Just a few words to those who might check this blog:
Victoria left her job at The Gleaner (a newspaper in Henderson, Ky., owned by the Evansville Courier and Press) in November 2012. Roughly 1 1/2 months later, she accepted a position as the new managing editor for Tucker Publishing Group, which produces and publishes City View, Evansville Business and Evansville Living magazines.
As a result of that move, the Evansville Courier and Press, which previously had published our wine column, decided to stop running the column. We understand and respect its decision.
Now, our column runs in Evansville Living magazine, which is published 6 times per year.
Please visit www.evansvilleliving.com for more information about subscriptions and content.
Thank you.
Victoria and Greg Grabner
12.02.2012
Wine column no. 44: Making sense of wine scents
At first, it always seems easy. Case in point: I opened the 2010 Louis M. Martini Cabernet Sauvignon from Sonoma County, Calif., poured the liquid into my glass, swirled it around and then inhaled the aroma.
Then suddenly, I was stumped. Was I getting blackberry, or black currant? No wait, it might have been something else. Black cherry maybe? It definitely wasn't strawberry. But I think I got some chocolate, too.
Welcome to the world of wine aroma uncertainty. It's subjective, of course -- that goes without saying. What your nose gathers from the glass may likely be very different from what your friends gather from across the table. But assuming that each of us has a consistent sense of what blackberry, for instance, smells like to them, determining wine scents should be easy. Right?
Not exactly. Joseph LeDoux, professor of neuroscience at New York University and the author of two books on the brain, says that smell isn't as important now as it once was.
"As primates went from ground dwellers to tree dwellers, smell became less important and vision, especially color vision, became more important," he's quoted as saying in an article in Enology International. "The relative amount of the brain devoted to olfaction was reduced while the amount devoted to vision has vastly increased."
That's the layman's version of a conclusion three scientists investigate in a study published in the journal "Brain and Language" in 2001.
In "The Color of Odors" by Gil Morrot, Frederic Brochet and Denis Debourdieu, these wily scientists resorted to trickery to make their point: They used an odorless artificial red dye to color a 1996 Bordeaux containing semillon and sauvignon white wine grapes. Then they asked a panel of 54 undergraduates from the Faculty of Oenology of the University of Bordeaux in France to smell that white wine that now looked like a red wine. What did these tasters find? Put simply, they used language used to describe red wine to describe the white wine, because the white wine looked like a red wine.
The scientists explained that identifying odors is difficult for humans, who have trouble verbalizing what they are smelling. That's partly because odors can generate emotions (think of the scent of your wife's perfume) and can evoke past situations (does the sweet smell of chocolate chip cookies baking in your mother's kitchen remind you of anything?) But another reason odors are so hard to describe is that it takes about 10 times longer to detect an odor than it does a color. The study concludes that what you see appears to mislead your perception of what you smell, and that perception of what you smell can impact your ability to judge flavor.
Further, "the hypothesis that the identification of an odor results from a visual identification of the mental representation of the object having this odor could be the reason why humans never developed specific olfactory terms to describe odors."
Additionally, the brain systems that handle language were formed many millions of years after those that control olfaction (smell), and there are relatively few connections between the parts of the brain that process smell and those that control language, added Richard Robertson, professor of neurobiology at the University of California at Irvine, in Enology International.
But if the words used to describe the aroma of a wine are difficult for you to find -- if they are at the "tip of the nose," as Enology International puts it -- there are tools to help. One we use is a wine aroma wheel, which separates scents and flavors into different categories. Since many wines tend to fit a certain flavor profile (New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, for instance, often has a strong grapefruit scent and flavor), this wine wheel will help you identify other flavors and scents that might also be present in that wine but that are hard for you to come up with on your own. Our own wheel, for instance, has an herbaceous/vegetative category (for scents like cut green grass, bell pepper, eucalyptus and mint), a woody category (for scents that are smokey, coffee, tobacco, oak, cedar and vanilla), and it also has a spicy category (for scents that remind you of licorice, black pepper or clove.) There are others, too.
So what does this all mean? Basically, it means that it's normal for we humans to feel stumped over the aroma and flavors of a wine. But as with anything, learning the vocabulary of a subject can go a long way toward helping you get a better sense of what you like and why you like it. As for those who seem to have already put their collective finger on that "tip of the nose" aroma? They are either already familiar with the terms described in a wine wheel, or they're just making things up. As wine lovers, we'd hope they're doing the former.
--
The 2010 Louis M. Martini Cabernet Sauvignon from Sonoma County was a great deal for only $14 at Schnucks. This isn't the most gentle of wines texturally, since it has some ending tannins, which dry your tongue. But it's flush with flavor, and if you seek to please your taste buds, and your wallet, this one will do both. Plus, if it matters, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate says this wine will likely cellar for longer than three or four years. A wine that'll only grow in importance and value for a starting price of only $14? We're sold.
Then suddenly, I was stumped. Was I getting blackberry, or black currant? No wait, it might have been something else. Black cherry maybe? It definitely wasn't strawberry. But I think I got some chocolate, too.
Welcome to the world of wine aroma uncertainty. It's subjective, of course -- that goes without saying. What your nose gathers from the glass may likely be very different from what your friends gather from across the table. But assuming that each of us has a consistent sense of what blackberry, for instance, smells like to them, determining wine scents should be easy. Right?
Not exactly. Joseph LeDoux, professor of neuroscience at New York University and the author of two books on the brain, says that smell isn't as important now as it once was.
"As primates went from ground dwellers to tree dwellers, smell became less important and vision, especially color vision, became more important," he's quoted as saying in an article in Enology International. "The relative amount of the brain devoted to olfaction was reduced while the amount devoted to vision has vastly increased."
That's the layman's version of a conclusion three scientists investigate in a study published in the journal "Brain and Language" in 2001.
In "The Color of Odors" by Gil Morrot, Frederic Brochet and Denis Debourdieu, these wily scientists resorted to trickery to make their point: They used an odorless artificial red dye to color a 1996 Bordeaux containing semillon and sauvignon white wine grapes. Then they asked a panel of 54 undergraduates from the Faculty of Oenology of the University of Bordeaux in France to smell that white wine that now looked like a red wine. What did these tasters find? Put simply, they used language used to describe red wine to describe the white wine, because the white wine looked like a red wine.
