My Mencia - Domino de Tares Exaltos Cepas Viejas 2003

This is the second bottle of Domino de Tares Exaltos that I have purchased. From someone used to getting their wine free (thanks old job) or heavily discounted -- that's saying a lot. I wanted to see if I liked it the second time as much as I liked it the first time. I did!

The label is a little funky - it sort of looks like an orgy. There are what look like people but then again, maybe they are horses - maybe they are naked, maybe they are eating grapes in a wild vineyard. At any rate, it's what's in the bottle that is important. What's in the bottle is 100% Mencia that is from VIEJAS - old vines -- 60 year old vines to be exact. I have been wanting to learn more about Spanish wine, that's why I picked it up in the first place. I didn't know anything about the Mencia grape or anything about the region in Northern Spain; Bierzo. Here's a good article from our friends over at the NYtimes. They did a Mencia tasting. Pretty cool:

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/31/dining/31wine.html

I've seen two of their wines here in the states - although I know they have more- The Exaltos is made from 60 year old vines. Apparently, that's not unusual in the area. Like much of Spain, their wine is aged in American oak. It runs anywhere from $20-$28. It's well worth it. I recommend decanting it because it does take a little while to open up. You'll get cherry, wild strawberry, sweet spices, and roasted plum on the nose. It's very smooth on the palate, silky and spicy - there's some vanilla a mellowness from the oak aging too. I would liken it to a merlot/tempranillo experience. We happened to have it with some chorizo and sweet potato puree. It was perfect.

Fruit of the Commonwealth Vine - Plymouth Winery Cranberry Wine NV

I was innocently visiting Plymouth Massachusetts and viewing the eponymous ROCK last November when my boyfriend and I happened upon Plymouth Winery in what looked like a ye olde towne village area. There was a promising looking candy store on one side (that's what initially drew us over). It was an incredibly windy and unpleasant day in MA - made even more unbearable (yes, it's possible) by the water. We took refuge in Plymouth Winery against my better judgement. Now, I am a fan of tasting the local flavor, but what good can come from Massachusetts when it comes to wine? When I saw Blueberry Wine and Cranberry Wine I silently shuddered, but then I saw the sweetest Chocolate Lab padding towards me and decided to stay awhile.

I tasted through the wines. There was an unpleasant woman who poured the wines for me. I don't remember who she was, but I was not impressed with her hospitality. Thinking back, I should have reminded myself of where I was. I tried their Mayflower Red, their Cranberry blush that I remember. They were as unpleasant as the woman's personality. What I didn't try was their award winning blueberry wine and their Diamond wine - which i discovered later is a native grape to America (vitis labrusca) and I would have been curious to sample. I'm guessing it tastes pretty grapey - like Concord grapes.

At any rate, being the consumer/brat I am, I purchased a bottle - Cranberry Wine for $9.99. I was planning on bringing it as a joke (does that sound familiar) to my Frank and Julie's house for Thanksgiving dinner. I thought it would be somewhat appropriate, that it might be okay with turkey, and that cranberries are a part of Thanksgiving anyway. Ultimately, I decided to bring wine that I would enjoy drinking. That's mean. Julie had bought a few Pinot Noirs and so I brought a few too so we could do a comparative tasting whilst gorging.

It is a somewhat blustery day today in NYC, a little reminiscent of that day in the Commonwealth - I decided to crack open said bottle. Boy am I glad I didn't bring it over to our hosts!!!

It's pretty much what you'd imagine a "fruit wine" to be - and an under $10 at that. It's drinkable. Here are my observations/notes on the Plymouth Winery's Cranberry Wine NV (note to self - stay away from NV's in still wines!!!)

color: gorgeous dark rose, fruit punch

nose: unpleasant, bitter, wet tarmac, some sweet cranberry/cherry trying to peek through

palate: off-dry, no tannin, medium acidity, cranberry fruit, tart

The nose is pretty off-putting, but the palate is okay for what it is. It's definitely not a remarkable beverage at all - and I'm assuming it's more to have a product using the local produce. The Blueberry version is probably a touch better.

Final Verdict: Pass!!

Going to the Hamptons for your Choco-Vodka Fix - Hamptons Chocoraspberry Vodka

Hamptons Chocolate Raspberry Vodka

None of you will want to come to my house for cocktails if you think I only serve flavored vodkas! I assure you I have funkier stuff in my liquor cabinet(s) so beware!

I came across the Hamptons vodkas when I was a wine sales rep and while waiting for wine buyers I would peruse their shelves and feign interest in something other than what I was hawking. It was always interesting to me which spirits made it into the store apart from the usual suspects of Absolut, Bacardi, Johnny Walker, etc. I also happen to have a boyfriend who likes to drink vodka and eat chocolate, AND raspberries. When I saw the Hamptons chocolate raspberry vodka I nearly fainted because I thought I'd hit the trifecta. So $35 later, I had the vodka in my home.

