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Two weekends ago we visited friends who live in Zug. Just 20 minutes drive away is the (bottom of the) hill of Rigi which reaches almost 1,800 metres. It was a picture-postcard kind of weather, so I include for you my postcards… a rigi - canton zug
2006 Muga Roija Blanco $12.99 Wine label said: Nothing much… it’s barrel fermented and imported by Jorge Ordonez. Whoopdeedoo. Vineyard66 says: As I am still researching Spanish wines, I’ve noticed that my good friend Bill from California has been spouting off about Muga Roija. Of course, he was speaking about the red wines the area is famous for. I [...]
An amazing dinner at Tetsuya’s last weekend to celebrate a friend’s birthday, I’ll let the tasting notes and the pictures of the wine then food tell the story.
1981 Krug This is a wine that I have always wanted to try (being my birth year) and I was very lucky to get the chance on this night. Golden coloured, with a lazy, meandering bead. Powerful ginger, spice, earth, toffee, creme brulee and cedar aromas on the nose. Incredibly deep flavour and complexity, with fresh acidity sweeping over the palate into a long and memorable finish. Kept improving the longer I left it. 97/100
1982 Krug A year and a half ago I had this wine from the same source and it looked a touch awkward (while still being excellent), but tonight it was much improved. Light gold colour with straw highlights, an insanely fine bead - probably the finest I’ve ever seen. Aromas of almond, coffee, black truffles, vanilla and ginger came to the fore as the wine warmed up in the glass. The palate is vibrant, with great acidity laid over complex flavours. Still developing, another 5 years and I think it will be close to maturity. 95/100
1990 Domaine Zind-Humbrecht Hengst Gewürztraminer Vendange Tardive Golden coloured, this wine possessed an ever shifting, evolving nose of spices, honey, lychee, pineapple and rose petals. The palate possesses an astonishing balance between weight and refreshment. Rich, complex, deep and softly sweet, but with superb acidity, focus and purity of fruit. None of the oily or warm alcohol characters I often get from this grape and region. Close to the best Alsatian wine I’ve ever had. 96/100
1965 Lindemans Bin 3110 Hunter River “Burgundy” (classic release) This is one of the legends of Hunter Valley and Australian wine. Still deeply purple coloured, fading slightly to red at the rim. The nose is intoxicating and layered with notes of earth, tobacco, liquorice, leather, blackberries and five spice. The palate is so composed and well balanced. Harmony reigns among the various elements right up to the long finish. Very different in style to some other great old Australian wines I’ve tried, but superb in its own right and very representative of the Hunter Valley. 97/100
1953 Domaine J. Faiveley Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Les Saint-Georges Very lightly coloured. The nose on this wine was one of the most unique I have ever seen, along with cherry, earth and spices there was a beguiling character that I followed for some time, in the end only being able to describe it as akin to tropical fruit! The palate has superb definition and the structure that has allowed it to live to this age is still clearly evident. If there is one shortcoming, it is that the fruit is a touch thin, but otherwise the balance is very good - it seems that those famous Faiveley tannins do eventually integrate (it just takes 55 years! ). 94/100
1990 Domaine Leroy Clos de Vougeot This wine is a strong argument in favour of the excellent reputation of this fine estate. A bold, brooding nose of cherry, strawberry, liquorice, black tea, game and forest floor. There is a richness to the palate, but it is finely textured and exists alongside the structural elegance of the wine rather than pushing the palate around and dominating. Drank well tonight, but will continue to improve over the next 10 years. 95/100
1966 Château Palmer (Margaux) Youthful in colour. A nose that has both primary and secondary characters wound together with raspberry, cedar, tobacco, cinnamon, violets and graphite. The palate is velvet smooth, this is an absolute pleasure to drink. The elements of the palate are resolved in full and work together in harmony. Classic top-shelf Bordeaux. 96/100
1975 Château Lafleur (Pomerol) Corked A few were brave enough to taste this and proclaimed that underneath the taint it was exceptional, but I was not willing to try. NR/100
1990 Gaja Barbaresco Sori Tilden (Piedmont) Deeply coloured. One of the most complex, haunting and evocative noses I have ever had the privilege to experience - there were aromas of blackberry, rose petals, anise, pine, smoke, plum and layers more - with every sniff there was something new uncovered. There is a wonderful intensity to the palate, it is as though all the elements have been magnified but somehow remain in balance with a wave of pure fruit, striking acidity and the finest of tannin. On a night of legendary wines, this wine somehow rose above and was my favourite wine of the evening. I don’t give out 100 point scores often (4 wines so far) … and I’m not going to for this, but I really feel like I could, it is so very tempting. 99/100