The scientists explained that identifying odors is difficult for humans, who have trouble verbalizing what they are smelling. That's partly because odors can generate emotions (think of the scent of your wife's perfume) and can evoke past situations (does the sweet smell of chocolate chip cookies baking in your mother's kitchen remind you of anything?) But another reason odors are so hard to describe is that it takes about 10 times longer to detect an odor than it does a color. The study concludes that what you see appears to mislead your perception of what you smell, and that perception of what you smell can impact your ability to judge flavor.
Further, "the hypothesis that the identification of an odor results from a visual identification of the mental representation of the object having this odor could be the reason why humans never developed specific olfactory terms to describe odors."
Additionally, the brain systems that handle language were formed many millions of years after those that control olfaction (smell), and there are relatively few connections between the parts of the brain that process smell and those that control language, added Richard Robertson, professor of neurobiology at the University of California at Irvine, in Enology International.
But if the words used to describe the aroma of a wine are difficult for you to find -- if they are at the "tip of the nose," as Enology International puts it -- there are tools to help. One we use is a wine aroma wheel, which separates scents and flavors into different categories. Since many wines tend to fit a certain flavor profile (New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, for instance, often has a strong grapefruit scent and flavor), this wine wheel will help you identify other flavors and scents that might also be present in that wine but that are hard for you to come up with on your own. Our own wheel, for instance, has an herbaceous/vegetative category (for scents like cut green grass, bell pepper, eucalyptus and mint), a woody category (for scents that are smokey, coffee, tobacco, oak, cedar and vanilla), and it also has a spicy category (for scents that remind you of licorice, black pepper or clove.) There are others, too.
So what does this all mean? Basically, it means that it's normal for we humans to feel stumped over the aroma and flavors of a wine. But as with anything, learning the vocabulary of a subject can go a long way toward helping you get a better sense of what you like and why you like it. As for those who seem to have already put their collective finger on that "tip of the nose" aroma? They are either already familiar with the terms described in a wine wheel, or they're just making things up. As wine lovers, we'd hope they're doing the former.
--
The 2010 Louis M. Martini Cabernet Sauvignon from Sonoma County was a great deal for only $14 at Schnucks. This isn't the most gentle of wines texturally, since it has some ending tannins, which dry your tongue. But it's flush with flavor, and if you seek to please your taste buds, and your wallet, this one will do both. Plus, if it matters, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate says this wine will likely cellar for longer than three or four years. A wine that'll only grow in importance and value for a starting price of only $14? We're sold.
11.18.2012
Wine column no. 43: Talking turkey (and wine)
It's that time of the year when cranberries invade grocery store shelves and the fresh butternut squash look positively huge.
Marshmellows suddenly have a use outside of camp fires. Cans of pumpkin sit in your pantry, waiting patiently to be scooped into a pie crust. And then, there's the turkey.
We have friends who deep fry it in less than an hour. This seems to be the way to go if you've got two or three Thanksgivings to go to in one day. Others, like my family, roast the turkey in the oven for hours.
The goal, in each case, is to serve a juicy, tasty turkey to family and friends. And while we can't specify wines for each specific recipe, we can give some general pointers.
The first is: don't sweat the wine. The reality is that turkey can be a dry, stringy meat, and not everyone will like your choice of wine, for various reasons. Some are white wine drinkers, so that earthy, fruity, medium-bodied Pinot Noir you've selected? They won't even sample it. As the host, stay focused on what you can control, and options are key. As in: provide lots of them. Thankfully, turkey is easy to work with (we'll talk about the side dishes later). Looking for a white wine? Think spicy, honeyish Gewurztraminer, crisp Pinot Grigio, dry or lightly sweet Riesling or a tart, citrusy Sauvignon Blanc. Going for a red? A berry-filled, heavier-bodied Zinfandel will work, as will Pinot Noir, heavy, spicy Syrah/Shiraz or a light, fruity Beaujolais nouveau (available just in time for Thanksgiving!). And if you have guests that are comfortable with dry Rose, then offer some of
that, too.
Our second pointer? Start with something that will ease the mood. Champagne is a good idea. After all, Thanksgiving is about celebrating -- and about being thankful for -- the people you are with, and for what you have. So let the dry toast flavor of a non-vintage Piper-Heidsieck Cuvee Brut and its bubbles fill your mouth. Let it relax you. And remember that not everything has to be perfect.
Our third pointer is that there are clearly more edible items on your table besides the turkey. So keep the variety of flavors on your menu -- sweet, savory, salty -- in mind when choosing a wine, or wines, for the meal.
Say you're planning to serve a sweet potato dish with brown sugar and marshmellows. In general, a Riesling Spatlese might be a good pairing because, in basic terms, it's both acidic and sweet. Choosing to pair a wine that is just acidic and not sweet -- like a Sauvignon Blanc -- with this particular sweet potato dish would really make the wine taste unpleasant because the sweetness just enhances that acidity in the wine. So a sweeter wine like a Riesling Spatlese that also has a good amount of body to match the sweet potato dish would be a balanced pairing.
As for butternut squash, I've tried various recipes that involve sage, and a wine that often comes up as a good pairing is a young Viognier. Luckily, this round and creamy white wine with the flavor profile of a Riesling that usually expresses floral and fruity notes also goes well with turkey.
Now if you happen to be a Thanksgiving duck family -- some of our readers are -- we've got a good wine for you. The 2009 Meiomi Pinot Noir with grapes from Sonoma County (47 percent), Santa Barbara County (34 percent) and Monterey County (19 percent) in California was an excellent pairing with a roasted duck we tried this past Sunday. We used a Barefoot Contessa recipe for the duck, which took us, in all, about two hours to complete. Schnucks has sold a vintage of Meiomi
Pinot Noir in the past, but this particular 2009 was a gift to Greg from my father. What's great about this 13.9 percent alcohol wine is that it's got the usual cherry and strawberry of a Californian Pinot
Noir, but it's also a bit tart and slightly acidic. That means that it's a wonderful foil to a fatty duck, which is flush with meaty texture and flavor anyway. And this Pinot has just the right amount of body for duck, too. Some Pinot Noir we've had have been thin and light, better for hot summer days than a cold day in November. But not this one, which is on the full-bodied side.
Regardless of your choice of wine, we wish you all the best for a safe, happy and fulfilling Thanksgiving.
Marshmellows suddenly have a use outside of camp fires. Cans of pumpkin sit in your pantry, waiting patiently to be scooped into a pie crust. And then, there's the turkey.
We have friends who deep fry it in less than an hour. This seems to be the way to go if you've got two or three Thanksgivings to go to in one day. Others, like my family, roast the turkey in the oven for hours.
The goal, in each case, is to serve a juicy, tasty turkey to family and friends. And while we can't specify wines for each specific recipe, we can give some general pointers.
