Snob Review

Somehow I came to own a copy of "The Wine Snob's Dictionary" (2008) by David Kamp and David Lynch. It's the kind of book you could read if you were waiting in a long check-out line. Some of the entries are kind of funny, though. A couple of examples:
Grip: Sensation ascribed to a wine with enough acidity and/or tannin that it seems to actually grab hold of the palate. Considered a good thing by Snobs. The '75 had powerhouse tannins and a marvelous grip at first, but it lost its resolve as it got more air.

Juice: Grating hipster term for wine, used especially in the San Francisco Bay Area, where younger, ostensibly hipper Snobs in the wine trade think that, by referring to wine as such, they are demystifying it for a grateful audience of Francophobes and reg'lar folk who will feel less intimidated if they think of wine as fermented grape juice. Except the very deployment of such insiderist terms serves only to intimidate civilians all over again.

... I love new words and slang as much as anyone, but I feel the need to keep this book around so I know which terms to avoid.

Recent Reds

A few bottles we had over the last couple of weeks ...

1. 2007 Alfasi Reserve Malbec-Syrah (Chile): Quite plummy; I really liked this 50/50 malbec-syrah blend; that malbec grape really lightened things up.
   
2. 2007 Lisabella Pinot Noir (Italy): Bright and young, adequate, and best of all, $5.99 at Manhattan Plaza Wine & Spirits.
3. 2005 Chateau Prignac (Mèdoc, Bordeaux): Earthy and warming, paired well with our vegetable risotto the other night.

So I continued to drink red despite the 90-degree heat wave over the weekend. I suppose you could call it denial, but I am just not ready to switch to rosé or white, or for that matter, turn on the air conditioning in April, for crying out loud.

Green Wine

It's a rainy day in New York -- we seem stuck in that season where decent weather is limited to one day at a time -- but nevertheless still Earth Day.
Of course we recycle our wine bottles, but I am always on the hunt for other ways to make wine a more earth-friendly pursuit. I have tried some of the "bag-in-box" wines, specifically the French Rabbit pinot noir, which I recall as pretty good but not spectacular. I am still working on my "good wine comes in a proper bottle" prejudice, I suppose.
One bottle caught my eye over the weekend, though: a 2006 Carmen Cabernet Sauvignon from the Maipo Valley in Chile, which came with tag around its neck declaring "Now our bottles are 15% lighter." This was a luscious cab with notes of plum and cherries, and it went down well with the goat cheese/roasted red pepper/roasted garlic quesadillas on the grill the other night. We love the screw-top bottle, too, and the price: it was around $10 at my wine shop on Ninth Avenue.
Does a 15-percent-lighter bottle make up for the fact that the wine comes all the way from Chile? I wonder about the tradeoff. I am always glad to support winemakers in Latin America, though, as well as other developing areas.

Wine Watcher

I just finished "Understanding Wine: The Travelling Gourmet," a set of four TV programs bundled into one documentary hosted by the wine expert Jancis Robinson (1 hour 40 minutes, on Netflix). She gives a lot of good basic information and travels to several beautiful regions: Penedès in Spain, Alsace, Tuscany and Australia, among others. Try to not to be distracted by her saucer-sized red eyeglasses -- all I could think of was Sally Jessy Raphael, right (this was the BBC circa 1998, but it looked like 10 years earlier); Jancis really is quite entertaining with her dry British wit.
One highlight was the "meet the winemaker" aspect: She interviews people with last names like Trimbach, Mondavi and Antinori, and I always enjoy putting a face with a name, and in these cases, a bottle.
Another memorable section was the tour of vineyards in England; they are mostly too wet to make great wine -- but that's changing. One vintner was looking on the bright side of global warming "in the next 20 years" or so, when he predicted that places like Bordeaux and California will simply be too hot for winemaking. Climate change is in the headlines all the time, in a kind of abstract way, but his viewpoint made it horrifyingly concrete to me. Of course, he was right on: If the planet is getting warmer, winemaking will inevitably wither in some traditional places and flourish in new ones.

I'm a Graduate!

