Balance and Wine

I get a lot of people asking for more wine opriented opinions and info since I am in the, uh, wine business. To honor those requests, here's a little opinion based on a recent experience....
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Balance. Karma. Yin & yang. Whatever you want to call it, the fact that life is always fair and balanced (FOX News notwithstanding) has been proven to me during a trip over the weekend that w, C-boy and I took to meet her family down in the Russian River Valley. As you know carving out time for leisure pursuits with a 17 month old is no easy task. But we did manage to hit a few wineries. One of our first stops was at Joseph Swan Vineyards, one of California's old school and best known zinfandel producers. We went w's sis & bro-in-law and their 2 year old (talk about tempting fate!) and had one of the best tasting experiences in Cali I've had in years. Swan has been around for decades. Their "new" winemaker who took over when Joe Swan died is 60 years old if that tells you anything. The swan zins are all about restraint, pure berry flavors, and balance. Chris in the tasting room couldn't have been more welcoming, and oh, yeah, the tasting was FREE for several generous samples of some truly great juice. Their 2006 "Zeigler Vineyard" was without question the best zin I've had in a long, long time, and it was a quite reasonable $26 a bottle. I happily stuck a few bottles in my shipper to bring back. And as you can see C-boy was quite comfortable in the Swan cellars....

Then, proving life's balance, there was Martinelli Winery (not the apple juice producer) . Not a new producer, but a semi-recent critical darling of Parker's Wine Advocate who always raves about their powerful, extracted, super-intense pinots and zinfandels while showering them with 90+ point scores. I hadn't had a Martinelli wine before, but it was close to the house we rented so we decided to drop on by. We walked in to their tasting room which was over-flowing with hideous, tasteless wine gewgaws. We stepped up to their counter, where pretension was running so thick you could cut it with a knife. They offered two levels of wine tasting. We chose (thank god) the cheaper $5 a person sampling, and proceeded to be served five tiny samples of some of the worst, thickest, gag-a-licious wines I have ever had the displeasure of sampling. A 95 point chardonnay that was so thick and oaky it was virtually undrinkable if you didn't have a lumber fetish. Then on to their two pinots, which the officious tasting room lady, as if quoting directly from Parker described as "powerful fruit bombs". Well, frankly, "powerful" and "fruit bomb" aren't two words I usually want associated with pinot noir, and these 15.5%+ pinots would've been better served poured over pancakes. They finished with a zin that was totally out of balance, too extracted, and my comment to my brother-in-law was "they should be serving cold IPA's on the way out the door to clear our palates". Even with the tiny samples served w didn't finish any of hers. Now the best part, at least for Martinelli, was the wine all ran 2 to 3 times the price of the actually enjoyable to drink Joseph Swan bottles. Which I guess is to Martinelli's credit, since they have ego-driven, palate-impaired wine geeks tripping all over themselves to buy them. Also C-boy had the good taste to not consent to have his picture taken at Martinelli! Joseph Swan and Martinelli....balance achieved.

Cellar report: 2002 St. Innocent "Shea Vineyard" Pinot Noir

Given my usual thirst, a half bottle of pinot noir shared would barely put a dent in my pleasure center. But when it's a half bottle from Oregon winemaker Mark Vlossak and it's from arguably the finest pinot noir vineyard in Oregon, then for once less is more. I've had these half bottles down in the basement for years, and every time I pull one out I am constantly amazed at how youthful they are. St. Innocent has a reputation for producing some of Oregon's most age-worthy pinots, a rep that I can wholeheartedly vouch for. With way too many Oregon producers making pinots that speak more to the availability of discretionary income on the winery owners part (i.e.- forests of new oak), Mark has always, to borrow some '70s vernacular, just kept on keeping on. Pure, perfectly ripe fruit, a very judicious layer of oak, acids and tannins that are always in balance. This St. Innocent '02 "Shea Vineyard" was right out of the bottle practically screaming "I'm from OREGON, dammit!" It has the classic strawberry, plum, and spice aromas and flavors. With the passing of eight years, this bottle is really starting to show some secondary development. The fruit is all there, but hits of earthiness and darker cherry notes are coming through, making something that started out in its youth so good, so much better. The mouthfeel is full and rich, the finish is long and lush, the smile on my face is wide and true. Even in the 375ml format, I suspect that this beauty will continue to provide pleasure for the next 5-8 years, maybe longer. I'm all about the wine LTR, so I'll let you know how we get along, okay?

Cellar Report: 1990 Chapoutier Hermitage...aka "good things come to those who wait!"

I've been in the alcohol enabling business for a long time. How long? Don't ask...it makes me feel very unambitious to ponder. The point is I don't have too many "holy shit!" moments over wine. But last weekend, after dragging a bottle I'd been somehow smart enough to tuck away in the home stash about 15 years ago out of the archives, it went beyond holy shit into the realm of "oh my fucking god!" What caused this outpouring of vinous religious fervor was a bottle of 1990 Chapoutier Hermitage "La Sizeranne". A quick primer here: Chapoutier is a great wine producer in France's Rhone Valley, and their 100% syrah bottlings from the Hermitage appellation tend to be instant classics. I just never imagined it could get this good. This was one of those drinking moments that just kept getting better and better, the wine changing in the glass with every sniff and sip...there goes some smoked meat followed by white pepper and violets. Wait, was that really bacon fat that was covered with dirt all wrapped in lavender and rosemary? And who thought to throw cocoa into the mix? Crazy stuff here, this one just went on and on and on and etc. Case in point why it's always fun to have some stuff stashed away for a few years. Sadly, it's gone....but luckily I do have a 1.5 liter of their 1989 bottling waiting a similar fate at a future dinner party...heehee!