The first is: don't sweat the wine. The reality is that turkey can be a dry, stringy meat, and not everyone will like your choice of wine, for various reasons. Some are white wine drinkers, so that earthy, fruity, medium-bodied Pinot Noir you've selected? They won't even sample it. As the host, stay focused on what you can control, and options are key. As in: provide lots of them. Thankfully, turkey is easy to work with (we'll talk about the side dishes later). Looking for a white wine? Think spicy, honeyish Gewurztraminer, crisp Pinot Grigio, dry or lightly sweet Riesling or a tart, citrusy Sauvignon Blanc. Going for a red? A berry-filled, heavier-bodied Zinfandel will work, as will Pinot Noir, heavy, spicy Syrah/Shiraz or a light, fruity Beaujolais nouveau (available just in time for Thanksgiving!). And if you have guests that are comfortable with dry Rose, then offer some of
that, too.
Our second pointer? Start with something that will ease the mood. Champagne is a good idea. After all, Thanksgiving is about celebrating -- and about being thankful for -- the people you are with, and for what you have. So let the dry toast flavor of a non-vintage Piper-Heidsieck Cuvee Brut and its bubbles fill your mouth. Let it relax you. And remember that not everything has to be perfect.
Our third pointer is that there are clearly more edible items on your table besides the turkey. So keep the variety of flavors on your menu -- sweet, savory, salty -- in mind when choosing a wine, or wines, for the meal.
Say you're planning to serve a sweet potato dish with brown sugar and marshmellows. In general, a Riesling Spatlese might be a good pairing because, in basic terms, it's both acidic and sweet. Choosing to pair a wine that is just acidic and not sweet -- like a Sauvignon Blanc -- with this particular sweet potato dish would really make the wine taste unpleasant because the sweetness just enhances that acidity in the wine. So a sweeter wine like a Riesling Spatlese that also has a good amount of body to match the sweet potato dish would be a balanced pairing.
As for butternut squash, I've tried various recipes that involve sage, and a wine that often comes up as a good pairing is a young Viognier. Luckily, this round and creamy white wine with the flavor profile of a Riesling that usually expresses floral and fruity notes also goes well with turkey.
Now if you happen to be a Thanksgiving duck family -- some of our readers are -- we've got a good wine for you. The 2009 Meiomi Pinot Noir with grapes from Sonoma County (47 percent), Santa Barbara County (34 percent) and Monterey County (19 percent) in California was an excellent pairing with a roasted duck we tried this past Sunday. We used a Barefoot Contessa recipe for the duck, which took us, in all, about two hours to complete. Schnucks has sold a vintage of Meiomi
Pinot Noir in the past, but this particular 2009 was a gift to Greg from my father. What's great about this 13.9 percent alcohol wine is that it's got the usual cherry and strawberry of a Californian Pinot
Noir, but it's also a bit tart and slightly acidic. That means that it's a wonderful foil to a fatty duck, which is flush with meaty texture and flavor anyway. And this Pinot has just the right amount of body for duck, too. Some Pinot Noir we've had have been thin and light, better for hot summer days than a cold day in November. But not this one, which is on the full-bodied side.
Regardless of your choice of wine, we wish you all the best for a safe, happy and fulfilling Thanksgiving.
Wine column no. 42: California: Go west, young man
Writing our wine column every other week, it's hard to avoid talking about California. Looking for a Cabernet Sauvignon? Chances are that most bottles sold in the Tri-state will be from this third-largest
state in the nation. Chardonnay? That happens to be the state's most widely planted grape, according to www.discovercaliforniawines.
Overall, almost 90 percent of the wine produced in the United States comes from this home of Hollywood, technology start-ups, surfers and Disneyland. More than 100 varieties of grapes are grown there overall.
Not that we're complaining, mind you. What's great about California is that it also produces worthwhile wines for affordable prices. Here are three that we had recently:
The 2009 Tamas Estates Double Decker Red is from the Central Coast of California. Livermore is in the eastern edge of the San Francisco Bay Area. For less than $10, this blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Sirah and Barbera is an easygoing, likeable wine that has minor tannins and definite red fruit but a muddled flavor overall. That's not a criticism, since all it means is that it's hard to distinguish
which specific red fruit it exudes. But what's great about this Weinbach Avenue Winetree Liquors purchase is that it's flexible. We could see it pairing well with chicken or pork, assuming that your
recipe isn't too sweet or acidic. 13.5 percent alcohol. Schnucks is selling a tasty 2010 Fess Parker Chardonnay from Santa Barbara County these days for only about $15. Santa Barbara is on the coast, north of Los Angeles, and the winery is in Los Olivos. The winery was founded by the actor of the same name who portrayed frontiersmen Davy Crockett and Daniel Boone in the late 1950s and 1960s. His children now run the business.
What's great about this Chardonnay is that it's not too buttery. Sure, some malolactic fermentation -- put simply, it's a process that makes a wine silky and changes its flavor -- is there, but the Fess Parker
group didn't let it go too far. If you like Chardonnays that aren't very oaked (meaning they don't have strong flavors of vanilla) and that give off more of a green apple flavor, this one's for you. That said, this Californian isn't tart. It was a decent pairing with baked salmon with oregano, salt, pepper and fresh lemon juice, but it was even better with an herb rotisserie chicken we picked up at Schnucks.
Wine Spectator rated this an 87 out of 100. 14.2 percent alcohol.
Finally, on the pricier side of the spectrum is the 2011 Orin Swift Cellars Abstract. The website says this Californian is a blend of Napa, Sonoma and Mendocino Grenache, Petite Sirah and Syrah primarily from hillside vineyards. At 15.7 percent alcohol, it packs a punch for about $30 at Winetree. Greg said it had a fruity nose and was too strong when paired with our relatively lean grilled steak. I thought it had a concentrated blackberry flavor and a soft texture. That soft texture seems to be a bit of a trademark for Orin Swift, which is also well known for The Prisoner (we've had the 2002 and the 2008, and the 2011 is a blend of Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Petite Sirah,
Charbano and Grenache.) Orin Swift Cellars is located in Napa Valley. It was founded by David Swift Phinney, who was first introduced to wine, and how it was made, in Italy. After college, he got a job as a temporary harvest worker at Robert Mondavi Winery. He started Orin Swift Cellars in 1998 and now has 300 acres of vineyards in the southwest of France, according to www.orinswift.com. Phinney also has projects in Spain, Italy, Corsica and Argentina.
state in the nation. Chardonnay? That happens to be the state's most widely planted grape, according to www.discovercaliforniawines.
