifera called Black Hambourg. But who cares? Unique among hybrids, it truly does have the refinement of true vinifera, without a trace of 'hybrid funk.' It is among the most charming of grape varieties, fruity, aromatic, and the best examples are not unlike a decent Cru Beaujolais. For the record, my standard for Chambourcin is made by Pirtle Winery, in Weston, Missouri (another winery I recommend visiting).

Butler Winery, Chardonel, Indiana 2005
Lemon, perhaps a bit of coconut, a touch of tropical fruits, and a bit of oak. A reasonably succesful Chardonel, and while I must admit that Chardonel has grown on me, I'm still not a big fan. Pleasant / Good (82 - 84). [8/9/08]
(Chardonel is a hybrid of Chardonnay and the hybrid Seyval Blanc.)

Butler Winery, Chambourcin, Indiana 2004
Nice nose of berries, blueberry in particular. On the palate, cherry and raspberry, but with generous
blueberry. Fruity and aromatic. Quite nice! Drinking very nicely now, but should keep it charms for
another year or so. Very Good (85 - 87). [8/9/08]

Butler Winery, Chambourcin, Indiana 2005
Not as forward as the 2004, but with the same character and components (fruity, aromatic red berries and blueberries), and more structure. Needs another year for that delightful fruit to express itself, but
should still retain its more impressive structure. Drink in the next year after that. Very Good (85 - 87). [8/9/08]

Butler Winery, Indiana White, Indiana NV
Almost every Midwestern winery produces a semi-sweet, non-vintage white, and an accompanying red. Made from Vignoles, which is actually a nice little grape, producing wines that can have a passing resemblance to late-harvest Riesling. Semi-sweet, with fresh peach and nectarine. Nice. Very Good (85 - 87). [8/9/08]
(Vignoles is hybrid of one of the many Seibel hybrids with "Pinot de Corton," which might or might not be related to Pinot Noir.)

Butler Winery, Chambourcin Rose, Indiana 2007
Semi-sweet. Fruity berries, with a touch of nectarine. Nice. Good (83 - 85). [8/9/08]

Butler Winery, Late Harvest Vignoles, Indiana 2007
Sweet but not extremely sweet. Simple but nice character of pear and peach. Worth noting that the 2004
(which I had in December 2007) could have passed for a decent Riesling Spatlese. Very Good (85 - 87). [8/9/08]

Butler Winery, Ruby Port, Indiana 2005
Made from Chambourcin. Fruity red berry and blueberry, with the fortification providing additional
structure. Very Good (85 - 87). [8/9/08]

A new Hotel, a trendy restaurant and a great wine

2008-08-01T19:20:00.011+03:00

The stage for a great wine must be the right thing. Well, what can go wrong when you go to Tel Aviv's trendiest restaurant - Montefiore - to celebrate 13 years with my wife? Nothing went wrong. The company was great, the food was very good and the service was excellent. This is a fusion restaurant, which means a selection of Korean, Vietnamese and French dishes - all are very good to excellent. The ambiance is informal colonial decor and the service is upscale Israeli. Our first dishes were were leaning towards the far eastern side and didn't go to well with the wine (not a surprise). The main dishes were selected to match the wine: White grouper on Okra & tomato sauce for my wife and sirloin steak with mushroom sauce for me. Both were excellent, I like fusion restaurants that don't try to be too creative. We will get to the wine in a second. The evening ended by "climbing" to floors to our room in the Hotel just above the restaurant. The Hotel shares the same design as the restaurant and provides a very comfortable place to sleep. One major disadvantage is the noise: both from the restaurant and the street.

Chateau St. Jean Cinq Cépages C.S. 1997 is the best Californian wine I've had and a great wine by any standard.
This is a very rich and elegant wine. Deep purple/brick color, full bodied wine, showing a very distinct blueberries and black fruit aromas. This is accompanied by tobacco, a bit caramel, chocolate and a touch of smoky and herbal flavors. Very balanced and smooth. Very long finish. Extraordinary 95

First experience with a lovely southern Italian grape

2008-07-03T16:48:00.004+03:00

Of all the world's wines, Italians are nearest and dearest to my heart. I could hardly imagine life without Bordeaux and the Rhone, and it may very well be the case that France produces the world's greatest wines. But Italians are my favorite - somehow, they suit me better than all others - their robustness, grace, and the same vitality you find in the food, the people, and the very land of Italy itself. And they are just a joy and a pleasure to drink. One of the world's great undiscovered wine treasure-troves is southern Italy: there is simply no other place on earth with such a diversity of delightful, unique grapes. And some of them are beginning to get their due praise. I stumbled upon one of these almost unheardof gems recently - I had never heard of Nero di Troia before I saw a bottle on the shelf, and for $5 I could hardly resist trying it. I actually had to look it up: more commonly called Uva di Troia, it is very popular in its native Puglia. And after tasting it, I am suprised it is not better known - this could be the southern Italian answer to Chianti.

Vini Coppa d'Oro, Nero di Troia, Puglia IGT NV
A clear but deep ruby in color. Heady nose of black cherry, but with perfumey floral notes. On the palate, deep black cherry upfront, with perhaps a touch of blueberry/blackberry, and overtones of plum, followed by nectarine, orange rind and floral notes, before a generous finish of spice. Medium-full in body. Lovely stuff. Unique - almost like a cross of Syrah and Montepulciano (the grape) - it has some of Syrah's concentration, headiness, and structure, but overlayed with Montepulciano's gracefull, delightful, and high-toned fruit. This is just the sort of delightful little wine you might find at a cafe in Italy - very fruit friendly, with a softness to it but also a rich depth. In fact, this is a fair challenger for Chianti. [Oddly enough, I have had one other grape in some ways quite similar to this: a hybrid called St. Vincent, which is grown in the Midwest of the US.] Fantastic little table wine for everyday drinking with Italian food. And it's even good chilled. I got it on sale for $5 - what it goes for elsewhere I do not know, but by far the best wine I've ever had for the price. Excellent (87 - 90). [6/21/08]

Beaucastel tasting

2008-06-20T22:50:00.005+03:00

Chateau de Beaucastel is one of the best wineries in Chateauneuf du Pape. Pierre Perrin, Beaucastel's wine maker and 5th generation owner of the winery hosted an excellent tasting this Wednesday. It was a pleasure to see how passionate Pierre is about his wines and wine making tradition of his family. Chateau de Beaucastel have been producing organic wines since 1956, but don't brand their wines as such. They try to create wines with a unique signature "I want to sign the wine like Picasso" - is the exact quote. In each year they try to make the best wines for that vintage and not replicate last year's taste. From what we have tasted - it's a complete success. The wines all share a common theme: balanced, food friendly, complex and interesting.

Chateau de Beaucastel Chateauneuf du Pape Blanc 2006
Light to straw color, medium bodied and refreshing wine. Opens with Muscat nuts, smoke, honey, apricots and melon balanced with very good acidity. Good finish. Exceptional 90.

Chateau de Beaucastel Chateauneuf du Pape Blanc Roussanne Vieilles Vignes 2006
Almost Yellow straw color, full bodied and balanced. This is one of the best whites I've had in the last year (including the excellent 2006 vintage in Austria). Smooth, round and creamy (positively) wine. With Caramel, ripe peaches, minerals all going to a Loooong finish. Outstanding 96

Perrin & Fils Chateauneuf du Pape Le Sinards 2006
This wine gets its grapes from the young vines of Beaucastel. Not destined for long term cellaring, but still a good wine. Medium bodied and medium to light color. Raspberries, minerals, unripe plums. Nice finish. Still too tannic - keep it for 1-2 years. Very Good 86

Chateau de Beaucastel Chateauneuf du Pape Rouge 2005
This wine showed what older vines and more traditional wine making (old oak, huge - 4000 Lt. barrels) can create. Medium bodied with a red garnet color. Balanced, elegant and very drinkable right now, but will surly be even greater and more complex in years from now. Mostly delicate aromas of cassis, plums, lavender. A bit meaty aroma on the edges. Just the right amount of acidity. A very long and wonderful finish. Extraordinary 95

Chateau de Beaucastel Chateauneuf du Pape Rouge 2001
Needs more time to balance - but what a wine! Medium bodied with a brick/garnet color. Meaty, leather, plums, blackberries, cherries and a balancing acidity. After some time in the glass it gets really smooth. Nice, long finish. Extraordinary 93

Chateau de Beaucastel Chateauneuf du Pape Rouge 1998
This is a love or hate wine - I've heard both opinions around. I loved it! The color shows some age with dominating brick color. The aroma opens with a sweet caramel component along with cherries and leather. very good, long sweet finish. Exceptional 92

Chateau de Beaucastel Chateauneuf du Pape Rouge 1994
This is on the spot for current drinking. Ripe plums, a bit truffles, green herbal component along with delicate leather and meaty aromas. Still has some tannins for the next couple of years. Very good finish. Exceptional 91

Chateau de Beaucastel Chateauneuf du Pape Rouge 1989
Decanted for 3 hours. Light brick color. A complex and interesting wine which made me hate myself for not purchasing it when it was possible. Opens with meaty flavors, plums, olives, minerals, perfume and Provencal herbs. Amazing long finish.
Incredible 97

Chateau de Beaucastel Chateauneuf du Pape Hommage a Jacques Perrin 2005
Almost impenetrable red garnet. Full, almost chewy body. An almost never ending array of aromas: red plums, blackberries, nuts, olives & herbs. Right now its very tannic and alcoholic - give it at least 15 years to soften (Pierre claims that the 1989 is not really ready yet...). Complex, long finish.
Incredible 98

Some excellent Israeli wines

2008-05-31T18:04:00.004+03:00

A collection of tasting notes of Israeli wines that were tasted during the last 1-2 weeks with friends over food. These are all wines that show a good value, being sold locally between 18$ - 28$.

