Couldn't Have Said It Better Myself

I ran across an interesting article, "Wines That Favor Balance Over Power," in The Wall Street Journal from June 18.
The subject of the story, David Ramey, said he "was driving on a dusty road through the land of tequila and mezcal when he had what he describes as his "coup de foudre"— otherwise known as his road-to-Mexicali moment — and realized, improbably, that he wanted to make wine. "I suddenly thought, wine makes people happy," he says.
Amen to that! (His "eureka"moment is coincidentally the subtitle of this blog.)
The author, Jay McInerney, so far hasn't grabbed me like the previous WSJ wine writers, Dorothy J. Gaiter and John Brecher, who were splendid. Of course, I will give him a few more chances ... I wonder if (paid) wine writer is the dream job it appears to be?
In any case, this is my 100th post. Here's to 100 more, or 1,000.

O.Z. (Original Zin)

Wednesday night's wine was the 2007 Ridge Old School Zinfandel (Sonoma County, California). This vintage had a very limited production -- just 51 barrels were made ($30 a bottle).

If this wine were any more fruit-forward, it would be a glass full of grapes. Despite a high alcohol content, at 15.2 percent, there is no heat, just a plush, untannic flood of zin flavor. I found it cherry-sweet for a zinfandel -- I usually get more spice from this grape.

One review said the Old School has a "port-like taste," which might not marry well with food, and I agree. This wine yearned to be a stand-alone drink. And that's OK -- it's just not something I could drink every day.

Cork Conundrum

Austrian whites are buzzworthy these days -- I had my first Grüner Veltliner about this time last year -- but I had never had an Austrian red until Bud dropped by bearing one a couple of weeks ago.
I was puzzled at first by the 2007 Steininger Zweigelt Novemberlese (Kamptal Österreich), and not just because of its multisyllabic name. What grape was this? (Zweigelt, it turns out, harvested in November, just like it says in the name. I guess it's time to learn some German.) And how on earth do you get into the bottle? Under the foil I found my first glass cork -- huh? Slice off the foil, then nearly slice off a digit getting a sharp knife under the stopper. Does this wine come with health insurance?
After some struggling, we finally got it uncorked. The wine had a peppery bite that evoked zinfandel, except lighter on the palate, and strong notes of cherry. It was medium dry (13.5 percent alcohol), a pleasant but not showstopping red.
At about $18, this was a wine I enjoyed but would hesitate to buy unless someone else is cracking it open.

29 Tricks

Continuing our exploration of Bud Armstrong Cellars (I think my father-in-law owns more wine than many shops do), we had a bottle of red with a bit of age on it the other night.
It was a 1996 Vineyard 29 Cabernet Sauvignon (Grace Family Vineyards, Napa, Calif.), and at first Bud thought it was a bust. He had trouble opening it since the cork was shredding -- usually not a good sign in a wine.
At first taste, it was pretty lifeless. It was also still quite opaque for a 15-year-old -- usually they begin to lighten up a few years in, but this cab was inky. The 29 tasted of dried fruit and had a death grip on its tannins (after 22 months in oak, I can see why). I thought Bud was ready to give up on it, but I held out hope.
And we were rewarded. It was simply gasping for air -- the wine improved dramatically within an hour of being opened. Bud said he thought it got better the longer it aired. It was slightly viscous, medium-bodied (13.6 percent alcohol) and pricey: $75.

Big Pink

The snow is mostly melted, and it seems winter is finally slipping away. The minute I unearth a pair of shorts from my dresser drawer, it's time to start drinking rose.
Tonight it was a 2010 Bieler Pere et Fils (Coteaux d'Aix-en-Provence), a glassy, pale pink wine with a strong flavor of watermelon. Not the fruit but the Jolly Rancher candy -- and I'm not being a Mean Girl when I say that. It was a sweet note on what is actually a fairly dry wine (50 percent syrah, 30 percent grenache and 20 percent cabernet sauvignon, and 13.5 percent alcohol).
The wine (about $14) paired well with our dinner of shrimp and vegetables over rice, and I found a pleasant tartness to it when consumed with food.
I could see myself drinking a copious amount of this rose in the next few months. So glad summer is almost here.

Spring and Winter

When Bud brought over a bottle last week and declared it "the best sauvignon blanc" he's ever tasted, well, I knew I had to throw back a glass. It was the 2009 Cade Sauvignon Blanc (Napa Valley), and it was a lovely discovery. This wine had notes of fig and citrus -- none of that slightly skunky aroma often found in sauvignon blanc. I kept thinking it tasted like spring (corny, I know), which I am craving as we wait for the remainder of those hideous gray blobs of snow to melt. Also, it included some of my favorite features in wine: the convenient screw-top bottle and a healthy alcohol content (13.8 percent). Not cheap -- about $25 -- but worth it if you're a particular fan of this white.

And another treat from Bud last night: the 2002 Ridge Mataro (Pato Vineyard). This blend -- 75 percent mataro, also known as mourvedre, and 25 percent zinfandel -- tasted richly of prune/raisin and had an almost oily quality to it; this is a hearty, stick-to-your-ribs wine (14.9 percent alcohol), a perfect winter red that has aged well. (The wine also stirred fond memories of my visit to their vineyard last year.) Ridge made only 38 barrels of it, and it's not even available on their website. If you can find it, drink it. (Price unavailable.)

Big Black

Hit the sale at Surdyk's recently and came up with a little gem, Le Grand Noir 2008 (Minervois, France). It's 60 percent grenache, 35 percent shiraz and 5 percent mourvedre, and medium-bodied at 13 percent alcohol.
I found aromas of yeast and plum -- it had an almost herbal quality. The first sip was a bright shot of tannin, but it quickly turned mellower and even a little tingly after a few moments. This is a lovely, well-balanced wine; it won the 2010 gold medal at the San Francisco International Wine Competiton, which I hope it not a bunch of marketing hooey. Well, even if it is, it doesn't diminish this appealing wine, which I acquired for the equally appealing price of $6.99.
It's a screw-top bottle, which I love -- my favorite corkscrew broke a while back (from overuse, no doubt), and I have yet to find its equal.