Overall, almost 90 percent of the wine produced in the United States comes from this home of Hollywood, technology start-ups, surfers and Disneyland. More than 100 varieties of grapes are grown there overall.
Not that we're complaining, mind you. What's great about California is that it also produces worthwhile wines for affordable prices. Here are three that we had recently:
The 2009 Tamas Estates Double Decker Red is from the Central Coast of California. Livermore is in the eastern edge of the San Francisco Bay Area. For less than $10, this blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Sirah and Barbera is an easygoing, likeable wine that has minor tannins and definite red fruit but a muddled flavor overall. That's not a criticism, since all it means is that it's hard to distinguish
which specific red fruit it exudes. But what's great about this Weinbach Avenue Winetree Liquors purchase is that it's flexible. We could see it pairing well with chicken or pork, assuming that your
recipe isn't too sweet or acidic. 13.5 percent alcohol. Schnucks is selling a tasty 2010 Fess Parker Chardonnay from Santa Barbara County these days for only about $15. Santa Barbara is on the coast, north of Los Angeles, and the winery is in Los Olivos. The winery was founded by the actor of the same name who portrayed frontiersmen Davy Crockett and Daniel Boone in the late 1950s and 1960s. His children now run the business.
What's great about this Chardonnay is that it's not too buttery. Sure, some malolactic fermentation -- put simply, it's a process that makes a wine silky and changes its flavor -- is there, but the Fess Parker
group didn't let it go too far. If you like Chardonnays that aren't very oaked (meaning they don't have strong flavors of vanilla) and that give off more of a green apple flavor, this one's for you. That said, this Californian isn't tart. It was a decent pairing with baked salmon with oregano, salt, pepper and fresh lemon juice, but it was even better with an herb rotisserie chicken we picked up at Schnucks.
Wine Spectator rated this an 87 out of 100. 14.2 percent alcohol.
Finally, on the pricier side of the spectrum is the 2011 Orin Swift Cellars Abstract. The website says this Californian is a blend of Napa, Sonoma and Mendocino Grenache, Petite Sirah and Syrah primarily from hillside vineyards. At 15.7 percent alcohol, it packs a punch for about $30 at Winetree. Greg said it had a fruity nose and was too strong when paired with our relatively lean grilled steak. I thought it had a concentrated blackberry flavor and a soft texture. That soft texture seems to be a bit of a trademark for Orin Swift, which is also well known for The Prisoner (we've had the 2002 and the 2008, and the 2011 is a blend of Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Petite Sirah,
Charbano and Grenache.) Orin Swift Cellars is located in Napa Valley. It was founded by David Swift Phinney, who was first introduced to wine, and how it was made, in Italy. After college, he got a job as a temporary harvest worker at Robert Mondavi Winery. He started Orin Swift Cellars in 1998 and now has 300 acres of vineyards in the southwest of France, according to www.orinswift.com. Phinney also has projects in Spain, Italy, Corsica and Argentina.
10.18.2012
Wine column no. 41: Time for lighter reds
There are wines you drink with a carefully prepared red meat meal. And then there are wines you just pop open to pair with pizza.
Thankfully, red Cotes du Rhone (meaning slopes of the Rhone, in France) is comfortable with both.
Case in point: The 2006 J. Vidal-Fleury Cotes du Rhone from Varsity Liquors, which for about $15 brings you full-on red fruit flavor and tannins -- perfect for a sausage and pepperoni pizza that took you 20 minutes to bake in the oven, or for a beef roast thick with juice and fat that's spent a full day in your Mom's crock pot. It wasn't listed on the label, but another blogger a http://jasonswineblog.com wrote importer W.J. Deutsch and Sons to find out that the blend is 50
percent Grenache, 30 percent Syrah, 10 percent Mourvedre and 10 percent other.
J. Vidal-Fleury is a negociant, which means it gathers the produce of smaller growers and winemakers and sells the wine under its own name.
According to the International Wine Review blog, J. Vidal-Fleury is "the Rhône Valley’s oldest continuously operating winery, grower and negociant," having been founded in Ampuis by Joseph Vidal-Fleury. That website went on to say that the winery hosted Thomas Jefferson in 1787 when he learned about wines and winemaking and, therefore, was the winery's first contact with the burgeoning United States. The company was purchased by E. Guigal in the mid-1980s but is operated as a separate business.
Then there's the 2007 Paul Jaboulet Aine Parallel 45 Cotes du Rhone at Winetree. For less than $10, this Frenchman offers you red fruits and black pepper and a mouth full of tannins, so it'd be perfect with a fatty meal -- like cheesy pizza, or a heavy beef entree.
The Parallel 45 is 60 percent Grenache and 40 percent Syrah, made by a company that's existed for more than 175 years in the Rhone Valley of France. Antoine Jaboulet started working the land in 1834 before his sons, Paul and Henri, followed him into the business. Maison Paul Jaboulet Aine was purchased by the Frey family (which also owns Chateau La Lagune in Bordeaux) in 2006, according to the Paul Jaboulet Aine website and importer Frederick Wildman and Sons Ltd.
So why the focus on Cotes du Rhone? We blame the weather. With summer officially out the door, reds are once again hitting the scene, and Cotes du Rhone -- at least the ones we can find in the Tri-state area -- offer body and pronounced flavor without weighing down the meal.
But it's more than that. There's an earthiness to this blend, which is usually comprised of Grenache, Syrah, Cinsault, Carignane, Counoise and Mourvedre grapes. This wine isn't sweet like a California
Zinfandel. And it's not always smooth like your softest, most elite California Cabernet Sauvignon.
No. These Cotes du Rhone are more in the area of workhorse wines. They make you feel like you deserve them, like they know what it means to sweat, to labor.
In other words, they offer substance, not subtlety. They will make you remember them -- and not just because of their low price.
Contrast this with a Bordeaux blend we bought at Winetree for less than $10. The 2008 Chateau Saint-Sulpice (also imported by Frederick Wildman and Sons) is a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, and when I first opened it, I got flavors of barnyard, and iron. Greg hadn't tried it yet, so I remained silent. He took a sip and said it wasn't bad. But I wasn't sold. I put it aside; I said I wasn't going to have any more. I figured it was a bad bottle. Then Greg brought out our aerator, and in one swift pour, the wine had made a transformation. To me, the sharp edges that had made it unlikable were suddenly softened; this was a wine that had first tasted divided, but that was now all of one. And not just that: It was stronger, more balanced, more resolute. Paired with some leftover beef roast, it was even better.