Carmel Kayumi Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2004
Interesting wine, an excellent complex aroma of blackberries, tobacco, blueberries, violet and a slight but interesting green component: olives and herbs. Medium Finish along with a tannins that still need to settle down. Excellent 89

Tulip White 2007
Summer wine, a combination of Gewürztraminer(70%) and Sauvignon Blanc (30%). The wine was launched in the Herzelia Marine Yacht club about a month ago in a perfect timing - as the summer is already here. Nice clear and bright color. Nice fruit: guava, peaches, apricot along with red grapefruit and nice grassy hints. A round and pleasant wine whit a medium long finish. Excellent 88

Recanati Sauvignon Blanc Reserve 2007
Last time I tasted this wine it was an infant. Now it looks like it has fulfilled the high expectations. Nice straw color, flower blossom along with grass open up. Then the fruity components show: Guava, passion fruit and lime. Wonderful acidity leads to an excellent finish. Probably the best local SB. Exceptional 90

The greatest wine experience of my life

2008-05-29T17:22:00.005+03:00

I am only recently come down from the clouds - Friday night (5/23/08) I held the most perfect tasting of my life (thus far). A lineup of eight wines - some more ordinary than others, but each in its way a delight - each enjoyed by everyone in a delightful company of friends, and with a nice assortment of very good cheeses. A situation where the whole was infinitely more than the sum of its parts - I can hardly imagine a more perfect evening of wine tasting. This may very well be the standard by which I judge all other tastings for the rest of my life - not simply the wines, but the experience. And the featured wine of the evening - from my grandmother's birthyear, a wine I know, beyond a doubt, will stand among the very most memorable of my life.

The evening consisted of three 'mini-tastings,' which, although apparently only loosely connected, providing a perfect progression.

Sauvignon Blanc: one wine from each of my three favorite regions for the grape, providing an excellent illustration of the differences between them.

Delaille, Domaine du Salvard, Cheverny 2007
Grapefruit, ripe peach, kiwi, and gooseberry, with touches of mineral and vegetal notes. Exactly what I look for in Loire Sauvignon: focused, elegant, and light-on-its-feet, yet with depth. Under $15, and a good value. Excellent (87 - 90).

Nobilo, Sauvignon Blanc, Regional Collection, Marlborough 2007 (New Zealand)
Nice nose of high-quality fruit cocktail. Grapefruit, fresh peach, tropical fruits, and gooseberry, with bell pepper. Generous acidity. Archtypical Marlborough, with oodles of fresh, ripe, exuberant fruit. Completely consistent with previous tasting. Around $10, and a great value. Excellent (87 - 90).

Cono Sur, Sauvignon Blanc, 20 Barrels Limited Edition, Casablanca Valley 2006 (Chile)
Sea air, pear, green melon, citrus, and black pepper. Subtle and complex. Somewhat atypical for Chilean Sauvignon, but in a most interesting way. Excellent / Exceptional (89 - 91)

White Bordeaux: first a nice dry example, with 50% Sauvignon providing a nice transition from the previous flight, while at the same time setting up for the the remarkable pair of Sauternes to follow.

Chateau Bonnet, Entre-Deux-Mers 2006
Citrus, apple, honey, and fig. Nice acidity, and with enough depth to avoid being 'just another white.' Bonnet's whites seem to be quite reliable. Around $10, and a very good value. 50% Sauvignon, 40% Semillon, 10% Muscadelle. Very Good / Excellent (86 - 88).

Chateau Coutet, Barsac 1928
Labeled 'Haut-Barsac.' Mid-shoulder fill. Distinguished, warm, dark bronze / mahogany color. Top 1/3 of the cork blackened with age. On first try, only 2/3 of the cork came out. Then using a metal skewer and piercing through the bottom of the cork, a slight hiss of air rushing into a vacuum - after 80 years, the seal was still perfect! Served moderately chilled. In the glass, perhaps the most remarkable nose I have ever encountered: intense, rich, warm nose of fruitcake, apricot, and red raspberry. On the palate, more layers of complexity than one can fully describe in words. Pruney apricot, hints of still fresh pear and even tropical fruits, with red raspberry, and orange. Warm, richly honeyed and still luscious, with loads of intense (but not unpleasant) botrytis nutmeg/mace/brown spice on the finish. Open and wonderful from the first sip, but got even better as it warmed and opened further. Some qualities similar to a fine sherry, but much more fresh - after 80 years, still proudly and unmistakably a Sauternes. Still showing everything I love in Sauternes, but with previously unimagined layers of depth and complexity added (the only other wine I've had with this level of complexity is the Krug NV). Far exceeding expectations, not just a privilege but a once-in-a-lifetime pleasure to drink, with no allowances for age necessary, and making every other wine I've had seem ordinary. With still intense structure but remarkable balance, this is a wine that should make its centennial with pleasures to spare. I wouldn't push it beyond that, but even now it's longevity is far, far beyond complaint. It saddens me greatly that I am not likely ever to encounter this wine again. It will forever command an exalted place in my memory. Exceptional / Extraordinary (92 - 94) for the wine itself, with no allowance for age necessary; for the experience, Perfection (99 - 100)

Chateau Coutet, Barsac 1997
Perfect fill. Lightly-bronzed gold in color. Surprisingly similar to the 1928 (tasted just before) in character. Apricots, pear/tropicals, orange, and even a touch of red raspberry, with minerals notes as well. Honeyed and with nice botrytis spice (but neither nearly as much as in the 1928). But make no mistakes, this is an exceptionally good wine, in some respects even exceeding the 1928, but in others nowhere near it. Still a bit too young, needing at least 5 more years, and I expect it to last another 10 - 20 years total. Exceptional (90 - 93), almost Extraordinary (93 - 95) and will improve.

Port: a hugely surprising white Port providing a perfect transition from the Sauternes before it, before finish the night with an outstanding single-quinta.

Ramos Pinto, Lagrima, Porto NV
Lemon, honey, apricots, and even a touch of pear, with a distinct note of brandy. Fresh and very sweet. Remarkably similar in profile to the 1997 Coutet tasted before it. The biggest surprise of evening, and laughing heartily in the face of the mostly disparaging opinion of white Port that seems to prevail. And given that it can be found for under $15, and absolutely no more than $20, the most amazing value I have ever encountered. Best while young and fresh, I suspect. Extraordinary (93 - 95)

Ramos Pinto, Quita de Ervamoira, Porto 2004
Openned for breathing 14 hours before serving, and decanted 5 hours before serving. Consistent with my previous tasting, with dark, rich chocolate, loads of dark berries and prunes, and on this tasting, even showing some touches of red fruit. Powerful yet perfectly balanced. Surprisingly, especially given the amount of time it had to breath, not as open or opulent as previously. All the same, will benefit tremendously from 10 more years, and should last 10 - 20 years after that. Still outstanding, and may yet merit my original, highly enthusiastic rating with time. Outstanding (95 - 97), but may very well be Incredible (97 - 99) with time.

Elegance from the Languedoc

2008-05-08T16:46:00.005+03:00

I happen to be very fond of wines from southern France - there are quite a few under-appreciated gems to be found there (if you haven't had Madiran, that is an experience worth seeking out). One of the regions that delights me the most is the Languedoc. The wines use the same set of grapes as in the Rhone, but with a higher percentage of Carignan (as much as 50%). I tend to think of the Rhone as being more refined, and of all the wine of southern France Chateauneuf-du-Pape is by far my favorite. The Languedoc, on the other hand, offers a more country-style, barnyard, and in my mind 'impolite' expression. I affectionately refer to many of these wines as 'monsters.' In fact, the first time a friend and neighbor of mine tasted one, he called me up and asked if I could come taste it, because he was worried that there was something wrong with it. So I went and tasted it, and my first reaction was a huge smile - that rich, earthy, barnyard of a wine was delightful!

This past weekend the same neighbor had another bottle from the Languedoc open (I seem to have converted him!), and this one surprised me, for though it had all of the rich, earthy character I love in these wines, it actually managed to be elegant - something I definitely hadn't encountered before. The wine was made by Hegarty-Chamans (http://hegartychamans.com/), who are located in Minervois (my favorite appelation in the region). Although they produce Minervois AC wines, this particular one was a humble Vin de Table, their 'Cuvee No. 3,' a blend of 50% Carignan, 40% Syrah, and 10% Grenache. Why that didn't qualify for the AC I don't know - but it's the wine in the glass that matters!

Hegarty Chamans Cuvee No. 3 Vin de Table 2003
This is made and bottled in Minervois, although it doesn't carry the AC designation. A nice, deep purple color, with a very nice, rich, sweet, and floral (suprise!) nose. On the palate, red fruits upfront, with a touch of minerals providing an almost 'cherry-cola' character, and then sweet nectarine before an earthy finish. Perhaps some herbal notes as well, along with those surprising, floral (dare I say lilac) aromatics. An elegant wine, with 'gentle' aspects to its character - a huge surprise from the Languedoc - and yet still distinctly of its place. 50% Carignan, 40% Syrah, and 10% Grenache. Tasted twice with consistent notes. Excellent (87 - 90) (5/3/08).

Languedoc appelations to look for: Coteaux du Languedoc (more burly, country-style wines), Minervois (more refined), Costieres de Nimes (sometimes considered part of the Rhone, and it depends on the producer which style they go for)

Kinarty Winery

2008-04-26T12:18:00.009+03:00

The Sea Of Galilee is a beautiful and historically important place. On this lake's shore, almost one hundred years ago, Jewish pioneers built their first cooperative farming village "Kvutzat Kinneret". This is the cradle of the Kibbutz. The most successful form of a socialist farming community. It was nice to sample a bottle of wine from the newly founded Kinarty Winery from Kvutzat Kinneret. The 100 years old vision of Israeli agriculture is taking a new and interesting direction in the form of growing high end grapes and producing excellent wine.

Kinarty Winery, Cabernet Sauvignon 2005
Nice red/purple color, both body and color are medium. Plums, blueberries, chocolate merge nicely into this round and friendly wine. The wine is a bit too sweet, lacking acidity. Nice, medium finish. Very Good (86)

Chateau Hallet Sauternes 2005

2008-04-09T16:35:00.004+03:00

I've had a number of absolutely delightful dry whites from the 2005 Bordeaux vintage, and have very much enjoyed the remarkable combination of freshness and depth they have. In February I got my first chance to try a 2005 Sauternes, and in this wine at least, I dare say you see at least some of that same delightful character - I'll definitely be looking foward to tasting other Sauternes of the vintage. And at $15 per half bottle, this one is a great value.