I came up with a couple of cocktails... Hamptons Choco Vodka, Godiva Choco liqueur and cream. and just over ice with some raspberry seltzer is nice too. Hamptons makes a good product. Their other flavors are Banana (don't judge - it's really smooth and refreshing) Cherry Vanilla, and they also produce a regular unflavored vodka and a gin. They have a bunch of cocktail ideas on their website http://www.hamptonsvodka.com/ here's one of them:

Hamptons Lobster Sublime
A cup of Hamptons Vodka and lemon juice. A cup of melted butter. Dip the lobster into the vodka/lemon first, then in the melted butter cup...Sublime!

The Hamptons Vodka operation started in 1999. They are pretty mysterious about where their distillery is and why the take that cringe-worthy name when they are bottled in Minnesota. Regardless, the vodka is distilled from 100% Yellow Corn, quadrupled filtered, and "using double filtered Pure spring water. Because of the Natural sweetness of the yellow corn, we DO NOT add sugar, glucose, artificial sweeteners, or preservatives to our vodkas."

Let's do the taste test!

color: clear

nose: cocoa powder, rubbing alcohol

palate intense chocolate and raspberry coulis along - long finish - the alcohol is very apparent, but then again it is vodka and they usually have that rubbing alcohol quality to me.

Unassuming California Chardonnay - White Rock Chardonnay 2002, Napa Valley California

White Rock Vineyards was the first winery in the Stag's Leap area that I had ever visited. A bottle of the 2002 Chardonnay has been hanging out in my refrigerator for the past 2 1/2 years. Note to everyone - fridges are less than ideal for long term storage. Do not make my mistake.

Usually for ordinary Chardonnays, 2002 would be on the old side, but there are many exceptions to this and White Rock is one of them. A lot of that has to do with the meticulous vineyard management and amazing winemaking going on in that White Rock hidey-hole of a cave winery. Because of their painstaking dedication to making excellent wines -- their 2002 Chardonnay emerged from my frigo unscathed. I'm wondering how much better it would show if I had treated it with the same respect in which it was made.

Some quick history on White Rock -- they are located in the Stag's Leap district of Napa Valley - for those of you who are familiar with the area - Stag's Leap is around the Silverado trail. White Rock is west of the Silverado trail up down and around a windy road in the foothills of the Napa Mountains. The map at the header is taken from an old book of Napa maps and it's actually a rendition of the White Rock winery as it was in 1890. So don't go to White Rock looking for a huge fanfare, this family run winery is as subtle and unassuming as their wines - but like the wines - it's what's inside that is truly remarkable. Sorry that was a little cheesy/leesy. The Vanderhussen family started this winery in 1977 - a husband an a wife (French and Napa-ian straight from graduating from Berkeley.. how hippie-ly romantic)

The winery is basically organically run - no herbicides, no pesticides. They have 36 acres (tiny) . They produce around 3000 cases (boutique-y) and their focus is on Bordeaux varietals for the reds (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot -- quantity in that order). They also have Dijon clones of Chardonnay on their cooler areas of the vineyard. White Rock the name is from the soil there -- it is a white volcanic ash (ash does wonderful things to wine) and it is also that same rock that they have hollowed out a cave for their winery. So everything is temperature controlled. They age the Chardonnay on the lees, age it in French oak barrels, and allow it only to go through partial malolactic fermentation. The result is an amazing creaminess paired with a beautiful acidity that is more reminiscent of cooler climate Chardonnays than what normally comes to mind when we think California Chardonnay. There is no oaky, buttery, toffee flavors in this bouteille. I do love toffee though.

Ok - so onto their 2002 Chardonnay
color - light golden
nose - mineral, lemon curd, golden apple
palate - clean, crisp, bright, meyer lemon, minerality

Check out their website - they are the epitome of family owned/operated wineries. These are he people that I want to be supporting. Plus - download sounds of the fermenting wines... it's wild... they call it Bebop in the barrel.
www.whiterockvineyards.com

Blackberry Cobbler in a Glass - Green Point Victoria Shiraz 2005

Green Point 2005 Victoria Shiraz


I worked for a competitor of Green Point's until just recently and I think I tried most of the competition except Green Point. I have to admit... I was a hater! Every time I saw this label on the shelf I muttered curses under my breath and I heard that it "wasn't very good". It's a Domaine Chandon property after all... one of the big guys -- and those big guys don't know how to make hand crafted, delicate, elegant, terroir specific wines - or do they? Now, I feel like this blog is becoming about proving my prejudices about certain wines and spirits wrong - and I promise you - there will be scathing reviews on tipples that don't add up - but i have to say... I WAS WRONG AGAIN!

The Green Point 2005 Shiraz from Victoria (no sub region was specified although their winery is located in the bucolic Yarra Valley - outside of Melbourne) was one of 5 Shirazes from Australia that we blind tasted today at Frankly Wines http://www.franklywines.com/ with the tasting group. Cape Mentelle (another Chandon property - in Margaret River) and Cimicky Trumps from Barossa. Cape Mentelle's 2005 Shiraz was also very good, but Green Point was my favorite and I know why.