Yet this isn't a wine you'd want to drink on its own. Don't serve this wine at a dinner party before you've brought out the main course, because by itself, it feels weak, unremarkable.
But the above-mentioned bottles of Cotes du Rhone? Even alone in a wine glass, they'll make an impression. Absolutely.
Thankfully, red Cotes du Rhone (meaning slopes of the Rhone, in France) is comfortable with both.
Case in point: The 2006 J. Vidal-Fleury Cotes du Rhone from Varsity Liquors, which for about $15 brings you full-on red fruit flavor and tannins -- perfect for a sausage and pepperoni pizza that took you 20 minutes to bake in the oven, or for a beef roast thick with juice and fat that's spent a full day in your Mom's crock pot. It wasn't listed on the label, but another blogger a http://jasonswineblog.com wrote importer W.J. Deutsch and Sons to find out that the blend is 50
percent Grenache, 30 percent Syrah, 10 percent Mourvedre and 10 percent other.
J. Vidal-Fleury is a negociant, which means it gathers the produce of smaller growers and winemakers and sells the wine under its own name.
According to the International Wine Review blog, J. Vidal-Fleury is "the Rhône Valley’s oldest continuously operating winery, grower and negociant," having been founded in Ampuis by Joseph Vidal-Fleury. That website went on to say that the winery hosted Thomas Jefferson in 1787 when he learned about wines and winemaking and, therefore, was the winery's first contact with the burgeoning United States. The company was purchased by E. Guigal in the mid-1980s but is operated as a separate business.
Then there's the 2007 Paul Jaboulet Aine Parallel 45 Cotes du Rhone at Winetree. For less than $10, this Frenchman offers you red fruits and black pepper and a mouth full of tannins, so it'd be perfect with a fatty meal -- like cheesy pizza, or a heavy beef entree.
The Parallel 45 is 60 percent Grenache and 40 percent Syrah, made by a company that's existed for more than 175 years in the Rhone Valley of France. Antoine Jaboulet started working the land in 1834 before his sons, Paul and Henri, followed him into the business. Maison Paul Jaboulet Aine was purchased by the Frey family (which also owns Chateau La Lagune in Bordeaux) in 2006, according to the Paul Jaboulet Aine website and importer Frederick Wildman and Sons Ltd.
So why the focus on Cotes du Rhone? We blame the weather. With summer officially out the door, reds are once again hitting the scene, and Cotes du Rhone -- at least the ones we can find in the Tri-state area -- offer body and pronounced flavor without weighing down the meal.
But it's more than that. There's an earthiness to this blend, which is usually comprised of Grenache, Syrah, Cinsault, Carignane, Counoise and Mourvedre grapes. This wine isn't sweet like a California
Zinfandel. And it's not always smooth like your softest, most elite California Cabernet Sauvignon.
No. These Cotes du Rhone are more in the area of workhorse wines. They make you feel like you deserve them, like they know what it means to sweat, to labor.
In other words, they offer substance, not subtlety. They will make you remember them -- and not just because of their low price.
Contrast this with a Bordeaux blend we bought at Winetree for less than $10. The 2008 Chateau Saint-Sulpice (also imported by Frederick Wildman and Sons) is a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, and when I first opened it, I got flavors of barnyard, and iron. Greg hadn't tried it yet, so I remained silent. He took a sip and said it wasn't bad. But I wasn't sold. I put it aside; I said I wasn't going to have any more. I figured it was a bad bottle. Then Greg brought out our aerator, and in one swift pour, the wine had made a transformation. To me, the sharp edges that had made it unlikable were suddenly softened; this was a wine that had first tasted divided, but that was now all of one. And not just that: It was stronger, more balanced, more resolute. Paired with some leftover beef roast, it was even better.
Yet this isn't a wine you'd want to drink on its own. Don't serve this wine at a dinner party before you've brought out the main course, because by itself, it feels weak, unremarkable.
But the above-mentioned bottles of Cotes du Rhone? Even alone in a wine glass, they'll make an impression. Absolutely.
10.12.2012
2010 The Seeker Cabernet Sauvignon: Sweeter than expected
oct. 12, 2012: steak called my name tonight, and i answered with a $13 bottle of cabernet sauvignon from winetree. the 2010 the seeker is a chilean, and it's the first time i'd ever had this. our grill was acting up, but about an hour later, with greg's help, i got it working again, and delmonico steak is definitely memorable. this cab, for the price, isn't bad, either, though it's sweeter than i expected. i got a blackberry and vanilla nose, tannins, a good amount of blackberry flavors. 13.5 percent alcohol. it's a flavorful wine for the price but i think it's too sweet for my tastes.
9.28.2012
2010 Michel Picard Cotes du Rhone: Watered down, not good on its own
sept. 28, 2012: i got this 2010 michel picard at the fresh market for about $9.99 and i would not get it again. it's not very flavorful. it's a cotes du rhone blend of syrah, grenache and mourvedre, but it tastes watered down, bland. we've had cotes du rhone in this price range before that has much more flavor and is a much better value. the only thing that's good about this wine is that it improves when paired with pepperoni, sausage, green pepper and black olive pizza. the pizza brings out the minute amount of black pepper flavors in the wine. but a good cotes du rhone, to me, is flush with red fruit and black pepper, and it's refreshing, too. this wine is only one of the three (and of the one, it's hardly even that). it feels like the vintner didn't work hard enough to make something he was proud of. that said, michel picard's website touts this wine's subtlety, and if that's the kind of wine you like -- lightly flavored, weak and muted -- then maybe this would be your thing. but not for me. 13 percent alcohol. prestige wine group import.
9.20.2012
Wine column no. 40: Change of seasons brings a change of wine
What's great about the end of summer/beginning of fall, aside from the cooling temperatures, is that, for many, it's once again red wine season.
That's how we feel, at least. Not that we didn't have red wine during the hot, humid summer months; it was just that we were more likely to open up a Chardonnay, or a Riesling.
But with the thermometer dipping to the 50s at night, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Grenache and Syrah are good bets for full-flavored, lighter reds that will fill you up but won't necessarily weigh you down.
Here are some wines we think fit those parameters:
The 2010 Louis Bernard Cotes-du-Rhone is about $12 at Winetree, but don't be discouarged by its low price. This blend of Grenache and Syrah from Maison Louis Bernard, based in Gigondas, France, has some red fruit with an ending black pepper. But what I liked about this the most was its texture, which is really soft and gentle. This is how I'd describe it: If you could bottle a cloud, meaning if you could imitate something delicate yet billowy, then Maison Louis Bernard has accomplished its mission. This is also a good bet for those who don't like acidic wines. This blend with 13 percent alcohol has tannins, meaning it'll dry your tongue a bit, but whatever tannins are there come at the end, and they are very subtle. This would be great with grilled chicken.