Chateau Hallet Sauternes 2005
My first taste of a Sauternes from this heralded vintage. Apricot, tropical fruits, then loads of candied fruit and honey. Medium bodied, with nice balance. Definitely reminds one of the delightful freshness and depth that the dry whites of the vintage have. Should drink very nicely for the next 5 years or so. (2/16/08) Excellent/Exceptional (89 - 91).

Spain & Portugal Tasting

2008-03-05T17:25:00.010+02:00

I've been quite ignorant when it came to Spain & Portugal, with Rijoa (Spain) and Port (Portugal) as the only exceptions. However, this tasting has shown that there is a lot more than these regions. The tasting was held last month in a local branch of the wine store chain wineroute. The tasting was from various regions and price ranges, but has clearly shown that at almost all price ranges there are excellent to classical wine. This tasting has clearly shown that one needs to pay a lot more attension to these wine growing countries.

Marques de Riscal, Rueda 2005
Maybe two years ago this was a nice wine. Over the top with yellowish color and some musty aroma. The good stuff was grapefruit and flower scents. 70
Ramos Pinto, Duas Quintas 2005
Very dark color, medium to light bodied wine. Pomagrants, red berries and light tannins. very balanced and fruity wine with a nice finish. 87
Ramos Pinto, Duas Quintas Reserva 2003
very dark color, medium bodied. Blackberries, plums, red cherries with delicate tannins and balanced acidity. This is a complex and interesting wine which one can either love or hate. I loved it. The finish was pretty good but not really tasty. 89
Bodegas Alejandro Fernandez, Pesquera Crianza 2003
Full bodied and dark color. Plums, blackberries, light spicy and olives as well as light smokey aroma. A long and very pleasent finish. 90
Artadi, Vinas de Gain 2005
Strawberries, rassberries, violets, flower scents, a bit vanilla and light green spices. Balanced with a good, medium length, finish. 89
Roda I 2001
Rich and complex wine. Leather, plums, blackberries, rich and a bit hot spices, cinamon and a clear nutty aroma. Excellent finish. 92
El Seque 2005
Blueberries, red berries, blackberries are accompanied by light and balanced acidity. Not a very deep and serious drink, but still offers a nice drink. 86
Santa Cruz de Artazu 2003
Cherries, red berries, pepper and spices. Coffee and a bit leather appeared later on. A good amount of tannins and an excellent finish. Excellent. 92
Mas Martinet, Martinet Bru 2005
Round and smooth wine. Black pepper, blackberries, black olives, coffee and an excellent spiciness. Very well balanced with good acidity and medium finish. 90
Clos Mogador 2003
Round, flavorable and excellent wine. The best wine in this tasting and one of the best wines I've had lately. Blueberries, blackberries, violets and black cherries. A second layer of nut, cassis and cola all compose this deep and concentrated wine. Excellent finish - dry plums. Wow. 96

Nipozzano Chianti Rufina Riserva 2002

2008-02-29T23:11:00.002+02:00

Nipozzano is one of our long standing favorite wines. One of those wines that has never let us down: I can't remember a single bottle of this wines during the last 8 vintages that was not at least good and enjoyable. It's reasonably priced (16-17 Euros) and widely available. Although 2002 was not a great vintage, Frescobaldi's team was successful in creating this excellent wine.

Nipozzano Chianti Rufina Riserva 2002
Medium dark and deep color. This opened with red fruit but quickly changed to blackberries, black cherries and tobacco. It's full bodied and has enough tannins to carry the wine for another 3-4 years. Very balanced, with good acidity and excellent finish. 91

Who says Louis M Martini isn't what it used to be?

2008-02-28T15:50:00.004+02:00

The Louis M Martini winery was founded in 1933, although its roots go back to 1899. Martini is considered to be one of the patriarchs of California winemaking, and the legacy of Martini has always commanded respect. This winery makes my favorite California Cabernet - very much in the old world claret style, with some influence from their Italian immigrant heritage, but not lacking in Californian richness. The hallmark and legacy of these wines is that although they are very drinkable on release, they have such superb balance that Martini's basic Cabernets from the 1970's still drink well today; I also recently saw reports that their best Pinot Noirs from the 1960's are still in nice shape as well. And yet, for reasons I don't understand, there is a general feeling that Martini's wines are not what they used to be. There is no doubt that when Gallo purchased Martini in 2002 (although the Martini family still runs the winery and makes the wines), the financial investment was much needed, and has helped to restore their image. But even so, they have always had big fans amoung consumers and critics. To paraphrase one professional reviewer, 'Martini's wines always taste more expensive than they are.' And that is one of things I love about them - they offer tremendous class and elegance for the price. Maybe class and elegance are considered outdated by the fruit bomb generation, but it is worth noting that Robert Parker's Wine Advocate is one of the fans.

The first Martini Cabernet I tasted was the 1981 La Loma Vineyard Selection Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, tasted in 2004. At 23 years, it was a classic example of Martini's hallmark grace and balance, and not without the vitallity to age a few more years. Some people have suggested that this wine was made at the very end of Martini's glory days. And yet, when I first tasted their 2001 Sonoma Cabernet Sauvignon later in 2004, I daresay I found all of the hallmark grace, balance, and potential longevity still very much alive. Even the 2002 Sonoma Cabernet, which was less succesful in overall quality still had the class of a more expensive wine, and very nearly the same aging potential as the truly excellent 2001.

I happened to have the opportunity to try a glass of the 2004 Napa Valley Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon at a restaurant a few weeks ago, and having tasted that, could not resist trying a bottle of the 2003 Napa Valley Reserve Cabernet the next week. As far as I'm concerned, these two wines should prove once and for all that the Martini legacy is alive and well!

Louis M Martini Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley Reserve 2004
Backwards and only suggesting the dark cherry and cassis that will emerge with time, with a touch of slightly savory herbs toward the finish, and an almost leathery earthiness. The herbs even suggest a bit of Italian influence, but still it proudly asserts its Napa provenance. Backwards and very old world in style, but even at this stage showing the promise of tremendous elegance to come. In short. a classic Martini Cabernet. This should age well for 15 more years, and very possibly longer (might be interesting to see what it's like in 20 years), but needs 5 or maybe even 10 years to resolve all its elements - but then it will sing! Excellent (87 - 90), but will be Exceptional (90 - 93) with time.

Louis M Martini Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley Reserve 2003
Nice, rich nose of tobacco and cassis. Glides onto the palate with dark, firm raspberry, perhaps with a touch of blackberry, then goes to cassis, then a finish of tobacco with minty and slighty savory herbs and minerals. Deceptively rich but not overstated, with seemless balance, and exceptional elegance. Every sip of this wine is completely satisfying - this is one to savor. Once again a classic, old world Martini Cabernet, perhaps calling to mind a good Graves. Much farther along than the 2004, despite only a one year difference. This is just barely approachable, and would benefit from another 5 years, and will easily last 5 years, perhaps more, after that. Excellent (87 - 90)

Between the two, the 2003 is much more enjoyable now, but the 2004 has much greater potential. I have a mind to get four bottles of the 2004 and open one every five years. Also, snap up any remaining bottles of the 2001 Sonoma Cab if you can! As suggested above Martini wines are very good values - the Sonoma Cab runs about $12, and the Napa Reserve about $20. Their flagship wine is their Monte Rosso Cabernet (they were the first winery to buy land in Monte Rosso), which goes for about $50. Wine Spectator (who had given very poor reviews to some previous Martini wines) gave the 2003 a nice review. They also just released a single lot Napa Cab that goes for $80. Too pricey for me, but Parker liked it quite a bit.

Bordeaux Cru Bourgeois 2005 - Disappointment

2008-02-22T08:44:00.010+02:00

Having read all the rave reviews on the quality of Bordeaux 2005 vintage (most recently rated as 99 by the wine spectator) I had high expectations for this tasting. Cru Bourgeois wines in such vintages should be a good source of some excellent wines. The tasting was held at wine route Tel Aviv store with 16 wines tasted non blind, of which 12 were from the 2005 vintage. The tasting guest was Eric Holsteins, Chateau Cissac owner.
From the 12 wines, only three were wines I would consider buying. I expected these wines to be tannic and somewhat closed. However, most of them didn't show anything interesting in flavor while showing a very nice and ripe nose.
Only one of the tasted wines is rated above 89. With prices ranging between 129 NIS(24 Euro) to 399 NIS(75 Euros) purchasing simply doesn't make sense. At these prices one can get an excellent Barolo, CdP (look at these notes for example) or Super Tuscan wine, not to mention numerous examples of new world wines or Israeli wines. Even when one looks at the prices for Bordeaux 2005 in Europe (about 30-40% cheaper than in Israel) or the US it doesn't make sense to buy these wines. My recommendation - pass.