1982 Penfolds Grange A nose of blackberry, cedar, liquorice, vanilla, red and black currant. Youthful and very fresh with bold and bursting with flavour, but maintains its balance across the long length of the palate. Drinking beautifully well now. Consistent with the previous bottle I tasted a year prior, one of my favourite Granges. 95/100
1990 Lindemans Sesquicentenary Release Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon (magnum) 91% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Shiraz. An aroma of tomato leaf dominates the nose, behind it are some notes of raspberry, blackberry and a touch of briar. The texture of the palate is good with elegant primary fruit characters and good balance. Drinking well now but will develop and improve over the next 10 years. Was not shamed among some of the great wines from around the world. 91/100
1928 Marc Brédif Vouvray A dazzling light straw-golden in colour. The aromas were surprisingly fresh - lots of pear, apple, honey, blueberry, ginger, oats and cloves. Amazing acidity and depth still present on the palate. It actually got better after an hour in the glass, taking on extra weight of flavour. This wasn’t showing any signs of falling apart, maybe good bottles will live forever! 94/100
1981 Jakob Gerhardt Niersteiner Frauenkirchner Bouvier and Traminer TBA (Austria) Deeply coloured, almost like a tokay, but with strands of gold. Deep scents of apricot, marmalade, honey and apples. Great depth on the palate, with strong sweetness and a viscous mouth-feel balanced by very good acidity. Great persistence. Drink now. 93/100
1968 d’Oliveira Reserva Boal Madeira (Portugal) Nutty, burnt toast, caramel, banana and a very familiar medicinal aroma from my childhood (possibly amoxicillin). There is a bitterness to the palate and the alcohol stands out. It is very long and intense, but I couldn’t really get into this. 86/100
Chestnut Mushroom Soup with Truffle Salt
Italian White Roll and Truffle Butter
Smoked Ocean Trout and Avruga Caviar with Scallop Mousse and Quail Egg
Leek and Crab Custard
Grilled Scampi Wrapped in Pancetta
Scampi in Sea Water and Lemon Scented Olive Oil
Marinated Scampi with White Miso and Passionfruit
Confit of Petuna Tasmanian Ocean Trout with Konbu, Apple, Fennel and Witlof
Antarctic Black Cod with Globe Artichoke and Yuzu Vinaigrette
Roasted Breast of Quail with Soft Polenta and Shiitake Mushrooms
Slow Roasted De-Boned Rack of Lamb with Blue Cheese and White Miso
Grass Fed Angus Beef Fillet with Blewitt and Chestnut Mushrooms
Cheese
Apple Sorbet with Apple Jelly
Mont Blanc
Apple Tarte Tartin with Calvados Cream Ice Cream
Chocolate Terrine with Mascarpone and Cognac Anglaise
Since day one, I’ve wanted a map of the wine regions of Spain and Portugal. Seems like a simple request, and if I couldn’t have one of Iberia, at least you would think that there would be one of Spain and another of Portugal. You would think. You would also be wrong, sort of. Announcement
Interestingly, there are no good maps of the peninsula we call Iberia, or at least as it relates to wine. Wines of Spain, the bureaucratic agency in charge of promoting Spanish wine, does have an outdated map, but you can’t get a copy of it. I had a prominent tour guide friend of mine once ask to buy a few copies to give to her clients, all of which were on wine tours, and she was told it was not possible. Hence, I’m not sure why they made it. We had to steal a few copies from a regional government’s office, and while we use them occasionally, in truth, they are worthless.
That said, Portugal is no better, and I have yet to find a map that accurately sums up the many nuances in a very confusing set of regional wine laws. And considering that there is little consensus among differing governmental maps, it is clear that one concise and accurate map was desperately in need to be created.
Enter the DeLong wine company, creator of such treasures as the Wine Varietal Table. Having encountered way too many inaccurate regional wine maps around the world, Steve decided to fix the problem by making his own map. Smart guy! The best part for us is that he asked us to help him out. Now, we can’t claim much in the way of contributions to this map, but we did make sure he included some important landmarks and we worked with him to make some editorial decisions on how to handle certain place names and regional identities. I asked him a few questions about how this map came about:
Why did you choose to start with Iberia?
We started with Iberia for three main reasons: 1. It’s the most dynamic (and constantly changing!) area in the wine world - but you already knew that! 2. There wasn’t a good map available (for France there are a few) 3. It’s a great looking land mass.