Maison Louis Bernard was founded in 1976 in the heart of the southern Rhone Valley, which is in the southeastern part of France. The winery is owned by Boisset Family Estates, which also owns some California wineries you may have heard of such as Lyeth Estate and Raymond Vineyards, as well as some French wineries whose products are sold around here, like J. Moreau & Fils and Bouchard Aine & Fils.
Then there is the 2008 Santa Ema Reserve Merlot, which we bought at Winetree for about $13. We got cocoa and chocolate flavors intermingled within a great, supple body. This 13.5 percent Chilean is produced by a company that was started by an Italian immigrant named Pedro Pavone-Voglino. He acquired the land in the Maipo Valley that became Vina Santa Ema in 1931. Today, Santa Ema wines are exported to more than 30 countries in the Americas, Europe and Asia. But the winery's primary market, according to its website, is the United States. This Merlot would also be a good pairing with chicken, or beef.
And finally, here's a not-so-sweet Pinot Noir that offers complex flavors and a full body. The 2008 Fess Parker from Santa Barbara, Calif., contains 14.5 percent alcohol and was for sale for about $20 at Schnucks.This Pinot Noir was a bit bitter at the outset. The nose is cola-ish, but there's red fruit flavor here, too, -- I'd call it cranberry and cherry -- as well as some earth. Those flavors stay with
you long after the glass has left your lips. This wine is also far from thin. It's smooth, concentrated, focused. It'd go great with chicken and also salmon.
In case you were wondering, the Fess Parker we're talking about is the same Fess Parker who portrayed frontiersmen Davy Crockett and Daniel Boone in the 1950s and 1960s. He's passed on now, but Parker was much more than just an actor during his lifetime. He got into the hotel business before purchasing 714 acres of land for a winery in 1987 in the Santa Ynez Valley of California. Now, his family is carrying on the business.
That's how we feel, at least. Not that we didn't have red wine during the hot, humid summer months; it was just that we were more likely to open up a Chardonnay, or a Riesling.
But with the thermometer dipping to the 50s at night, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Grenache and Syrah are good bets for full-flavored, lighter reds that will fill you up but won't necessarily weigh you down.
Here are some wines we think fit those parameters:
The 2010 Louis Bernard Cotes-du-Rhone is about $12 at Winetree, but don't be discouarged by its low price. This blend of Grenache and Syrah from Maison Louis Bernard, based in Gigondas, France, has some red fruit with an ending black pepper. But what I liked about this the most was its texture, which is really soft and gentle. This is how I'd describe it: If you could bottle a cloud, meaning if you could imitate something delicate yet billowy, then Maison Louis Bernard has accomplished its mission. This is also a good bet for those who don't like acidic wines. This blend with 13 percent alcohol has tannins, meaning it'll dry your tongue a bit, but whatever tannins are there come at the end, and they are very subtle. This would be great with grilled chicken.
Maison Louis Bernard was founded in 1976 in the heart of the southern Rhone Valley, which is in the southeastern part of France. The winery is owned by Boisset Family Estates, which also owns some California wineries you may have heard of such as Lyeth Estate and Raymond Vineyards, as well as some French wineries whose products are sold around here, like J. Moreau & Fils and Bouchard Aine & Fils.
Then there is the 2008 Santa Ema Reserve Merlot, which we bought at Winetree for about $13. We got cocoa and chocolate flavors intermingled within a great, supple body. This 13.5 percent Chilean is produced by a company that was started by an Italian immigrant named Pedro Pavone-Voglino. He acquired the land in the Maipo Valley that became Vina Santa Ema in 1931. Today, Santa Ema wines are exported to more than 30 countries in the Americas, Europe and Asia. But the winery's primary market, according to its website, is the United States. This Merlot would also be a good pairing with chicken, or beef.
And finally, here's a not-so-sweet Pinot Noir that offers complex flavors and a full body. The 2008 Fess Parker from Santa Barbara, Calif., contains 14.5 percent alcohol and was for sale for about $20 at Schnucks.This Pinot Noir was a bit bitter at the outset. The nose is cola-ish, but there's red fruit flavor here, too, -- I'd call it cranberry and cherry -- as well as some earth. Those flavors stay with
you long after the glass has left your lips. This wine is also far from thin. It's smooth, concentrated, focused. It'd go great with chicken and also salmon.
In case you were wondering, the Fess Parker we're talking about is the same Fess Parker who portrayed frontiersmen Davy Crockett and Daniel Boone in the 1950s and 1960s. He's passed on now, but Parker was much more than just an actor during his lifetime. He got into the hotel business before purchasing 714 acres of land for a winery in 1987 in the Santa Ynez Valley of California. Now, his family is carrying on the business.
9.04.2012
Wine column no. 39: What it means to fall in love
I remember the first time I saw Greg. I remember the first time I realized writing was my passion. And I remember the first time I had a wine that stunned me into silence.
It was 2009, and we were all in St. Louis. My sister was in graduate school there, and there was a certain seafood restaurant in Clayton she wanted us to try. So we all gathered around a glass-topped table, talked and ordered our dishes as my father selected the 2007 Spy Valley Sauvignon Blanc from the wine list.
Then I was caught by surprise.
I'd had wine before, of course. You don't grow up in a French-American household without an exposure to wine. But this Sauvignon Blanc was different. First of all, there was the grassy nose. Then I tasted the passion fruit. And finally, I noticed how fun, how crisp this New Zealander was; how well it paired with the salmon on my plate. Put simply: I'd finally been startled into acknowledging greatness. Because that's what love does: It makes you come alive.
Here's another one. My father had given us a 1990 Domaine de la Bongran Macon-Clesse Quintaine so we could celebrate Valentine's Day in 2009. This white Burgandy, or Chardonnay, was a half bottle, one that only gives you a small amount of wine per glass. So we'd stopped by Winetree on Washington Avenue to get a 2006 Frei Brothers Russian River Valley Chardonnay Reserve, too. But the star that night was fresh lobster. We'd gotten it at Schnucks, and we'd boiled it in salt before getting our hands dirty cracking it open. Laughing, our hands sticky from salt, that was a good night. But the wine made it even better.