Chateau Arnauld - Haut Medoc 2005
Light to medium color, raspberries, some spices. Pretty round and not too tannic, even a bit sweet. The finish is not very pronounced. 85
Chateau Citran - Haut medoc 2005
Pretty dark color, blackberries, plums, cherries and smoky aromas, lacking significant mid palate, but pretty good finish. 86
Chateau Charmail - Haut Medoc 2005
Medium dark color, blueberries, very tannic and closed, lacking mid palate and an almost bitter finish. 78
Chateau d'Escurac - Medoc 2005
Blackberries, red fruit with some slight olive in the background. Pretty nice in the mouth. Full bodied and very tannic with a long and nice finish. 88
Chateau Maucaillou - Moulis en Medoc 2005
Raspberries, chocolate, nice mouth feel with a medium finish. Not very interesting. 81
Chateau Cissac - Haut Medoc 2005
Medium to dark color. Blackberries, ripe fruit with a nice smokey background. Round and nicely balanced for its "age", still enough tannins to carry it in the cellar. Medium bodied. Very nice wine. 89
Chateau Potensac - Medoc 2005
very nice and deep color. Blueberries, blackberries coffee and cocoa with a good body that ends long with some nice sweetness. The best wine of this tasting. 91
Chateau d'Agassac - Haut Medoc 2005
very closed, with some truffels (?) very mineralic and some greenness. Strange for this vintage. Medium bodied and nice finish. 79
Chateau Senejac - Haut Medoc 2005
Almost no aromas - very closed. Red berries flavors, with a good finish. Nice body, pretty balanced. 83
Chateau Chasse Spleen - Moulis en Medoc 2005
Very closed, only a bit black fruit and extremely tannic. Nice dark color. 79
Chateau Siran - Margaux 2005
Nice dark color, full bodied. Earth, minerals, blackberries. Lacks mid palate. mediocre finish. 80
Chateau Labegorce Zede - Margaux 2005
Nice aromas of raspberries, spices. Again, almost no mid palate and mediocre finish. 79

In addition, a couple of pretty nice 2004 & 2003 were served.

Chateau Sociando Mallet - Haut Medoc 2004
Dark color, full bodied, very tannic now, but has the right fruit and structure to develop nicely: plums, blackberries, earth and a nice green component. Long and tasty finish. 89
Chateau Phelan Segur - St. Estephe 2004
Wild and fruity, a bit green but with excellent finish. A wine to store for a while. 86
Chateau Poujeaux - Moulies en Medoc 2004
Medium color, Spicey and green with light to medium body, a very nice finish. 81
Chateau de Pez St. Estephe 2003
Medium color. Earth, minerals, spices and red fruit. Medium bodied. The tannins allow to enjoy the wine. Good finish. 88

Tulip Winery

2008-01-26T10:04:00.003+02:00

Tulip winery is both a very good winery and an important human effort. The winery is located in "Kefar Tikva" - which means village of hope - a community of disabled people which provides its member the infrastructure to run their life as close as possible to non disabled people. Tulip winery provides employment possibilities for Kefar Tikva members and a focal point where visitors and members of the village meet. Interactions with people from outside of the village are very important for disabled people - said my wife the psychologist.

Their wines have received very good reviews from the Wine Advocate for the Israeli Syrah based wines. I've been too late in trying to get a hold of these wines. High (88 & 90) scores have ensured that within 3 weeks from getting the scores the winery will be out of stock. Great for them.
The Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Australian Shiraz were available and proved to be good to excellent wines. In addition to the red wines, we have tasted a, unreleased yet, new white wine, Grapa and Arak (the later is not available commercially).
The picture on the right shows the winery's founder along with the four of wines we've tasted. This is a family owned and run business, who seems to work very well.
As Yitzhak told us: "I was looking for something to do after retierment. Combining Family, wine and contribution to the community looked like the best combination". I believe many people would agree with him.

The wines:

Just Merlot 2006
Light to medium red color. Nice red fruit and some lead pencil, light bodied. A bit too alcoholic and unbalanced. Nice finish. 83

Just Cabernet Sauvignon 2006
Pretty deep red color. Blackberries, blueberries with medium body and nice medium finish. The wine lacked acidity and felt a bit too sweet. 86

Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 2005
Deep red color. Excellent nose: Blackberries, blueberries with a green component. Elegant and pleasing but with a bit too much greenness. Good sweet finish. 89

Shiraz Australian 2004
This is a very elegant and balanced wine. The deep red color gives you a first hint into this wine, then the nose has an excellent combination of cassis, Chocolate as well as herbs and blossom. good finish and medium-full bodied. This wine was produced from Australian grapes by Doron Yitzhaki - who studied wine making in Australia. 91

Gewurztraminer and Sauvignon Blanc blend 2007
This is the first vintage of this wine and if the bottling process will maintain the current quality, it should be on of the 2008 summer hits. A wonderful combination of the typical aromas of the two grapes: Tropical fruits and apricot are followed by grassy and lime notes. The mouthfeel is a combination of light sweetness and good acidity. 88-90

Vienna Restaurants

2008-01-24T11:53:00.002+02:00

Vienna offers excellent food. Eat Wiener schnitzel almost anywhere and you will be surprised of how good this simple yet satisfying dish can be. How many zoos offer excellent schnitzel in their restaurants?
The same applies to pastry, supermarket bread is superior to what you can get in gourmet bakeries in almost anywhere besides France. Someone said Strudel?

But Vienna offers much more that that, it's a place where traditional dishes are transformed by the young generation of local chefs to modern and interesting dishes. Not too internationalized, these restaurants are redefining Viennese and Austrian food. As wine is part of the Austrian culture, wine lists are comprehensive and wine service is excellent. Following is the list of our favorite restaurants:

Kutschker44: The best restaurant in town - QPR wise. This place is run by a young Austrian couple, and combines traditional Austrian cuisine with modern creative cooking and uses local fresh ingredients. Don't miss the "Zwei Mal Schokolade" desert. The wine menu is very good, and fairly priced. We go there very frequently, and every dish that we had there was at least very good. Service is superb (which is not typical of Vienna...)

http://www.kutschker44.at 01-4702047

Hansen: A charming restaurant, inside the prettiest flower shop I have ever seen. The food is Italian with touches from France and Japan. The menu changes every week, just to find new exciting dishes. To the Israeli forum members, this restaurant reminds me of Lilith restaurant in Tel Aviv in its best days. Wine menu has both Austrian and International wines, with a good selection of wines by the glass.

The same company runs another restaurant: Vestibul, next to the Burg Theater. This is another Excellent place.

Both restaurants are under: http://www.vestibuel.at/

Steirereck is one of the most expansive and excellent places in Vienna. Its located in the Stadtpark - a green park in the center of Vienna. The food is distinctively creative Austrian, but the presentation is very modern with French influences. I have never eaten here anything less then excellent. The service is great, but expect a very formal restaurant: most men around you to wear suites - although no one will even say a word if you will come with jeans. The wine list is very rich on the Austrian side, with old vintages of Hirtzberger, FX Pichler, Knoll and others. Along with Meinl Am Graben, its one of the two best restaurants in Vienna.

http://steirereck.at/wien/restaurant/

Meierei: On the first floor of the same building, you will find Meierei, which hints the whole building was once a Dairy (Meierei = Dairy in German). This is a superb cheese place, with a huge selection of Austrian & French cheese and light dishes that come out of the same kitchen of the restaurant above. Wonderful place for breakfast/brunch. They offer many wines by the glass. One of my favorites is a Kracher Cheese and wine combination - heavenly!
http://steirereck.at/wien/meierei/

Meinl Am Graben: is located in the same space of the gourmet store with the same name. It has a wonderful view on the graben street. The food here is a bit less creative than Steirereck, but is as good (creativity is not everything...). Old world kitchen (Austrian/French) with modern touches. The dishes are usually more towards nouvelle cuisine - light, delicate and interesting. The wine list is very good, but falls when going to old vintages - they don't have enough of those. This is a place to see and be seen: Chancellor Gussenbauer was spotted here twice. This is one of the two leading restaurants in Vienna. It provides a world class culinary experience.
http://www.meinlamgraben.at/meinl.aspx?target=106763

Restaurant Coburg at Palais Coburg: The Palais Coburgis a luxury hotel in the recently renovated palace. This used to be the best restaurant in Vienna but showed a slight decline lately. Still its an excellent place, serving unique, creative dishes. Its a showcase of how far and modern one can take the Austrian Cuisine, while the result is still clearly unique to Austria. The wine list is stunning, presenting both an impressive international and local wines at a wide range.

01 518 18 - 800
http://www.palais-coburg.com/h....html

Chateau Souverain Merlot 99

2008-01-19T18:44:00.000+02:00

This is a good example of a wine that was bought for less then 20$, was excellent a couple of years after release and reached its peak almost 9 years later.

Chateau Souverain Merlot Alexander Vally 1999
This wine is extremely elegant and harmonic, a feminine wine with class.
Medium deep garnet color. Ripe plum and blackberries along with violet and jasmine perfumes. Coffee, leather and a slight smoked aroma which is balanced well into the wine. The mouth feel is very smooth and round. Excellent long finish. 92

I haven't tasted any current releases of this wine. Some reviews claim they have not repeated this success in current vintages.

Two Excellent 1999 Italian Wines

2008-01-16T13:09:00.000+02:00

If I had to limit my wine consumption to a single country, the choice would be easy: Italy. It has many different and diverse wine producing areas, centuries of wine producing tradition and no fear from modernizing itself where needed. Some people believe that Italian wine means Tuscany and Piedmont. During the last couple of years, we've traveled quite frequently to Italy (5 hours drive from Vienna) and sampled the less known regions such as Valpolicella, Alto Adige and Friuli. This was a lesson about Italy's power in wine: there are plenty of excellent wines coming from those less known areas and mostly at reasonable prices. Still, the best bet for a food friendly wine which will age for 20-30 years is BBB: Brunello, Barbaresco & Barolo. We are lucky to have sampled two such treasures recently. Both bottles were opened a bit too young as these wines will gain from more time in the bottle.

Fuligni Brunello di Montalcino 1999
Deep red, slight garnet color. An array of aromas greets you: Black cherries, licorice, tobacco and black pepper. Round but very well structured, this wine still has enough tannins for aging. It has a wonderful typical light a acidity that makes this wine perfectly balanced. Lovely finish. 95
We had this wine in the Catit restaurant in Tel Aviv - excellent food, very good service, excellent and dependable sommelier in a wonderfully restored old building in Tel Aviv.

Barolo Pio Cesare 1999
Blackberries, cherries with smoked aromas and mushrooms. Great structure and full bodied, this wine has a long life in front of him. I'll not open the next bottle for at least 5-6 years. It is very balanced and provides an excellent drinking experience today, but more bottle maturation will get even more complexity here. 93

As the picture shows, the cork was soaked. Some initial fear went easily away after one sip of the wine, which was in excellent condition.