A big bottle birthday: 1999 Thomas Pinot Noir!

To carry on the last thought from yesterday's post about the glory that was the Pernil, I might have mentioned something about some wine that was worth sharing with you all. Before I get to that, I have to ask the question: What is better than throwing a birthday dinner, and having the guest of honor bringing a kickass cult bottle of Oregon pinot noir for everyone to enjoy. And not just a bottle of this impossible to find noir-ish delight, but a magnum of said grape-based beverage. I can hear you now, "Oregon pinot...big deal". Well, when the bottle in question is a magnum of 1999 Thomas Pinot Noir then it is a huge fucking deal.

A little background....I've been selling John Thomas' legendary pinots for over ten years. This cat makes pinots that have all the other winemakers in Oregon shaking their heads in awe. He has a tiny four acre vineyard that he tends himself. He makes a measly 350-400 cases of the most Burgundian-styled American pinot noir you can find. John himself is one of the nicest, most self-effacing people you could ever hope to meet. And oh yeah, mags are pretty much impossible to find. I always hook my sis and I up with a big bottle or two, just for the feelings of security and goodwill the engender, and that is why we were able to share this staggeringly great pinot noir at dinner. Six people plus one magnum is my kind of equation. This '99 Thomas was phenomenal. It kept changing again and again the longer it was open. Easily among the best Oregon pinots I've ever had, it took on about six different personalities throughout the meal. The kind of earthy complexity you virtually never see in American wine of any kind. Really incredible, and if any of you find yourselves fortunate to ever share some Thomas Pinot, you'll know what I'm saying. Thanks for the sharing moment KAB....Happy birthday to us, I guess!!

Not food, but FUN!!

As we were sitting at the bar at Castagna Café here in Portland last night, enjoying a slurpy good bottle of Rabasse-Charavin Cotes du Rhone "Les Cailloux" (a great French red made by the marvelously named and über-talented Corinne Couturier), we were reminded of this charmingly done French animated short, aptly titled "Les Cailloux" (trans: "the rocks"), my friend Bizbob posted on his since-deceased blog about a year and a half ago. So good, the only problem being you'll be wandering around the house for days with the tune stuck in your head!

A bowl of happiness!

Even with as much pride as I take in my iron constitution and my bodies ability to withstand regular overindulgences of too much rich food, innumerable taco cart tacos & burritos, too many cocktails, and those pesky bottles of wine that go down far too easily, sometimes even I have to take a break and simplify. Last night was just such an instance, and besides on a chilly November evening a bowl of homemade soup sounded just about perfect. Oh, and I did happen to have a bottle of 2005 white Burgundy that needed sampling, and I knew it would kill with this potato-leek soup. Best of all, after a quick ten minute stop at New Seasons I had everything I needed for this easy to prepare, easy to make, and deliciously satisfying bowl of comfort food. This is a snap, and I'm amazed that something so easy can be so good. It can also be altered for those pesky vegetarian friends of yours (or just tell them you used veggie broth...they'll never know!!). It also has this really pleasing pale green color that I have to say is very attractive, because we all eat with or eyes first, right?
So that was it. In about 30 minutes max I had a healthy bowl of soup, bread, a couple or three glasses of great wine. My body and my mind were both quite happy!

Oh, and speaking of the wine it was pretty damn good, too. A 2005 Bouchard Puilly-Fuisse that was creamy, with honeyed-butter and flower aromas and flavors. Great texture, perfect balance. Those Frenchies have a pretty good handle on chardonnay!
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LEEK AND POTATO SOUP
adapted from epicurious
serves 4

ingredients
3 tablespoons butter
3 large leeks (white and pale green parts only), halved lengthwise,
thinly sliced (about 4 1/2 cups)
2 large russet potatoes (about 18 ounces total), peeled, diced
4 1/2 cups (or more) chicken stock or canned low-salt broth
Salt
1/2 tsp. white pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

method
1- Melt butter in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add leeks; stir to coat with butter. Cover saucepan; cook until leeks are tender, stirring often, about 10 minutes. Add potatoes. Cover and cook until potatoes begin to soften but do not brown, stirring often, about 10 minutes. Add 4 1/2 cups stock. Bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until vegetables are very tender, about 30 minutes.

2- Puree soup in batches in blender or processor until smooth. Return to saucepan. Thin with additional stock if soup is too thick. Season with salt and white pepper to taste. (Soup can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.) Bring soup to simmer. Ladle into bowls. Garnish with chives and serve.

**cooks notes: If you use store bought chicken stock brring it to a boil and reduce by about a fifth (start with 5 to 5-12 cups). It really intensifies the flavor and adds richness to the soup. I use an upright blender rather than a food processor with my soups. Nothing gives a velvety, palate pleasing texture like a blender (not even hand blenders do as good a job).