Which regions are next on your list?
We’re working on France and Germany right now, which will be available early next year. Then on to Italy, and finally, the New World!
What makes this map different from other wine region maps?
The one very simple thing that distinguishes these wine maps from others is that the wine regions don’t stop at the border. In reality, the wine regions reflect the regional differences that underlie the country borders. Catalunya and the Basque Country, which both overlap France and Spain, are just two examples.
Hence, this is just the start of a much bigger plan to cover the planet with quality wine resources - something that is SORELY needed! We hope that this first map is a resource that we can not only learn from, but can also use when reading about Catavino’s adventures throughout Spain and Portugal.
And best of all, if you click here and buy the Iberian wine map through the Catavino website, a small portion of the sale will come back to us - something we would appreciate! Also, if you are in Spain and want to see this in Spanish, please let us know. We are considering translating it into Spanish and Portuguese if we find enough interest. Also, if you have a wine shop and would like either English or Spanish versions of this map, just send us a note at map(at)Catavino(dot)net, and we’ll tell you about additional opportunities to buy larger quantities.
We’re very excited about this and feel VERY privileged to have Iberia be the first map of the series, a testament to the importance of this rich and exciting wine region. We hope that if Iberian Wine interests you at all, you’ll pick one up and let us know what you think.
Cima Collina will be at the Pinot Days event in Chicago on November 14th-15th. If you want to attend this wonderful event, please go to their website and enter the code “Collina” to get a 10% discount on tickets! Please be advised that the number of discounts available is limited.
Winemaker’s Dinner
I will be present and pouring Cima Collina at Christopher’s on Lincoln, in Carmel-by-the-Sea this Friday at 7:00. Christopher’s is one of my favorite local restaurants (chef owned and operated), and Christopher himself is a James Beard award-winning chef. Great food, great atmosphere, great service. Tickets are available at: montereywines.org.
Hmm, that’s a very similar label! What I find more interesting is, that given the development of prices in the last two vintages, this 06 villages costs the same as the 04 ‘Lachaux’ Clos St.Denis of yesterday. There can be only one winner at the same price-point and despite the high quality of this wine, [...]
Robber demands cash ? but settles for a glass of wine and a group hug
The Associated Press WASHINGTON: A would-be robber was disarmed by hospitable hosts who offered him a glass of wine and sent him off with a group hug but no cash.
A group of friends was finishing a dinner of marinated steaks and jumbo shrimp on the back patio of a Washington, D.C. home when a hooded man slid through an open gate and pointed a handgun at the head of a 14-year-old girl.
"Give me your money, or I'll start shooting," the intruder said, according to Washington, D.C., police and witnesses. Everyone froze, including the girl's parents. Then one guest spoke up.
"We were just finishing dinner," Cristina "Cha Cha" Rowan, 43, told the man. "Why don't you have a glass of wine with us?"
The intruder had a sip of their Chateau Malescot St-Exupery and said, "Damn, that's good wine." Today in Americas Betancourt reunited with her children after 6-year hostage ordeal McCain shakes up his campaign staff for second time in a year On U.S. campuses, a generational shift to moderates
The girl's father, Michael Rabdau, 51, a federal government worker, told the intruder to take the whole glass, and Rowan offered him the bottle.
The robber, with his hood down, took another sip and a bite of Camembert cheese. He put the gun in his sweatpants.
Then the story took an even more bizarre twist.
"I think I may have come to the wrong house," the intruder said before apologizing. "Can I get a hug?"
Rowan, who works at her children's school and lives in Falls Church, Virginia, stood up and wrapped her arms around would-be robber. The other guests followed.
"Can we have a group hug?" the man asked. The five adults complied.
The man walked away a few moments later with a filled crystal wine glass, but nothing was stolen, and no one was hurt. Police were called to the scene and found the empty wine glass unbroken on the ground in an alley behind the house.
Police classified the June 16 incident, which lasted all of 10 minutes, as strange but true. The witnesses thought the intruder might have been high on drugs.
"We've had robbers that apologize and stuff but nothing where they sit down and drink wine. It definitely is strange," said Cmdr. Diane Groomes, adding that the hugs were especially unusual.
Whether you always agree with him or not, there's little denying that Robert Parker, Jr. has had a tremendous influence on wine buying. The author and publisher of "The Wine Advocate" for over 25 years has won countless awards, including being appointed a "Chevalier dans l'Ordre de la Legion d'Honneur" in France. He created the now widely-used 100-point wine ranking system and has written extensively about wine industries around the world.