New Year's Eve. Dinner

2008-01-02T17:28:00.000+02:00

New Year's eve. for us has its own tradition: a feast, where every participant tries to bring his best dish. This usually means a tough choice at matching the wines, as the participants are very creative. This year, the theme was Nigella Lawson's recipes for parties. Being Israelis, most of the participants adhered to one part of the theme: recipes. Desperately trying to follow the unorganized menu, I went for an eclectic mix of Israeli, Australian & French wines, with mixed results. Some were excellent and a great companion to food, some were good and didn't work too well with food and some were just bad. The best wines of the evening were the Champagne Drappier Carte d'Or NV and Margalit C.S. 2002.

The evening started with Vitkin Riesling 2006, no notes for this wine - very good wine which went very well with the spicy Ceviche starters.

D'arenberg Laughing Magpie 2004
This is a well structured wine, with Blackberries, Licorice, smoky and spicy (pepper) flavors. It has a very clear vinous aroma, but overall it has a good balance due to good acidity and overall great fruit. The finish is medium, but very tasty. 89

Margalit Cabernet Franc 2002
Nice red to garnet color, Full bodied and excellent structured. However, it has a very mute nose showing almost no flavors. The mouth showed some nice green spicy components and the wine was pleasant even with its aromatic flaw. Medium finish. Big disappointment. 77

Margalit Cabernet Sauvignon 2002
Excellent red/garnet color, full bodied and very well structured. Excellent aromas: Blueberries, raspberries and very perfumy. This is an elegant, round and very balanced wine which has at leas another 3-4 years to age. The finish was of medium length, but great taste. 92
Food pairing: Surprisingly, the C.S. worked very well with a medium spicy chili con carne with Polenta.

Sea Horse, Lennon Tete de Cuvee 2005
This seems to have been a corked bottle: wet cardboard was the most significant aroma. The mouth was reasonable with good acidity. 65

Drappier Carte d'Or NV
Light straw color. Excellent tropical fruit aromas: pineapple, mango balanced but nutty and lime
aromas. Very well balanced, round and harmonic. An excellent way to open 2008! 90

Domenico Clerico Barbera

2008-01-02T17:18:00.000+02:00

Domenico Clerico is undoubtedly one of the leading winemakers in Piedmont. His Per Cristina and Pajana Barolos are consistently among the best. This time, the focus is on a more affordable wine:

Domenico Clerico, Barbera d'Alba Trevigne 2004
Blackberries, green peppers, good acidity and very alcoholic. Strawberries in the mouth feel add to this focused and food friendly wine.Very nice finish and reasonable amount of tannins that will allow this wine to age another 3-4 years. 90

Kracher Berenauslese 2006

2007-12-12T21:39:00.000+02:00

We had this wine on December 1st, just a few days before the very early and sad end of Elois Kracher's life. We have always enjoyed his wonderful wines. It's a loss to the wine world and a great loss to Austria's wine scene. We all hope that his son will step us to his father's giant shoes.

Kracher Berenauslese 2006
Light straw color, Passion fruit, lime and honey. This medium bodied wine is amazingly round and harmonic for this young age. Excellent finish. 91

Recanati Winery Tasting

2007-12-06T13:56:00.001+02:00

Recanati winery was founded in 2000 and since then has consistently released some of the best QPRs and the most interesting wines made in Isreal. This tasting had a clear sign: Lewis Pasco (the winemaker) is making a clear shift in the upper series towards more complex and Mediterranean wines. Emphasizing the uniqueness of local wines and complementing the local food is a direction that will create brand for Israeli wines. So, instead of trying to produce yet another California-like wine, Lewis makes local, interesting and unique wines. I got the opportunity to taste a couple of 06 & 07 samples - this was extermly interesting. To the wines:

Sauvignon Blanc 2006
Pineapple, grass, tropical fruit all very nicely integrated with the right amount of acidity. Very good wine. 88
Sauvignon Blanc 2007
This is a baby, but so good that you hope it will not loose anything along the process. Guava, passion fruit, grassy aromas. Bites you a bit at the finish, but overall a wonderful wine. 90-92

Chardonnay 2007
Light straw color, Apple, pear, Medium bodied with a nice finish. 87-88
Chardonnay Reserve 2007
Round and already harmonious wine, just enough oak too show the fruit: pears, apples. Has an excellent potential. 88-90
Chardonnay Reserve 2006
Very elegant wine, with apple, butter, lingers in your mouth. Has a good structure and an excellent finish. 90

Shiraz 2005
Earth, blackberries, cassis, led pencil. Light to Medium bodied with integrated tannins. Providing a very harmonic drinking experience. A wine that goes very well with food. This is a very good QPR. 89

A small vertical of Special Reserves:
Special Reserve 04
Very round and fruity wine which is really ready to drink now. Medium bodied, red fruit and an impressive long finish. 92 (Drink while listening to Diana Krall)
Special Reserve 05
Blueberries, green herbs, elegant but powerful. Very Cabernet Sauvignon in nature. Looong finish and an excellent potential. 92-94 (Drink while listening to Chick Corea)
Special Reserve 06
Almost opaque black color, full bodied with ample amount of tannins. Red fruits, green pepper and blackberries. Has a potential to be the best RSR to date. 93-95 (This goes well with Miles Davis!)
Special Reserve 07
This wine is so young that it needs a more experienced taster... Very tanninc, pencil led, red & black fruit and a green component. Excellent potential, but not scoreable right now.

Petit Syrah - Zin 2005
Olives, herbs, blackberries and earthy notes. Very balanced and with a good finish. 90
Petit Syrah - Zin 2006
Very similar to the 05, but has a more extrovert nature - the young thug in the neighborhood. 90
Petit Syrah - Zin 2007
Red fruits, very perfumy and with some earthy notes. This has the potential to be much better than his older "brothers" 90-92

Bordeaux 2004 Tasting

2007-12-05T19:44:00.000+02:00

Sampling nine Bordeaux 2004 red wines and one Sauternes 2003 does not provide a complete picture of 2004 vintage quality. Trying to generalize from what I've tasted, there are some excellent wines from this vintage, the wines are very closed and (probably due to low ripeness) will need time in the cellar to come around. The wines were all tasted blind.

Domaine de Chevalier, Pessac Leognan
Deep color, earth, blueberries and green pepper. Very tannic wine with slight bitterness on the finish. Medium to light bodied, not very well integrated, this is not an extremely good wine. 87

Lascombes, Margaux
Ripe fruit - blackberries and red cherries, cinnamon and muscat and slight must that went away with some air time. Very well structured and tannic. Interesting finish which revealed extra layers. This will get better with time. 90

Lafleur Gazin, Pomerol
Mute on the nose, which some strange (almost rotten) fruit and a bit chocolate. Full bodied but nothing more than a simple wine. 83

Latour A Pomerol
Medium red/brownish color, raspberries, smoke and pretty harmonic wine. However it feels a bit diluted and there is a musty finish. At the end, its another simple wine. 85

Troplong Mondot, St. Emillion
Very deep color, cherries, blackberries, green herbs. Has a feeling of unripe fruit, some smoky element. Very tannic with a long good finish. Well structured. Good aging potential. 89

Leoville Poyferre, St. Julien
Deep color, almost non penetratable. Blueberries, chocolate, blackberries and a bit muscat and green herbs. Very well structured and harmonic. This wine sings! 93

Calon Segur, St. Estephe
Very closed, a bit rotten fruit (probably an off/corked bottle).After some time in the glass it gets better with raspberries and green herbs. Disappointment after revealing the wine. 87

Lynch Bages, Pauillac
Deep dark red color. Blackberries, kirsch liqueur, coffee and chocolate. Harmonic, very elegant and well structured. Medium to full bodied, but a slight disappointing finish. 90

Pichon-Longueville Baron, Pauillac
Very dark red color, Black fruit, green herbs, already some leather and a very complex and elegant wine. very good finish. 92

Rieussec 2003
Honey, melon, oranges and some honeysuckle. harmonic and wonderful overall feeling in the moth. Very Enjoyable now, but will definitely hold for many years. 95

In Haim's blog you will find reviews of some of the wines tasted here plus additional wines.

Sde Boker Winery

2007-11-13T00:38:00.000+02:00

The Sde Boker Winery is located in Kibbutz Sde Boker, in the southern part of Israel: the Negev Desert. The specific sub climat here is interesting: elevation of 490 meters provides for very cool nights. Irrigation is mandatory. The winery was founded by Zvi Remak, an ex-Californian. Working in the old common Kibbutz showers, its a real start-up winery. The wines are very good to excellent, so the potential is clear. Hopefully, someone will make a bigger investment in this unique winery.

Cabernet Sauvignon 2004
Blackberries, crushed ripe black cherries along with a nice green component with some Mediterranean spices. Integrated tannins and nice finish. 89

Carignan 2005
Food loving wine. Went wonderful with a juicy hamburger. Raspberries, a bit plums, slight peppery spiciness along with some vanilla. The jammy mouth feel provides vividness to the wine. Still tannic but drinkable already now. Medium finish. 87

A small glance at Bordeaux 2003

2007-10-19T14:34:00.002+02:00

The second of three vintages that the Bordelais promptly declared the "Vintage of the Century," nobody questions that 2003 was an exceptional year, if perhaps one destined to generate controversy (as shown by Robert Parker and Jancis Robinson's dispute over Pavie). But how does this hot vintage stack up? In September I arranged a wine tasting for some friends, and it just so happened that 2003 Bordeaux worked well for the event. All three major styles of Bordeaux were represented, as well as a good spectrum of composition in the reds. So what do I think? Based on this small sample, the character of the vintage is remarkably evident. But, first the notes, then my reflections.

Chateau Graville-Lacoste, Graves Blanc 2003
Pale but clean straw in color. Nice nose. The wine has a pretty typical but quite nice Bordeaux Blanc personality of lime, honey, hints of melon, and perhaps a bit of pear, with herbal notes. Not much acidity, but very fresh, and quite pleasent. Very Good (85 - 87)
70% Semillon, 20% Sauvignon Blanc, 10% Muscadelle.