The Windows on the World wine class has been a highlight of my eight-plus years in New York. Zraly, left, said he will close the school after the 10th anniversary of 9/11, so that means only five more semesters. I learned so much -- I'm so glad I had the chance to attend!

The Final Test and Champagnes and Port

Eight weeks of wine school, suddenly finished. The final class was a bit of a blur: a blind tasting exam, then six sparkling wines and three ports. I got only three out of four in the blind tasting, and I even studied! (These were all wines we sampled in class.) I guess I will just have to keep on learning.

Sparkling Wines

1. Cristalino Cava Brut (Spain): Few bubbles, low foam, aroma of pear; high acidity to start, an an easy, crisp, basic sparkler. Zraly is a big fan of this one ("one of the best bottle-fermented wines"), and its price: $10. Great for mimosas.
2. Roederer Estate Brut n.v. (Anderson Valley, California): Mineral/biscuit bouquet; notes of anise and green apple; a nice balance of fruit, acidity and carbon dioxide. $30.
3. Domaine Carneros Brut 2005 (Napa/Carneros, California): Very pale and bubbly, fresh scent; fuller body than the previous wine, lower acid, a yeasty finish.
4. Taittinger Brut La Francaise (France): Toasty aroma; mousse-y start, balanced, a slightly tart end. My favorite. $40.
5. Veuve Cliquot Brut n.v. (France): I felt I already knew this wine (thanks, Laura!) since I have had it so many times; it's a lower acidity, fuller-body style wine, with a mild, balanced finish. $40.
6. Blind, from France, Italy or the U.S.A.: It was a wine with very few bubbles and not much aroma; a hint of oak in the tasting. My classmates and I were puzzled; was it prosecco? Zraly tricked us with jug wine before, was he giving us Korbel or some other cheapie? I said maybe California, not French and definitely not real Champagne. Well, shut my mouth. It was a 1999 Dom Perignon. $165. (!) Zraly say he did this to show that more money does not give you better Champagne. Stick to the non-vintage types from good producers -- the ultraexpensive stuff usually just isn't worth it.

Port

1. Ruby: W.& J. Graham's: A light ruby, heady aroma; sweet and intense but balanced; the alcohol did not overwhelm. $15.
2. Tawny: Fonseca 10 Year Old: Orange cast; sticky, walnutty bouquet; more acidity than the ruby, lower sweetness. $28.
3. Vintage: Cockburn's 2000: Dark red, very leggy; notes of plum; smooth with some tannin. Delicious (I finished it). $75.
   

Divine Crackers

For class this week, we were encouraged to bring food -- strawberries, chocolate, cheese or other delights -- things to go with Champagne or port, our final subjects. Naturally I thought of these parmesan crackers, which I have made on many occasions after reading about them in The Times a few years back. They are my favorite snack with wine, and I always double this recipe (and force myself to give some away). God only knows why I wasn't born Italian.

PARMESAN CRACKERS

Adapted from Marily Mustilli

Time: 20 minutes plus 2 hours' chilling

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.

1. In a food processor, combine ingredients, and pulse until dough comes together. Turn dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap, and form it into a log 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Chill until firm, at least 2 hours.

2. Heat oven to 325 degrees. Grease two baking sheets. Cut log into 1/4-inch-thick crackers, and place them an inch apart on sheets. Bake until firm, about 12 to 13 minutes. Remove baking sheets from oven, and raise temperature to 500 degrees. When temperature comes up to correct heat, return sheets to oven, and bake for 3 minutes more, or until crackers are deeply golden brown all over. Let cool on a wire rack.

Yield: 40 crackers.