The first one we had, the Frenchman, was 19 years old by that time, so it had yellowed in the glass. It was slightly sweet, a bit honeyish, rich, and it reacted well to the salt that had seeped through the shell to the lobster meat. We had both proclaimed it a wine to remember. Meanwhile, the Frei Brothers Chardonnay paled in comparison. Too buttery, we both said, but it was worth it because it only made the Domaine de la Bongran better.
Some nine months later, we went to Madeleine's Fusion Restaurant. That's where we had a 2002 Orin Swift Prisoner, a blend of Zinfandel, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Charbano and Petite Sirah, for $50. Sure, this wine, at that time, sold for $20 in the stores -- if you could find it. But we'd never heard of it. In fact, we'd only picked it because it went with our meals (venison and lamb) and because of the
unusual name. After all, we'd wondered, who feels contained by wine? How could it possibly restrain you?
Yet we were unprepared for what it offered us, because the Prisoner shocked us with its gentleness, its class. We sat in silence and looked at each other, eyes wide open. What else can you say when you've fallen in love?
That brings me to September 2010. We'd spent the day in Le Marais in Paris, France, exploring the shops in one of the oldest parts of the city. We'd found a wine store, and selecting a half-bottle from the shelves, I'd asked the owner for an explanation of what to expect. It was a 2009 Reserve des Vignerons Loire Valley Saumur, and he said, I remember: Green peppers. Shaking my head, I'd said, "What?" I thought I'd misheard him; I thought my French must not be up to par. Yet he repeated it: Green peppers. It's a common description of Cabernet Franc.
So we get back to the hotel and pop it open and yes, he's right. Somehow, the essence of green peppers is in our glasses. There's a slight roughness, some black pepper, a freshness I didn't expect, too, but green peppers is the best way to describe this.
It's not excellent wine. It will not stun you with its subtlety. This is not a wine to serve at an expensive dinner.
Yet some wines still manage to lodge themselves in our memory. This was the trip that took us to Normandy's beaches, where Greg was able to fulfill a lifelong dream of visiting museums dedicated to the men who fought the Germans during World War II. I ran along Omaha Beach that trip, on a lucky day where the skies were clear and blue, and I paid my own homage to the men who had made that possible.
Many bottles later, we've discovered wines that are definitely worth mention. Maybe they're perfect matches with a particular meal. Maybe they are a great value for the price. Maybe they fit our needs at the time -- something light, or something heavy, that's bursting with flavor, or that isn't at all.
But we've learned since then that we can't force the discovery of a memorable wine. Sure, we can buy a pricey bottle, we can plan an artistic meal, and we can even don our best apparel -- but none of these are a guarantee of greatness.
The wines we remember are the ones that somehow grab our attention despite everything else that's going on. These are the wines that still, to this day, conjure up images of the scenes that made them
remarkable: A warm family meal in a loud, chaotic restaurant; a celebratory dinner in lobster bibs; a random guess that made the evening; or an eye-opening acknowledgement of flavors we didn't expect, in a country where we were both comfortable strangers.
It's all about welcoming the sudden shock of spontaneity. For us, there's no better definition of love.
--
Schnucks has sold other vintages of the Spy Valley Sauvignon Blanc in the past for under $20. Winetree on Washington Avenue and Kwik Liquor have sold recent vintages of the Orin Swift Prisoner for under $40.
It was 2009, and we were all in St. Louis. My sister was in graduate school there, and there was a certain seafood restaurant in Clayton she wanted us to try. So we all gathered around a glass-topped table, talked and ordered our dishes as my father selected the 2007 Spy Valley Sauvignon Blanc from the wine list.
Then I was caught by surprise.
I'd had wine before, of course. You don't grow up in a French-American household without an exposure to wine. But this Sauvignon Blanc was different. First of all, there was the grassy nose. Then I tasted the passion fruit. And finally, I noticed how fun, how crisp this New Zealander was; how well it paired with the salmon on my plate. Put simply: I'd finally been startled into acknowledging greatness. Because that's what love does: It makes you come alive.
Here's another one. My father had given us a 1990 Domaine de la Bongran Macon-Clesse Quintaine so we could celebrate Valentine's Day in 2009. This white Burgandy, or Chardonnay, was a half bottle, one that only gives you a small amount of wine per glass. So we'd stopped by Winetree on Washington Avenue to get a 2006 Frei Brothers Russian River Valley Chardonnay Reserve, too. But the star that night was fresh lobster. We'd gotten it at Schnucks, and we'd boiled it in salt before getting our hands dirty cracking it open. Laughing, our hands sticky from salt, that was a good night. But the wine made it even better.
The first one we had, the Frenchman, was 19 years old by that time, so it had yellowed in the glass. It was slightly sweet, a bit honeyish, rich, and it reacted well to the salt that had seeped through the shell to the lobster meat. We had both proclaimed it a wine to remember. Meanwhile, the Frei Brothers Chardonnay paled in comparison. Too buttery, we both said, but it was worth it because it only made the Domaine de la Bongran better.
Some nine months later, we went to Madeleine's Fusion Restaurant. That's where we had a 2002 Orin Swift Prisoner, a blend of Zinfandel, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Charbano and Petite Sirah, for $50. Sure, this wine, at that time, sold for $20 in the stores -- if you could find it. But we'd never heard of it. In fact, we'd only picked it because it went with our meals (venison and lamb) and because of the
unusual name. After all, we'd wondered, who feels contained by wine? How could it possibly restrain you?
Yet we were unprepared for what it offered us, because the Prisoner shocked us with its gentleness, its class. We sat in silence and looked at each other, eyes wide open. What else can you say when you've fallen in love?
That brings me to September 2010. We'd spent the day in Le Marais in Paris, France, exploring the shops in one of the oldest parts of the city. We'd found a wine store, and selecting a half-bottle from the shelves, I'd asked the owner for an explanation of what to expect. It was a 2009 Reserve des Vignerons Loire Valley Saumur, and he said, I remember: Green peppers. Shaking my head, I'd said, "What?" I thought I'd misheard him; I thought my French must not be up to par. Yet he repeated it: Green peppers. It's a common description of Cabernet Franc.
So we get back to the hotel and pop it open and yes, he's right. Somehow, the essence of green peppers is in our glasses. There's a slight roughness, some black pepper, a freshness I didn't expect, too, but green peppers is the best way to describe this.
It's not excellent wine. It will not stun you with its subtlety. This is not a wine to serve at an expensive dinner.
Yet some wines still manage to lodge themselves in our memory. This was the trip that took us to Normandy's beaches, where Greg was able to fulfill a lifelong dream of visiting museums dedicated to the men who fought the Germans during World War II. I ran along Omaha Beach that trip, on a lucky day where the skies were clear and blue, and I paid my own homage to the men who had made that possible.