Chateau Etoiles de Mondorion, St.-Emilion 2003
Cherry and cassis. Not a great deal of fruit in this one, but has nice tannins and structure, while still managing to be somewhat mellow and easy drinking. Somewhat light. Enjoyable, but could be more concentrated. Very Good (85 - 87)
Second wine of Chateau Mondorion, St.-Emilion Grand Cru. 90% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc.

Chateau Callac, Cuvee Prestige, Graves Rouge 2003
Cherry, cassis, some black raspberry, perhaps a touch of plum, and nice tannins. Good balance, with very nice fruit and structure. Very Good (85 - 87)
60% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Cabernet Franc.

Chateau La Tour de Mons, Margaux (Cru Bourgeois Superieur) 2003
Good color. Lovely but structured black cherry and black raspberry. Sweet, aromatic, and a bit spicy. The first Margaux I've tasted, but with the textbook perfumey quality. A very nice wine, with a long, persistent finish. Should probably drink very nicely for another 3 - 5 years. Excellent (87 - 89)
48% Merlot, 38% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Petite Verdot, 6% Cabernet Franc.

Chateau Les Hauts de Pontet-Canet, Pauillac 2003
Good color. Intense black cherry and raspberry, with the classic pencil lead notes toward the finish. Big, structured; quintessential Pauillac. At this stage more impressive than pleasent, but give it another 3 - 5 years or so and it should show elegance. Exceptional (90 - 93)
Second wine of Chateau Pontet-Canet, Medoc Grand Cru Classe. 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot.

Chateau de Myrat, Sauternes (Grand Cru Classe) 2003
Bright golden color. Gorgeous, gorgeous nose of apricot, tropical fruits, honey, and flowers. On the palate, apricots, tropical fruits, nice orange notes, pear, honey, flowers, and a huge, wondeful finish of honey and nutmeg. So much honey and boytritus! So complex, so full, so gorgeously rich! Although I had doubted it could be true, it is in fact better than the sensual 2001. My God, what a wine! Has perhaps another 20 - 25 years ahead of it. Outstanding (95 - 97)
90% Semillon, 10% Sauvignon Blanc.

Now, my reflections.
The warmth of the vintage is quite obvious even in this small sample: the Graville-Lacoste is rich in fruit, but would benefit from the greater acidity that would have developed with cooler nights; the reds all had an attractive warmth to their fruit, especially the La Tour de Mons, although the Les Hauts de Pontet-Canet isn't expressing it as much at this stage - and they are not with good structure; finally, the Myrat is every bit as flamboyantly rich as the vintage has been praised for.
Suprises: the Etoiles de Mondorion isn't as rich as I would have expected from St.-Emilion in a hot vintage; the Myrat has loads of boytritus, contrary to the general description of the vintage as not having much boytritus.
Comparisons: the dry whites are nice but nowhere near the increadibly consistent, vibrant, and rich 2005's; the reds aren't as classical and structured as 2000, although they are more attractive upfront. Based on my limited experience, I would agree with the general critical evaluation that they won't age as long. The Sauternes are almost as good as, although in a completely different style than, the classy, elegant 2001's, and it seems, as more skilled folks than I have suggested, that they will be equally long-lived. Although it should be said that the Lafaurie-Peyraguey 2003 (which I tasted in December) has both the richness of the 2003's and the impressive class of the 2001's - it is ultimate the better, and certainly the more 'impressive' wine, but the Myrat does give it a run for its money in outright flamboyance. On a different note, the La Tour de Mons and Les-Haut de Pontet-Canet are the perfect pair for contrasting and exemplifying the feminine character of Margaux and the masculine character of Pauillac.

Overall, I think Sauternes is better in 2003 than the reds, and will certainly be longer-lived. I like the attractive warmth of the reds, but love the Sauternes much more. I highly recommend the La Tour de Mons and Pontet-Canet, which are both great values, and much more strongly recommend the Myrat and Lafaurie-Peyraguey, which are just damned good wines, and at reasonable prices.

Galil Mountain Chard

2007-10-17T23:30:00.000+02:00

Galil Mountain Chardonnay 2006 - 86
Light straw color. Aromas of green apple, unripe melon & lime along with butter. Smooth mouth feel with butter and minerals. Overall a very balanced wine with just a little oak. It is a fruit driven wine that provides a good easy early autumn drink.

American Wine That Aged Beautifully

2007-10-17T22:40:00.000+02:00

Whitehall Lane Cabernet Sauvignon 1999 - 93
Deep garnet color with Blueberries, Blackberries, Mocha, green peppers all leading to an amazingly long finish. The wine declares very clearly: I'm here! But says that with a lot of style and refinement. The tannins are there, currently very well integrated, but clearly enough to allow this wine to age for a couple more years.

Margalit Winery

2007-10-15T09:57:00.000+02:00

The Margalit winery is my favorite Israeli winery since I started seriously drinking and storing wine - almost 10 years ago.
Unlike many medium to large Israeli wineries it has a very focused portfolio, solely of red wines. They own their vineyards which have been "trained" to rely only on mother nature - no irrigation at all. The small size and full control of the process allows a lot of effort dedicated to smallest details and ensures the highest quality. The results are consistently excellent.

Lately, I've spent a full working day helping with the manual labor at the winery during harvest. Throughly satisfying and interesting experience. This led to open one of their Cabernet Sauvignon bottles:

Margalit Cabernet Sauvignon 2001 - 92
Deep, dark color. Layers of aromas develop as the wine is opened: earth, tar, leather, black berries and rip, dark cherries along with a spicy background, mostly pepper. The tannins are still there but integrate very well with the wine. Long and tasty finish.

Hirsch Riesling Heiligenstein 2003

2007-10-13T10:44:00.000+02:00

Hirsch is an Austrian producer from the Kamptal region. This wine is a single vineyard Riesling from the heiligenstein (Holy stone) hill just above Kammern village, where the winery is located. This winery is one of my favorite Austrian producers due to its non interventionistic approach. The wines usually display very good balance between fruit, acidity & light mineralic backbone. They go very well with food.

Hirsch Riesling Heiligenstein 2003 - 92
Light golden colored, this wine has a very broad set of aromas: starting with peaches, tropical fruit and delicate lime this goes on to show flower blossom, minerals. This is balanced by the right amount of acidity and crispiness. Very nice finish.

Heidi Schrock - winery visit

2007-06-28T21:21:00.000+03:00

Heidi Schrock produces some of the best Austrian sweet wines, which means she produces world class, excellent sweet wines. In addition she produces very good and interesting dry and sparkling wines. Her winery shop is located in the central square of Rust - a charming city. We were hosted by Lisa - her new assistant which was very knowledgeable and helpful. Lucky Heidi, by the time we got to the winery they were almost out of Ausbruch wines! As we have tasted those wines last year at VieVinum it was actually great to focus in the sparkling, white and Beerenauslese (sweet) wines.

Vogelsang 2006
This is usually a blend of Welschriesling, Pinot Blanc, Muskateller, and Sauvignon Blanc which produces semi-sweet wine. It has lime, grass, honeysuckle and tropical fruit. It feels very refreshing and will be excellent with food in a summer day. Very nice finish. 87

Beerenauslese 2006
Light golden color, very young with honey and apricot accompanied by good acidity. Very balanced and not too sweet. Medium finish. 89

Rosec 2000
This wine is not produced on a regular basis, but is worthwhile to search for. Nice consistent bubbles. Strawberries, nuts and other red berries compose a very lively wine. Long and gratifying finish. It's at the same quality level as a good Champagne but for less then half the price... 90

Dinner at Kutschker 44 - Vienna, Austria

2007-06-24T00:59:00.000+03:00

Kutschker 44 is our favorite restaurant in Vienna, Austria. The couple that runs the show is an excellent example of the young Viennese generation. They were raised on Viennese tradition and respect it but use it in a creative way to make something exciting and new. Viennese dishes are the core of some of the dishes in this cool restaurant but they are taken to new directions. One of the best example is the goulash, which is done with the best ingredients and is the best you can get in Vienna - presented with an edible decoration. Other dishes include: marinated raw octopus - an Italian influence, fillet steak with BBQ sauce (yes, in Vienna!) and the slightly spicy corn raised hen. Every dish is presented in very unique way. The service is impeccable and the wine list is very fairly priced.
Overall, this is one of Austria's great chefs in the making. Run and eat there before he becomes a mega star.

Werner Achs, XUR 2004 - Burgenland
Layers of blackberries, cherries, plums along with tobacco and smoky note compose a very complex wine. It's color is medium dark purple. Smooth and harmonious wine with smooth tannins. Still ageable, but drinks very nicely now. Medium finish. 91

Wieninger Beerenauslese Nussdorf 2005 - Vienna
One of the many nice things in Vienna is being able to drink wines produced in the city. This sweet wine is very syrupy with honey, tropical fruit with nice acidity and a long finish. 89

Romano Dal Forno

2007-06-01T00:01:00.000+03:00

Romano Dal Forno is a charming person who produces amazing wines. His views of the wine world are conveyed without too much political correctness. A couple of nice ones were:
- Even women in California are made of plastic
- Wine is not a medicine, it should taste good and not be precise like a medicine
The winery is impressive and although it has been there for only 16 years it feels like a very respectable establishment. The winery tour and tasting were done with a lot of patience and dedication. We got to taste unbottled samples from 2004 vintage. For each wine, there are 1-2 barrels for tasting, each of those is filed with nitrogen to preserve the wine. It's a good oportunity to taste a wine in the making process.
The wines were excellent. With their pricing, they better be! 180 Euros for the Amarone and 60 for the Valpolicella...
Dal Forno Amarone 2004
Thick red color, almost non pentratable. Very very concentrated and tannic currently. Although it's in a dumb pahse one still feels the amazing aromas of plum, violets and jam along with some oak. The finish just doesn't fade - and you will not regret it. 96-100
Dal Forno Valpolicella 2004
Less pronounced than his "big Amarone brother" this wine is still a thick big wine. It has plums, jam, cedar and violet. It's nose is sweet and the tannins are pronounced but sweet. Very impressive wine. 92-94

Bordeaux 2003

2007-05-31T23:03:00.000+03:00

This blind tasting was done as homework for the Bordeaux course by Wine Spectator School. The idea is to see the differences between generic Bordeaux, Cru Bourgeois and a classified growth from the same vintage. The differences between the levels were easily noticeable. Besides that, my take was to continue and avoid buying generic Bordeaux wines, as there are much better wines
to buy for 8 Euro.