The Red Wines of Spain and Italy

Ten reds from two countries, then another bonus tasting after class, this time from the Australian wine commission. I learned that some Italian reds (Barbaresco, Brunello) are expensive because they are produced in such small quantities. My impressions:

1. Marqués de Cáceres 2005 (Rioja-Crianza): A fresh, soft, light fruit aroma; high acid to begin, a jelly-like flavor, soft tannin but ultimately nothing special. Zraly calls this a "user-friendly" wine to have with fish. $13.
2. Conde de Valdemar 2003 (Rioja-Reserva): Spice/pepper/raisin bouquet giving off strong alcohol; a good acid/tannin balance, developing into a tightly woven, intense taste; at the end, oaky tannins and low fruit. "Needs more aging." $23.
3. CUNE Vina Real 1995 (Rioja-Gran Reserva): Scents of blackberry, plum, flint; a bright start, fresh-tasting, winding down to mild, soft fruit and a dewy finish. My favorite of the class. $$$ Collector's item. (Sigh.)
4. Chianti Classico Riserva 2003, Marchese Antinori (Tuscany): Fresh but "slightly closed" bouquet; high acid, a bit drying on the back of the throat, tangy. This wine is "crying out for food," Zraly says; so he passed out small servings of parmigiano-reggiano. When tasted after cheese, this wine is smoothed of its "rough edges." (He's a huge fan of the producer: "You can't get better than an Antinori in worldwide status" in the wine world, Zraly says.) $25.
5. Vino Nobile di Montepulciano 2005 Avignonesi (Tuscany): Sweet swell, a "kiss of oak," flowery; acidic and a bit austere. Avignonesi is a "top producer" in Tuscany. $28, a good value.
   
6. Brunello di Montalcino 1997, Castello Banfi (Tuscany): Slightly sulfurous, "oxidized" aroma (not uncommon in wine with some age); sharp at the start but mellows to a soft end. (This producer owns the Riunite brand, which may have been my first experience with Italian wine.) Zraly says this is "at its peak"; this wine confused me. $100 and up/hard to find.
7. Barbera d'Asti 2006, Michele Chiarlo (Piedmont): Full bouquet, notes of red cherry; slightly spicy, peppery, intense, but slips down to a velvety finish. A Beaujolais-style wine, and my second favorite that night. $14, a great value.
8. Barbaresco 2001, Vietti (Piedmont): Woody, high alcohol aroma, a hint of roses; high tannin and acid to start, "too much of everything," then drops to an astringent end. Overpowering. Zraly says wine from the nebbiolo grape is an exception to the color rule for reds ("if you can see through it, it's ready to drink"); you can see through this one, but it needs more age. $125.
9. Barolo 2001, Prunotto (Piedmont): Very fruity, very alcoholic nose, a hint of a bakery aroma; sour and very drying, almost burning on the tip of my tongue toward the end. "Tasting a young Barolo is like having your palate mugged," Zraly says. Prunotto is owned by the Antinoris (see above). $$$ Collector's item.
10. Amarone Classico Superiore 2003 Allegrini (Veneto): Heavy, dried fruit, port-y aroma; very leggy; sweet, intense fruit, complex. This wine is made in a way similar to Sauternes, where the grapes are dried out first to intensify and sweeten the flavors. Needs a cheese course. $75.
    

Then, a nice, crisp Australian white: a 2007 Leasingham "Bin 7" Clare Valley Riesling ($16). Refreshing. Made me want a basket of fried oysters, somewhere under a beach umbrella.

Gone But Not Forgotten

Sunday was the seventh anniversary of the death of Jimmy Armstrong.
Last night, Bobby and I toasted his memory by opening a bottle of Cline Zinfandel from Sonoma ($13.99), which was the house red at Jimmy Armstrong's Sal**n. (This one was a 2007.) Anyone who's had this wine knows that, as a zin, it's a bold red, a little spicy, with an outsize personality. Maybe a wee bit of a show-off, but not insufferably so.
Kind of like Jimmy himself.

Golly Gee! It's the Gamay-est

In my pre-wine-dork days, "Beaujolais" meant one thing: Beaujolais Nouveau, that infant wine of November we often drink at Thanksgiving. I still buy a bottle every year, just for old times' sake, but it has been a treat to discover the other, more complex Beaujolais wines. Over the weekend, I had a 2006 Joseph Drouhin Beaujolais-Villages ($11.99) and enjoyed it immensely. The B-V was, of course, 100 percent gamay grapes, and it is a winsome, likable wine. It is so versatile: I had it with a hearty grilled cheese sandwich (cheddar on whole wheat, with Dijon mustard), and the next day with a broccoli pasta dish. It's delicious to drink on its own, too, fresh and uncomplicated.

