First experience with a lovely southern Italian grape

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

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

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

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.