Parker's latest work is the exhaustive "Parker's Wine Buyer's Guide," a 1536-page catalog of the world's great, good, and average wines and comes out on October 7. Far from being dry and laborious, this tome is easy-to-read with lots of maps and regional wine information interspersed with winery and individual wine ratings and prices.
"Parker's Wine Buyer's Guide" is being publishing in trade softcover, in hardcover, and as an e-book simultaneously. Shipping is an issue with a book this large, so the $24.99 ebook is a smart option. The softcover is currently $23 with Amazon.com and you can get free shipping with them for orders over $25. This book would make a good gift for anyone who enjoys wines and/or traveling throughout the world's wine regions.
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Spelunking anyone? I feel like a spelunker when I where that headlamp. I’m filling the last barrels for the 2008 vintage in this photo. It certainly was a long one for us, and I’m glad it is over. Wine quality overall seems very good. The whites are delicate and fragrant, and the reds show good varietal character so far.
I know most folks think of harvest as grapes being harvested and received, but the real work for us goes far beyond receiving grapes. It can be a very physically wearing time, and the end of it all is, frankly, welcome. We can resume our normal lives and actually get the weekends off. We aren’t off the hook entirely, though, as the wines and barrels need to be monitored. We check for the progress of malo-lactic fermentation, check on any wines that may have gone to barrel slightly sweet, and monitor any increase in volatile fermentation. Barrels also need to be topped, additions made, white wines stirred, and all the equipment needs to be cleaned, repaired if needed, and put away. Here’s a photo from a few weeks ago that I like.This is a picture of a red fermentor after we have drained most of the wine and before we have started shoveling the skins out of the tank and into the presses. The open space underneath is a stainless steel filter which, among other things, helps us to drain the tank.
A few wines earlier this week at Atelier in Newtown.
Vilmart C?ur de Cuvée 1997. Light straw colour with a fine bead. Lemon, pear, brine and earth on the nose. There is subtle fruit sweetness balanced with excellent acidity on the palate. Long and intense, this is an excellent wine and one of the better 97s I’ve tasted. 92/100
Domaine Servin Les Blanchots 2000 Corked. NR/100
Louis Michel et Fils Grenouilles 2000. Behind the huge amount of sulfur was pear, marmalade and peaches. The palate is medium weight but very simple. 84/100
Bonneau du Martray Corton-Charlemagne 1999. Nutty, pineapple, tropical fruit, lemon rind and subtle oak aromas. A ripe, expansive palate without being too overbearing. Acid is good enough to focus the palate. Long length. 91/100
Marquis d’Angerville Clos des Ducs 1999. Earth, cherry, blood and chocolate aromas on the nose. Firm palate, with some sweet fruit in the background, the acid structure is a highlight. Powerful and very impressive. Starting to come around to drinking well. 92/100
Sylvie Esmonin Clos St. Jacques 2001 Rich, lifted nose of raspberry, cherry and a touch of earth and chocolate. The palate is more restrained than the nose but is still tightly wound and full of power. Good potential to improve from here. 91/100
Château de Beaucastel rouge 1990 A lot of complexity on the nose with smoke and smoked meats, cherry, spice, cedar and a fair bit of funky brett. Good intensity to the palate, but the brett affects the length of the finish. I would have rated this 2-3 points higher if the brett hadn’t affected the palate so much. 92/100
Dalla Valle Maya (Napa) 2000 Bold nose, with blueberry, chocolate, vanilla, autumn leaves and grassy characters from the Cabernet Franc. Very intense and youthful on the palate with good length and the ripeness is never out of balance. Primary, but surprisingly approachable and I think it will be at its best over the next 5 years. 93/100
Dr. Loosen Ürziger Wurzgarten Auslese 1995 Lemon, spice, floral notes and light honey aromas comprise the nose. The palate is excellent with light sweetness and refreshing acidity. Great balance and lingering length. 89/100
Claude Cazals Clos Cazals 1997. Green apple, honey and pear on the nose. The palate is awkward, it is almost both bitterly acidic and broad at the same time. Good, but I had this two and a half years ago and much preferred it then. 87/100
Was this my first chef d'oeuvre? Not sure. But it was my most prescient, there's no question. See, this is what I did: I looked, I listened, I drew my own conclusions. Mark you, I'd never been to Montalcino, but Italy is really the same all over, no matter what they like to believe up north. Here's what I want to know. If little ole me could figure out what was going on in Brunellolandia,...