Uncork (the Wine, and Yourself)

I loved this article from Slate on a certain nation's drinking habits.
A Spoonful of Vino: Why are Americans obsessed with wine being good for you?

The Red Wines of California

Eleven reds in less than two hours, then a Chilean tasting as a post-script. Zraly gets positively evangelical when speaking on the subject of California red, specifically the cabernets. It got me thinking, "What Would Jesus Drink?" But I don't think we're tasting any Israeli wine in this course.
Here goes:

1. Saintsbury Pinot Noir 2006 (Napa/Carneros): Color reminiscent of grape juice, with mossy, cherry, summery scents; sharply acidic, very fruity with ascending tannin, a quiet finale. $25.
2. Pinot Noir 2006, Domaine Drouhin (Williamette Valley, Oregon): Floral/oak/peppery aroma; fruit explosion at the start, a red cherry note -- "Ludens," even -- drying to the throat, pleasant fruit hangs on. $35-40.
3. Ravenswood Zinfandel 2006 (Sonoma County): A shade of cherry, with sweet/woody nose; tannin and black fruit, drying after half a minute, then rising acidity; "integrated" for KZ but a bit tannic for me. $18.
4. Ridge Geyserville Zinfandel 2001 (Sonoma County): Deep garnet with pepper, marmalade and black cherry notes; very smooth, "crushed berries," a creamy mouthfeel. Sexy. $$$ (auction only).
5. Blackstone Merlot 2006 (California): Floral, powdery aroma; bright beginning, low acidity, thin; a subtle end. $18. This was recently noted as a "best value" merlot by The Wall Street Journal wine writers, and it's the fourth most popular merlot sold at American restaurants (winenadspiritsmagazine.com poll).
6. Shafer Merlot 2006 (Napa Valley): Slightly viscous texture; ripe, dead-leaf scents; zingy fruit, notes of mocha, a well-balanced "Bordeaux-style" wine. My third favorite of this class, and the only one I might have a chance to taste again. $50/limited production.
7. Louis Martini Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 (Napa Valley): Mossy, earthy, "structured" bouquet, doesn't throw off a lot of fruit; slightly jammy, low acid, fairly integrated but didn't stick around. $22 -- a "great value."
8. Blind: Note of cut grass, sweetly acidic, almost candy-like but not cloying with a nice fruity end.
9. Blind: A stink-bomb: rubber, sulfur, dung. Later Zraly mentioned "barnyard" and a member of the class said "horse-sh*t." Gamey, tannic, low fruit. Blech.
10. Blind: Weirdly, notes of both cooked asparagus and cherry; high tannin to start, then acidic and dropped obviously (I actually felt it changing inside my mouth!) to weave itself into a pleasant balanced finish.
11. Spring Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 1987 (Napa Valley): A vintage from the year I graduated from high school ... still very dark red and leggy in the glass; hints of honey, mint and tobacco; elegant, no element overwhelms, smooth and classy. A fluffy puppy. This and No. 4 were my favorites. $$$ (auction only).

So we played the same game as last week with the three blind tastings: Were they the same vintage from different vineyards, or different vintages from the same vineyard? I guessed right this time, mainly because No. 9 was so foul-smelling: same vintage, different producers.
The blinds were two from California and one from Bordeaux. No. 8 was Jordan Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 (Sonoma County), $60. No. 9 (shudder) was Chateau Talbot 2004 "Grand Cru Classsé" (St. Julien), $60. No. 10 was Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 (Napa Valley), $90-100. Zraly says it was a bit of a trick this time; that one is considered a "young" Bordeaux just doesn't stand up against a Cali red of that age.
After class the Chilean wine commission was hosting a tasting. It was crowded and I was a bit overwhelmed (see above!), but I did try the Casa Silva Microterroir Carmenere 2005 ($45), and found it rich, earthy and subtly spicy. And I got to chat with my neighbors from class that night, Kathy and Jeff, a cute young couple. Jeff said he was taking the course at the urging of his uncle, who took it 30 years ago. That must be one cool uncle.