Many bottles later, we've discovered wines that are definitely worth mention. Maybe they're perfect matches with a particular meal. Maybe they are a great value for the price. Maybe they fit our needs at the time -- something light, or something heavy, that's bursting with flavor, or that isn't at all.
But we've learned since then that we can't force the discovery of a memorable wine. Sure, we can buy a pricey bottle, we can plan an artistic meal, and we can even don our best apparel -- but none of these are a guarantee of greatness.
The wines we remember are the ones that somehow grab our attention despite everything else that's going on. These are the wines that still, to this day, conjure up images of the scenes that made them
remarkable: A warm family meal in a loud, chaotic restaurant; a celebratory dinner in lobster bibs; a random guess that made the evening; or an eye-opening acknowledgement of flavors we didn't expect, in a country where we were both comfortable strangers.
It's all about welcoming the sudden shock of spontaneity. For us, there's no better definition of love.
--
Schnucks has sold other vintages of the Spy Valley Sauvignon Blanc in the past for under $20. Winetree on Washington Avenue and Kwik Liquor have sold recent vintages of the Orin Swift Prisoner for under $40.
8.24.2012
Wine column no. 38: The French are everywhere
It goes without saying that wine is one of France's strong suits. But what our readers may not know is that there are many wines that French residents have had a hand in making that are not, in fact, produced in France.
Oregon brings us Domaine Drouhin, known for its Pinot Noir. In California, there is Clos du Val, located in the Stags Leap District, and Chalone Wine Group, which is headquartered in Napa. Casa
Lapostolle, in Chile, produces both red and white wines. And then there is Los Vascos, a Chilean estate that was purchased by Domaines Barons de Rothschild (Lafite) in 1988.
Now, there are lots of well-known families in the wine world, but the de Rothschilds are probably the most famous, and not just because of wine. James Mayer de Rothschild, for instance, was an influential banker who was an advisor to two French kings, and he played a major role in making France an industrial powerhouse. But it was his purchase of Chateau Lafite, located in Bordeaux, in 1868 that brought the family the most prestige in the wine world. After all, wine from this estate had once been referred to as "the King's wine," and even America's own Thomas Jefferson visited the estate, which to this day produces expensive, highly sought after bottles. (If you want a sense of how much a single bottle of the 1982 Chateau Lafite-Rothschild from Pauillac, France, is selling for, it's about $2,000.)
Meanwhile, fast forward past lots of European history to 2012. These days, the Rothschild family owns multiple wineries producing unique bottles that are all over the flavor and price spectrum in France, California, Portugal, South America and South Africa. And one wine in particular that is both tasty and affordable is the 2009 Los Vascos Chardonnay from the Colchagua Valley.
This Schnucks purchase was less than $15, but don't let that low price point dissuade you, because this smooth, soothing wine with minor citrus flavors and hardly any butter is very easy to drink. We paired it with some blue gill that Greg's father had caught in a pond and that we later fried with slightly spicy Cajun seasoning. The crunchy textures of the fish were a wonderful contrast to this wine's slightly creamy feel. 14 percent alcohol.
Here's another bottle that has been influenced by the Rothschilds. Chalone Vineyards produces a 2007 Syrah from California that is robust, earthy and mellow, with ending tannins, for about $12 at
Winetree. Whether Domaines Barons de Rothschilds (Lafite) is still involved in the ownership of the Chalone Wine Group is a bit murky -- the company is now owned by beverage giant Diageo, but some sources say DBR still owns stock in the company. Meanwhile, what is clear is that this Syrah is a quality wine that's also very affordable. 14.7 percent alcohol.
All that said, don't just take our word for it. We've presented you with two wines that have been guided by some very firm and knowledgeable hands, but what it really comes down to is whether these bottles are something you'd want to share at your table. And if you do, keep in mind that not everything French is made in France.
Sometimes it can be made -- and individualized -- somewhere else.
Oregon brings us Domaine Drouhin, known for its Pinot Noir. In California, there is Clos du Val, located in the Stags Leap District, and Chalone Wine Group, which is headquartered in Napa. Casa
Lapostolle, in Chile, produces both red and white wines. And then there is Los Vascos, a Chilean estate that was purchased by Domaines Barons de Rothschild (Lafite) in 1988.
Now, there are lots of well-known families in the wine world, but the de Rothschilds are probably the most famous, and not just because of wine. James Mayer de Rothschild, for instance, was an influential banker who was an advisor to two French kings, and he played a major role in making France an industrial powerhouse. But it was his purchase of Chateau Lafite, located in Bordeaux, in 1868 that brought the family the most prestige in the wine world. After all, wine from this estate had once been referred to as "the King's wine," and even America's own Thomas Jefferson visited the estate, which to this day produces expensive, highly sought after bottles. (If you want a sense of how much a single bottle of the 1982 Chateau Lafite-Rothschild from Pauillac, France, is selling for, it's about $2,000.)
Meanwhile, fast forward past lots of European history to 2012. These days, the Rothschild family owns multiple wineries producing unique bottles that are all over the flavor and price spectrum in France, California, Portugal, South America and South Africa. And one wine in particular that is both tasty and affordable is the 2009 Los Vascos Chardonnay from the Colchagua Valley.
This Schnucks purchase was less than $15, but don't let that low price point dissuade you, because this smooth, soothing wine with minor citrus flavors and hardly any butter is very easy to drink. We paired it with some blue gill that Greg's father had caught in a pond and that we later fried with slightly spicy Cajun seasoning. The crunchy textures of the fish were a wonderful contrast to this wine's slightly creamy feel. 14 percent alcohol.
Here's another bottle that has been influenced by the Rothschilds. Chalone Vineyards produces a 2007 Syrah from California that is robust, earthy and mellow, with ending tannins, for about $12 at
Winetree. Whether Domaines Barons de Rothschilds (Lafite) is still involved in the ownership of the Chalone Wine Group is a bit murky -- the company is now owned by beverage giant Diageo, but some sources say DBR still owns stock in the company. Meanwhile, what is clear is that this Syrah is a quality wine that's also very affordable. 14.7 percent alcohol.
All that said, don't just take our word for it. We've presented you with two wines that have been guided by some very firm and knowledgeable hands, but what it really comes down to is whether these bottles are something you'd want to share at your table. And if you do, keep in mind that not everything French is made in France.
Sometimes it can be made -- and individualized -- somewhere else.
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