Selection J. P. Moueix Bordeaux, 2003
Pale ruby red, very thin nose with some cherries and slight mocha. Way too simple. 70

Rollan de By Medoc 2003
Medium purple, blackberries, cassis, earth and chocolate along with a medium body and good amounts of tannins it is a balanced and good wine. Medium finish. 86

Malescot St. Exupery Margaux, 2003
Dark purple. A deep wine with layers of raspberries, current , blackberries and black cherry. This is complemented by bell peppers, tobacco, chocolate and some oak. Full bodied, balanced wine with a long finish and tannins that clearly announces: "5-6 years before the next bottle".
This is the wine we drank after unveiling the bottles. 93

Ristorante Vecchia Fontana

2007-05-30T15:34:00.000+03:00

Vecchia Fontana was our best dinning experience around Verona. It is located in a small village, about 20 minutes drive from Verona and serves local dishes with slight "International" touches. With the exception of one dish - scallops in Veronese sauce - everything was very good to excellent. The wine menu has a wide Italian selection, all wines are priced very reasonably.

Inama Vignete Di Foscarino Soave Classico 2004
Nice slightly smoked aroma is accompanied by summer fruits, mainly peaches, along with lemon & mango. Pleasantly acidic it's a refreshing but not simple wine. The finish is excellent. 89

Gaja Barbaresco 1997
A classical wine from a great year. Deep ruby red color, showing a very rich set of aromas and favors, where every glass reveals some new ones: earth, tobacco, leather, truffles, cherries, ripe plums and slight eucalyptus. Very balanced with smooth tannins. Long and satisfying finish. 95

Ristorante Vecchia Fontana Via Mezzavilla, 29/A - 37030 Marcellise (Verona) 045 8740444 email: vecchiafontana@livero.it

Primitivo A Mano

2007-05-19T00:35:00.000+03:00

This simple red is a long time favorite. With the exception of the 2003 vintage all vintages that I've tried were excellent table wines. Not meant for long term storage, but very enjoyable 1-2 years from release. The 2005 vintage is one of the best releases.

Primitivo A Mano, Puglia, 2005
Deep velvet color, Cherries, Blackberries slightly smoky and black pepper. Very nice and pleasant, medium bodied with mostly smooth tannins. nice finish. Perfect fit for a great pizza. Not very complex but very enjoyable. 88

Gaja winery

2007-05-15T23:31:00.000+03:00

On the gate of the Gaja winery it is clearly written: we don't sell wines, don't accept walk-ins and will only accept wine professionals for scheduled visits. The process of scheduling a visit involves filling an online questionnaire that ensures you are not there just for a free sip. From the moment you are in, the hospitality is very friendly and professional. We spent more than an hour with Sonia Franco, learning about the winery's history and wine making process and finally tasting the wines. The hospitality was impeccable.
The winery is very impressive. The wine barrels are stored in the combination of an old cellar - the original Gaja house with additions that were made along the years. This is connected by a tunnel that goes under the main street in Barbaresco to the Barbaresco castle cellar which is owned by Gaja. The tunnel is a modern addition that connects the two old parts by a new and interesting piece of modern architecture and art. When one understands that Angelo Gaja's great grandfather started the winery with probably 1/100 the size of cellar you appreciate the winery even more.
The main motto is: "total dedication to uncompromising quality". This motto was set by Clotilde Rey - Angelo Gaja's grandmother.

Due to our short time, we tasted only two wines:

Barbaresco 2003
Wonderful fresh medium color. Layers of casis, coffee, plums, red berries, earth and a tiny bit cranberries. Very good finish. The tannins are still a bit biting, but they will calm down with bottle age. It's an excellent example of what this tough vintage can achieve - production was less than half of the usual level. 93

Langhe Spress 2001
Very dark wine, with earth, plums and some truffles. Overall this wine seems to be in a dump phase right now, as it shows very little fruit. Its very tannic and has a long good finish. Right now I would not give it a score above 88, but it definitely feels that it's a wine that should be tasted again in 5-6 years and re-scored.

Even I preferred to catch the flight and see my kids in favor of more wine. After a great long weekend with my wife, eating the excellent piedmotese food and drinking their fabulous wines. We will be back again!

Roberto Voerzio winery

2007-05-12T22:44:00.000+03:00

Roberto Voerzio's winery is located in La Morra with a wonderful view to Italian Alps. We were hosted by Robert's new assistant: Cesare Bussolo. Cesare started the winery tour in the vineyards, where we saw the meticulous attention to details that creates the foundation for Voerzio's excellent wines. One of the best examples, which might sound very technical, is how the new Barolo vines plantings are done every 50 cm instead of the previous 100 cm. So, this might sound a boring detail, but: with the smaller distance the vines have to fight for resources, which makes them yields more interesting wine. This, along with the almost fully Bio agriculture and other examples, give a view into how much effort is done in the vineyards. It's a clear message: the wine is made in the vineyard. The main work at the winery is to express the vineyard. Terroir is the word, and it shows in the wine.
Cesare has been working at the winery only for three and a half months, but has seven years of wine making experience. His enthusiasm about making wines and following Roberto's way is amazing.

All the wines were tasted directly from tank. This was a very impressive set of wines that show the ability of this producer. A real treat!

Dolcetto D'Alba Privano 2006
Medium deep color, concentrated fruit with blueberries and strawberries. Nice acidity and surprising tannins for a dolcetto. Finishes very nicely. One that will hold for 5-6 years from release. The best Dolcetto I've had. 88-90
Barbera d'Alba Cerreto 2005
Deep color and very nice fruit. Typical Barbera acidity. Lovely wine. 88-90.
Barolo Cerequio, 2005
Medium/light color. Subtle but excellent nose of blueberries, cherries and earth. It is a very rich wine and tannic at this stage. Sweet finish. All is combined in a terrific wine. Its a wine full of finesse. 93-95
Barolo La Serra, 2005
Medium/deep color, red berries, truffles, more expressive than the cerequio, very tannic with long and excellent finish. 93-95
Nebbiolo San Francesco, 2005
Lighter and more brown colored than the previous Barolos. Nice fruit along with nuts and a bit truffles. 88-90
Barolo Fossati Case Nere, 2004
This is a wine that will be released in 2014! After 10 years in the cellar... A new and interesting concept - the winery will age the wine for the customer. I like the Idea and even more the deep and most concentrated wine in this tasting: Blackberries, red berries leading to a very long finish with a good amount of tannins that will surely calm down in 10 years. I pronounced the word "California" and the sky didn't fall... 96-100

This was a wonderful way to end the tasting and as we had to rush to our next meeting we only looked at the wonderfully designed new tasting room.

Giuseppe Cortese winery

2007-05-10T23:28:00.000+03:00

The Cortese winery is built on topc of one of the hills in Barbaresco and the picture shows what one can see from the tasting room's balcony. These are vineyards that belong to the winery.
The evening before visiting this winery we had dinner at Antine restaurant in Barbaresco. Excellent restaurant, serving very good piedmontese dishes and with a very reasonably priced yet deep wine menu. We had the Giuseppe Cortese Rabaja Riserva 1996. It was excellent and a perfect match to the local food. This has built high expectations for our next day visit, which were fully fulfilled. The visit started with an overview of the winery, where the most important point is the use of traditional large Slovenian barrels along with the more modern small barrels.
We were then given the opportunity to taste the Barbaresco Rabaja 2000-2004 and the Riserva 1999.

Barbaresco Rabaja 2003
Pretty deep color for the vintage, not very fruity, good earth on the nose but overall seems to be a bit shy there. However it is very balanced, the tannins announce their presence but don't bite. Very good finish. 88
Barbaresco Rabaja 2001
Blackberries, smoke, truffels all interweave to a very balanced wine with a very long and excellent finish. It still needs significant time as its too tannic, the structure is great. Overall a very fine wine. 94
Barbaresco Rabaja 2000
Dried plums, ripe red berries, leather. A very nice finish and good structure. 89
Barbaresco Rabaja 2004
Beautiful deep color, very fruity with mainly red berries. The tannins are right now biting, but this is typical for this young wine. A bit hard to judge but seems a wine with an excellent potential. 90
Barbaresco Rabaja Riserva 1999
The vines that are used for this wine are 55 years old and the production is only 6000 bottles. The results are great: Dried plums, blackberries, Mediterranean herbs, leather and tobbaco - very layered wine. The tannins are a bit too harsh to allow current drinking, but its still very enjoyable now. Build to last. 95

Conterno Fantino winery

2007-05-09T21:21:00.000+03:00

The navigation system decided to lead us to Monforte d'Alba through a dirt road. Chiara Giachino from the winery told us that this is the historical road leading to the winery, which is somehow used by most navigation systems. From the moment we entered the winery, the story was completely different. First thing that caught my attention was the shirt and picture of the local soccer team the "Barolo Boys" I would improve my soccer just to be in this team!
The wine estate and especially the tasting room are very nicely designed. They even have a nice collection of Romano Levy Grappa bottles above the bar. The winery was founded in 1982 by Claudio Conterno and Guido Fantino and is still managed by them. It focuses on high quality and has a firm believe in putting a lot of attention to the vineyards.
Chiara's warm and knowledgeable personality has put us in the right mood to start with the wines.
Langhe Chardonnay "Bastia" 2005
Very good and balanced chardonnay, honeysuckle, slight oak, ripe melon and some tropical fruit, not too buttery and a nice finish. 87
Docetto d'Alba 2006
Fruity with dominant blackberries and some jamy aroma , nice earthy flavor. Very fresh and nice. 85
MonPra 2004
Attractive blend of 45% Barbera, 45% nebbiolo and 10% C.S. It has a very deep almost dark color, with surprising dominance of the C.S. Raspberries and blackberries with tannins that show a good aging potential. The finish is medium but very pleasant. 90
Barolo Vigna Del Gris 2003
Light color, Leather, tobacco, cassis liqueur - overall the fruits are a bit shy right now due to the alcoholic nature of the wine. Still a very good wine that might significantly improve. 88
Barolo Vigna Del Gris 2004
Deep colored, very well structured wine with pleasant tannins. Truffles, raspberries and mineral. With a long and yummy finish. Much better than the 2003. 92

Barolo Sori Ginestra 2004
Deep colored, blackberries, leather, tobacco and minerals. The tannins and structure give a hint that this would be a wine to cellar for a long time. Excellent finish. 94
Barolo Mosconi 2004
This is a new single vineyard. Deep colored, blackcurrant, blackberries, tobacco and minerals. Surprisingly round and balanced for such a young Barolo. Amazing finish. 95

We were very sorry to learn that Conterno-Fantino are out of stock for all 2003 Barolo... We are sure going to search for the 2004!