I am drawn towards the cooler climate regions in Australia (Victoria and Margaret River) then tend to have higher acidity levels - making them excellent food wines, and more subtly and elegance than a lot of the big slobbery jam/stewwy monsters from the warmer climate areas (Barossa, Southeastern Australia). I am generalizing here of course, but IN GENERAL wines from the Yarra Valley tend to be more elegant and their acidity level is higher and they are not quite as jammy as their warmer counterparts - its for this reason Yarra Valley can produce some first class Pinot Noirs and some amazing sparkling wine (Domaine Chandon figured this out after all!)

Also - as is the case with many Shirazes (shirazai?) out there, a lot of them have small quantities of Viognier blended in or co-fermented. Green Point was no exception although the amount is less than 4%. The nose is a dead give-away, that delicate violet quality with a hint of peach or orange blossom - paired with the blackberry spice... it's like a cobbler in a glass! A very elegant cobbler that is!

here are my observations:
color: ruby
nose: floral, roasted plums, spice, blackberry, peach pit
palate: more blackberry spice, delicate raspberry and mulberry - long finish

Now their website suggests that we pair this with lamb shanks ( I know Passover is coming up) or beef casserole - so grease up your Pyrex if you want to serve this wine with dinner!http://www.greenpointwines.com/stillwines.asp?stillWinesID=6

Sweet Tea - South Carolina Style - Firefly Sweet Tea Vodka

I first heard of this Sweet Tea Vodka when I was working in the South Carolina market last July. It had just exploded on their scene in April and it was EVERYWHERE. It was my first time visiting the Palmetto State and I was expecting to dig into some serious BBQ and sample the sweet tea while I was in town. I have a huge sweet tooth, so I was looking forward to it... the sweet tea turned out to be too sweet even for me (I was told not to admit that while in state lines).

I saw these bottles of Firefly Sweet Tea Vodka at every restaurant bar and every liquor store. When I would mention said vodka, the barkeep or wine buyer would light up exclaiming that they were moving through that even faster than GranMa (Grand Marnier -- apparently SC is one of the biggest consumers of Grand Marnier in the country). They almost always also added that is is divine with a "little touch of lemonade".

Being the brat I am, I brought home a bottle as a joke (much like the Keipersol Syrah from Texas) and thought it would be hilarious to try this Dixieland Vodka with my fellow Yankees up here in New York. AGAIN - the joke's on me! I think it's pretty good. Those SC'ers were right - it's awesome with lemonade (if you can get your hands on some up here) and I wanted to give a flavor profile of it straight up.

If you see the bottle on your local wine shelf - it's a little gaudy/tacky. It's a bit of a take on their state flag -- GO SOUTH!! There's some gold metallic outlining, a giant palmetto in the foreground, trademark crescent moon and little fireflies. It was the golden/brown liquid that made me feel somewhat dubious, but what's inside is sheer nectar!

The vodka is from grapes, at least 4 times distilled. The tea is American tea, the grapes are from South Carolina (muscadine - a native vitis labrusca) the sugar is from Louisiana.

color: cola colored, gold, brown
nose: Lipton tea, light molasses
palate: sweet, mildly viscous, Lipton tea, brown sugar

The New York Times recently did a piece about the Vodka and distillery and gave some cocktail recipes:http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/11/dining/11vodka.html


It's definitely better chilled. I tried it over ice and straight up. Straight up, the alcohol burn is quite apparent - over ice, I didn't notice it at all. Spring is coming as is Firefly's first anniversary (4/4/08). I raise a glass of sweet tea vodka and say their state motto, While I breathe, I hope!

http://www.fireflyvodka.com/home.cfm

Lone Star Stunner - Kiepersol Syrah 2001

I recently brought a Keipersol Vineyards 2001 Syrah to a blind tasting group that I TRY to attend once a week. We were instructed to bring any major red grape varietal, and being the procrastinator I am... put off and put off going to the wine store to buy a bottle for the tasting. I ended up pulling something from my own cellar (read - living room) and discovered I had a bottle of Texan wine from 3-4 years ago when I was visiting my parents in Houston. I had dismissed the bottle as anything even slightly good and I brought it as a lark to the tasting... even offering 10 bucks if someone could correctly identify its origin.

The joke was on me. The Kiepersol Syrah turned out to be the favorite of the tasting group. With it's smoky aromas and notes of leather, raspberry, spice and barnyard - everyone declared it old world. The palate had more spice, and hints of cherry and long finish. Definitely France, they said - most likely Rhone Valley.

When the Texan label was revealed we were all floored. No one received the 10 dollars... but for such a sophisticated wine - 10 dollars wasn't much more than what I paid for it. I even bought it at the supermarket! It wasn't more than $15! This could stand up to the weightiest steak and after doing a little research - Keipersol also sells cattle - that seems to be what they're aiming for.

This was also their second vintage. Their Syrah is obviously age-worthy. The next time I'm in Texas -- I'll take a trip up to Tyler (near Dallas) and visit them!