In the spirit of the upcoming Presidential election, one Washington DC restaurant, OYA Restaurant and Lounge, is pitting Arizona wines (from Senator McCain's home state) against those from Illinois (Senator Obama's home state). Neither state is well known for its wine industry, but according to the restaurant's Director of Wine Marketing & Sommelier, Andrew Stover, "Illinois has over 70 wineries and has been producing wine since the late 1700s. Arizona's wine industry is on a much smaller scale with close to 30 wineries."
According to Stover, the Lynfred Seyval Blanc has slightly outsold the Arizona wines during the summer, but fall could usher in a preference for the red wines of Arizona. The promotion will continue through the election in November.
Oya Restaurant and Lounge is located in Washington's Penn Quarter neighborhood. They serve an innovative menu that combines Asian ingredients with French technique.
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Based on Winewaves' internal analysis of final tracking polls, exit polls and ongoing monitoring of election results, we declare that Barack Obama is the next President of the United States. Let's here it for President Obama: Ale To The Chief. (Posted 7:41 p.m. CST).
While others have a lot to lose on making such a projection, we have nothing to lose. Will anyone stop clicking through from a Google search for an obscure wine because they heard Winewaves goofed on an early election projection? Then, there's the fact that Winewaves' founder Jerry Hall studied statistics in graduate school. Not just a pretty face, but Jerry also knows when the chips are up or down. The chips are not up enough for John McCain to pull out a miracle.
While some may want me to remain unbiased, I'm not. Barack Obama is my choice and I'm glad he won tonight. He ran the better campaign and he is unquestionably the more intelligent and in touch candidate.
So, I suggest you have a glass of Avery Brewing Company's special edition "Ale To The Chief" to celebrate. This is a fantastic brew that combines over the top hops with a fullness of fruit flavors that makes for a big beer, a big noise, but very well balanced between the low and high notes.
The appearance of any brew is important, and this one delivers greatness. The color is beautiful, deep amber, copper-orange, with a slight turbidity that suggests it was just brewed. The nose is hoppy, fruity, along the lines of citrus peel, especially orange, and even tilting towards fruit cake. If you're like me, you think fruit cake smells better than it tastes. On the tongue, you get a nice complex interaction between bitter hops and also fruit and caramel. Fruit flavors carry through with the hops all the way to a crisp dry finish.
Have an amazing evening and above all - drink some great wine and champagne!
2008 promises to be an exciting year for The Cru so stay tuned!
To begin with I will be releasing a new look Cru in the next two weeks - it's going to a lot easy to navigate around and hopefully it will make finding your favourite South African wine that much easier and more enjoyable!
Until then have a great evening and enjoy the chosen Pouza!
It seems appropriate that the mythical figure of the phoenix should enter my imagination when searching for metaphors that could describe the variable fortunes of Verdejo throughout Spain's history. Wine production in general suffered during particularly crippling plague outbreaks, the Moorish Invasions, Reconquista, Wars of Succession and more recently under Franco, among several other trials. Not unlike the development and refinement of viticulture in Burgundy and the Rheingau, however, Verdejo cultivation in the Iberian Peninsula has distinct monastic roots. This is not by coincidence either, as the Castillian countryside, including the more important towns such as Segovia, Ávila and Valladolid gave Europe culturally transcendent figures such as Sts. Juan of the Cross and Teresa of Ávila.
Famous saints aside, the Sanz family has been involved extensively since the revitalization initiated in the region since the 1970?s and 1980?s, along the likes of larger houses such as Marqués de Riscal. Rueda wines, having achieved D.O. status around that time, in 1980, allow for Verdejo to be blended with other local and international white varietals. Sanz produces another (orange label) Con Class Rueda, which represents this type of blend, though I personally find the 100% Verdejo much more exciting and interesting.
I?m quite thrilled that consumers in export markets are now able to find stand-alone bottles of Castillian Verdejo from resurgent Spanish D.O.?s such as Rueda. Along with the producers? adoption of a more updated, state-of-the-art approach towards regional varieties that the Spanish Institute for Foreign Trade (ICEX) people are striving to convey to foreign markets, I find it altogether more noteworthy to see the producers? attitudes themselves skewing towards their own tastes when it comes to the fork in the road that producing for said markets represents. The producer wonders: "What balance do we strike between what we believe regional, indigenous varieties such as Verdejo can achieve, and what North Americans or say, the Chinese and Japanese markets prefer in terms of taste and style?"