Paolo Scavino winery

2007-05-08T22:15:00.000+03:00

Our visit to Piedmont started in the most charming way while we were looking for Paolo Scavino in Castiglione Falletto. The navigation system got us to the right place, but there 3-4 people were working in construction - adding a room to the house and no sign of the winery. Asking the man that supervised the work where is the winery we got a big smile and the answer "this is me". Enrico Scavino - the legendary wine maker worked with the construction people. He greeted us warmly and accompanied us into the winery/house where he introduced us to his two daughters: Elisa (winemaker) and Enrica (Marketing). All were dressed causally - they were in the middle of their working day. This is one of Piedmont's characteristics: casual, down to earth yet very sophisticated, beautiful and above all full of charm. Both the land and the people.

Founded in 1921, Paolo Scavino winery consistently produces outstanding and great Barolo wine as well as excellent Langhe blend and Barbera. 2003 was a tough vintage due to the very hot summer. Barolo and Barbaresco producers that did a good job in the vineyards and the winery got very good even excellent wines - which is the case here. 2004 is a different story - a much more typical vintage, but here again those that didn't play it right with mother nature got caught with wet vineyards. Scavino played the dice right!
The charming Enrica led us through the history of the winery and the wine tasting.

The wines

Barbera d'Alba Affinato in Carati 2004
Carati stands for barriques, this wine spent 8 months in barriques and 8 months in large oak barrels. The result is an excellent, deep Barbera. Deep colored wine. Ripe blackberries, meat along with a notes pf slight smoke and licorice. round tannins but enough to let the wine age for 4-5 years. Medium but very pleasing finish. 89-90

Corale 2004
60% Nebiolo, 20% Barbera, 10% Merlot and 10% C.S. This is a wine that is desired to cater to young people that are not used to drink the sophisticated Barolo wines. Still this internationally styled wine is a success: Very fruity, raspberry, cassis with a good structure and a sweet pleasant finish. 90-91

Barolo Bric Del Fiasc 2003
Light to medium color, Very fruity: cassis, red berries. Even though the high alcohol percentage the wine is very pleasant with a pretty long and very good finish. The tannins are less rough than a usual Barolo of this age, but still provide a good reason to believe that this will cellar nicely. 92-93

Barolo Bric Del Fiasc 2004
We got a barrel sample of what seems to be an excellent vintage. Deep and intense color. Blackberries, vanilla, mediterranean herbs with a sweet liqueur note. It feels powerful and great with surprisingly sweet tannins (this seems to be one of the vintage characteristics in Piedmont). The ending has a orange hint to it. Can't wait to buy it. 96-98

Rocche del'Annunziata Riserva 2001
This is THE real thing! Enrico Scavino bought a vineyard there after his mother, that read every letter in the newspaper, saw an ad. The vines are 60-70 years old and produce small quantities but very concentrated wine. The Riserva is produced only in great vintages. The color is deep, the wine is big and elegant with sweet red berries, blackberries vanilla and truffles. The tannins are elegant still provide an excellent structure for aging. The finish is long and great. 99-100.

In addition we tasted Barolo Bricco Ambrogio 2003 - I don't have the notes, but clearly remember that this is an excellent Barolo, although less than "Bric Del Fiasc" above.

2007-04-23T10:52:00.000+03:00

The Sampler

My wife and I visited The Sampler last week and found the concept very compelling, the service awesome and everything well tuned. We came out of the store with a big smiles on our faces (well, we didn't spit anything...) into a sunny London day.

This store brings a new concept: where besides being a regular wine store, it offers 80 wines for tasting, of which you can taste between 25, 50 or 75 cl samples. I found the 25 cl sample good enough for tasting. The wines are kept in the right drinking temperature, and freshness is achieved by filling the bottles with nitrogen gas (read more about it here). This gives the opportunity to taste some great wines like Palmer 1989, Pavie 2003 without having to go to a very expansive tasting or buy these wines. With the current crazy wine prices I would not be surprised to see more stores that offer this service.

The purchase prices are pretty good and there are a lot of very good but not expansive wines to taste besides the great/expansive names. The good thing about tasting like this is the ability to make 30 Euro decisions for a fraction before discovering that you don't like the wine at home, even though it got raving reviews.

The key component in any business is the people that run it, Jamie and Dawn (I think) know their way in wine and business (well, I might be a bit subjective here as Jamie was a VC in his previous career and to my total surprise had a good understanding of my business - software). Most importantly they are very welcoming. We found one sample slightly corked and although it wasn't a clear cut we were refunded for that sample.

Sample of our samples:

Aldo Conterno Barbera d'Alba Conca Tre Pile 2003
Violets, red berries and blueberries all accompanied by excellent acidity which gives the wine the right punch - all plays in good harmony. Good finish. High end Barbera which is worth its price tag. 90-91
Gaillard Cote Rotie 2004 (not sure which cuvee)
Mostly earth, tar hides the fruit. Not good at this point, doesn't look like its ever going to be. 75-76
Masi Passo Doble 2005
Nice wine, some fruits but very rough right now. I would give it a second chance in 6 months. 82-83
Malescot St. Expurey 1996
Herbal, earth, tobacco and cherry fruit all come together very nicely. It's an outstanding wine. 90-91
Pavie 2003
Ripe red berries, very fruity and tannic with good acidity. We found the wine pretty balanced. Excellent wine - we liked it very much. 94-95
Palmer 1989
Maybe the best wine I ever had, definitely the best Bordeaux I've had. Leather, earth, tobacco, Cherry liquor, licorice and herbal. Medium bodied with a long long finish. Great! 100
Franz Haas, Pinot Grigio 2005
Summer fruits, mainly melon. Crispy and refreshing. Great value. 88-89

Yaron.

Rhone 2005 TNs (Janasse, Sang des Cailloux, others)

2007-03-30T09:02:00.000+03:00

The charming frensh/austrian wine store La Cave is located in the 5th district of Vienna, Austria. The store imports their wines directly from France and is family run/owned. The personal touch and their direct connection with the wineries makes this store unique. They have developed a good amount of followers for the wines offered at the store and offer 6-7 tastings a year.

Wine store tasting can be sometimes compared to junkyard sales: you pay a fee and for exchange you get to taste mostly wines that didn't sell well. However, this wasn't the case with tasting the wines of what seems to be an excellent Rhone vintage: 2005. Rhone valley is one of their expertise and they are the sole importers of some of the most interesting domains from the Rhone: Janasse, Sang des Cailloux & Fondreche. These wineries and others were presented in very impressive line of Rhone wines from 2005 and a couple of 2006.

The tasting notes:

Domaine de la Janasse 2006 Rose Peach, summer fruits with a note of sweet aroma. Feels crisp and fresh, but falls a bit short on the finish. At 5.5 Euros (en primer) its a real bargin. Score: 87-88
Domaine de la Janasse 2006 Blanc Mellon, butter and feels very balanced. However it leaves a slightly bitter aftertast. Score 82-83
Domaine de la Janasse VdP Terre de Bussière 2005 This wine was the first really interesting in this tasting. Dried plums, red berries, earth and tar. It has a good structure and ample acidity. Medium finish. Excellent wine which is made of an unusual (for Rhone) blend of Merlot, Syrah, Grenache & Cabernet. Score: 89-90.
Domaine de Fondreche Cotes du Ventoux Nadal 2005 Cherry, blackberries, very fruity. A bit light on the mid palate but has a nice backbone. Overall a very nice wine which has the structure to hold for a couple of year. A bit too light for me. Score: 87-88
Domaine de Fondreche Cotes du Ventoux Persia 2005 Dark red berries, earth, very nice aromas. Just tastes bad - not recommended, i wasn't a corked bottle, just didn't deliver on the great aroma promise. Score: 75
Domaine de La Roubine Gigondas 2005 Rubber and flat aromas. Not so bad on the mouth, actually even a nice drink - but why bother? Score: 70 - or, I wouldn't take home even for free.
Domaine du Sang des Cailloux Vacqueyras 2005 Very fruity and has a great sense of garden roses, its a very balanced and structured wine. Its great now, but promises to be even better. Score: 90-91. For 16.5 Euro its a real bargain.
Domaine de la Janasse CdP 2005 This wine is sexy yet powerful, I loved it. Kirsch, Mediterranean herbs smoked wood and just a mouthful of smooth balanced taste that continues with the long finish. It has a great structure and its current fruit needs some time to settle down. I would give it 2-3 years and then enjoy this beauty. Score: 93-94
Domaine de la Janasse CdP Chaupin 2005 Serious stuff! Concentrated Red berries, Cherry syrup - all feels very concentrated yet not jammy. It has hints of smoke and feels balanced. Looong finish that just doesn't get away. The best wine of the evening Score: 96-98

Besides the wines, the atmosphere during the evening was very friendly and welcoming. Not a formal tasting, but most of the participants took notes. It felt like a friendly gathering rather than a commercial event. Which made it easier to spend the money on buying some 05-s en primer.

Yaron.