Argentines like myself are keenly aware of these issues, particularly when contemplating our neighbors from across the mountain range. The progressive viticultural methodologies and embrace of technology in and of themselves are assets that ultimately yield no rewards if utilized to please foreign sensibilities only. Heavy investment and updated production methods, in this case, however, have done well by Rueda producers?really well in fact. Wines like my pick for this week?s recommendation strike the balance needed to please all palates as well as embody the regional pride that has become a winning formula for many Italian and Portuguese producers (Vinho Regional and IGT appellation schemes, respectively). These artisan producers craft impressive wines where the regional varieties play center-stage roles, and more importantly, in which the style of the wine?s expression is crisp, delicious and sincere?pleasing to local and open-minded foreign palates alike.
My notes follow for the 2006 Con Class Verdejo Rueda D.O. by Sitios de Bodega:
This fine Rueda shows through as a clear lemon hue in the glass. The nose is pronounced and clean, staying true to the nature of this aromatic varietal, with green treefruit (green apple and pear), lively citrus, fresh grass, slight minerality, spice and floral hints. Don?t be fooled by the nose, this wine is from Castille and not Marlborough. Bearing in mind its aromatic profile, though, I?m not at all surprised that wines like this Verdejo are often blended with Sauvignon Blanc. Palate-wise, this one packs a serious amount of flavor into a pale, unassuming little transparent lemon appearance, with thick glycerin and ripe green apple slashed through with intense, lime-citrus acidity. The perfumey floral and grassy fumes here are not to be taken lightly, as they mimic an Altoids-like strength and shoot up behind the nasal passages and subsequently haunt the afterbreath. The lovely finish sticks around quite a bit, with added minerality, warm spice and a grassy angle of pear-green apple flavors lingering in the afterbreath. My last impression that I?d like to convey would be to think twice before pairing this beautiful, personality-packed Verdejo with a crab dish or some other white meat that doesn?t intrinsically hold up much in the way of concentrated flavor.
I came back from the first Wine Bloggers Conference in Sonoma this weekend and there was one thing I knew for sure: I didn't want to drink any California wine. I needed a change. I caught up on my mail and read the backed up blog posts in my RSS reader and inspiration hit: I was going to drink an Argentinian Malbec.
This inspiration stemmed from two of the people I met at the conference (though I've known them via the blogosphere and Twitter for some time now): David from the blog Vinomadic, and Philip James from the wine finder and keeper site Snooth. David lived in Argentina for a time (and always gives me good suggestions on what to drink), and Snooth just had a tasting dedicated to value Malbecs. I enjoyed talking to both of them this weekend, and that was enough to send me scurrying to the cellar in pursuit of an Argentinian Malbec.
The wine that I pulled out was the 2006 Finca Las Moras Malbec Reserva (sample; suggested retail for this new release is $12; you may find it or other recent vintages near you for between $7 and $12) This wine was a simple pleasure from start to finish, because it was made in an apologetically New World fruit-forward style, but with some sensitivity and restraint. Malbec is often described as fitting somewhere between Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon in the flavor spectrum, but what I always think of is plums--lots and lots of plums. The 2006 Finca Las Moras Malbec Reserva did indeed have prominent aromas of plum, leather, and vanilla. These aromas were echoed in the flavors of plum and spice, and there was also a nice meaty note that gave the wine some depth of complexity. Very good QPR for this wine brought into the US by Joshua Tree Imports, who are known for their good value brands such as Razor's Edge and Fetish.
I love lamb with Malbec, and so we had this with Lamb Chops and a tomato-and-potato gratin. If you are vegetarian, I highly recommend making the gratin, and having it with some meaty grilled portabello mushrooms instead of the lamb. Whether you go with meat or a meatless option, you'll find that the meaty, leathery aromas and flavors will get drawn out by the grilled food and the beautiful plum fruit will be a nice complement to the earthy potatoes and sweet tomatoes.
Thanks to David and Philip for helping me get inspired about wine all over again. See you next year at the Wine Bloggers Conference!
IN A DRAMATIC change of focus the Hardy Wine Company today announced that it was taking a great leap backwards - and changing its name. From the end of this month the Hardy Wine Company will be known as Constellation Wines Australia. This is an attempt to change the perception of the Hardys wine name from that of a corporate giant to, more simply, a regional winery 'known for quality and craftsmanship'
While this change is largely window-dressing, it is important. It marks a significant shift in thinking at Hardys. In recent years its super-premium por
Tecnorati
).
A few were brave enough to taste this and proclaimed that underneath the taint it was exceptional, but I was not willing to try.
