End of Summer Update - Petit Chapeau Cotes du Rhone 2010

I have a soft spot for this utterly drinkable everyday red as it was the first bottle I touted on these pages. As many of you know, I also have a fondness for these blends from the Rhone Valley of southern France. Factor into the equation a great 2010 vintage and a $9.99 price tag and you have a winner. This great little bottle is comprised of 50% Grenache, 25% Syrah, 20% Cinsault, and 5% Mourvedre and is a private label project of Daniel Johnnes, which means that the wine was tailored to his taste and imported with his name on the bottle. Mr. Johnnes is one of the most important Sommeliers in the U.S. and imports quite a few wines as well. Most of the top importers now have at least one private label wine in their portfolio.

The Petit Chapeau red has just what you expect from a Cotes du Rhone, with classic aromas of black cherry, cola, damp earth and a note of black pepper. In the mouth it has excellent concentration to it's dark berry flavors, but never tastes heavy as it's bright acids lend balance and give it lift. It finishes long and lightly tannic and should make excellent company for a roast chicken, grilled sausage or even grilled shrimp. Imported for Daniel Johnnes by Michael Skurnick. Cheers!

Monchhof Estate Riesling 2011

German wines in general, and in particular the Rieslings, continue to be under appreciated by American consumers, even though there are many folks who like their wine a little on the sweet side. A lot of people come in the store I frequent for their white Zinfandel or other sweetish factory wine. Yes these wines are cheap, but once I get people to try a good German Riesling with it's fruity sweetness, balancing acidity and stony minerality, they become more open minded and more open to throwing down a few extra dollars. As they say, "life's too short to drink bad wine". Which brings me to the Monchhof Estate Riesling.

Germany had a difficult spring and early summer in 2011 but the weather turned perfect in August and September and producers were able to harvest fruit in very good condition with optimal ripeness. This estate has been a wine producing entity for some 800 years and it's current owners, the Eymal family, have been producing here since purchasing the estate in 1804. They have holdings in some of the best vineyards in Mosel and this may be the best $14.99 Riesling that money can buy. It's got beautiful aromatics with apricot, peach and that typical stony element so common to good German Riesling. This stony element comes from the slate laden soils of the steep hillside vineyards. In the mouth, this beauty is full-bodied with a somewhat oily texture and white, stone fruit flavors. It's long, lingering finish is sweet but balanced by bracing acidity. This interplay between residual sugar and acidity is an important quality here, the acidity making the wine taste less sweet than it is. This low alcohol wine goes well with Asian food, as an aperitif or even with a fresh fruit dessert. Imported by the Maximum Wine Company from the broker Rudi Wiest. Cheers.

Familia Grittini Areo Malbec 2009

Many Argentinian Malbecs continue to impress me and this $9.99 version from a little known region of Patagonia called Neuquen is a sure everyday winner. It took me quite awhile to find a website associated with the winery as it's name does not appear anywhere in the url. The Areo bottling was not listed anywhere and the importer's website (Simone International) offered no information either. Oh well, this region to the south of Mendoza, Argentina's leading wine producing area, is cooler and supposedly produces wines that are "more European" in style then those from the warmer climates to the north. I had my doubts when I noticed the 14.6% alcohol listing on the label as that kind of ripeness usually says "new world" to me.

Indeed, this wine is boldly fruited and large scaled and has everything you expect from a wine from this side of the Atlantic. To it's credit though, it also presents a measure of complexity you don't usually get at this price point. Big aromas of chocolatey cherry and coffee are prominent along with secondary notes of clove and earth. In the mouth, it's fairly full bodied with dark red fruit flavors and lingering spice notes on the finish. It hides it's high alcohol well with just a hint of heat on the back end.

Fans of the style will find a lot to like here and it's low acid flavors went well with grilled swordfish with pasta and a sauce of tomatoes, eggplant and mint. This fantastic recipe is from a friend and fantastic chef, Jack Kreitzman, whose San Francisco restaurant Jackson Fillmore Trattoria is a spot you should definitely check out when you visit the bay area. It's home style Italian cooking at it's best and at affordable prices. Cheers.

Under the Radar Italy - Gini Soave Classico 2010

Italy is such a vast source of wine. Every other day it seems I read another article about some little known DOC where amazing juice comes from practically unheard of grapes. My favorite blogger Tom Hyland of "Learn Italian Wines" has written extensively on Italian whites of late and it's clear that they are in general a vast and largely under-appreciated category. His post on Soave back in June was eye opening and led me right down to my local joint to see what they had from the region. I remember Bolla's Soave from my youth as being a regular bottle in our house. Choices were fewer back then. Now however, there are great examples of excellent Soave here in the states and tonight's entry level pour from Gini, a top producer in the zone, is one of them.

Made from 100% Garganega grapes that are produced just a bit shy of organic, this bottling is a great example of just how good these wines can be. After a bit of airing, it's aromas open to reveal pineapple, white peach and honey along with floral and nutty nuances. In the mouth, it's medium-bodied white fruit flavors are less tropical than the nose suggests yet fairly bold and wonderfully textured. There is excellent balancing acidity and a long minerally finish. Garganega is an indigenous varietal that ripens late and is too often blended with other varietals such as Pinot Blanc and Trebbiano. On it's own though, it can produce great wines like Gini's. Fermented entirely in stainless and left to rest on it's lees for 6 months, this beauty set me back $13.99. It's imported by Michael Skurnick.

Wine Ratings - The Fallacy of the 100 Point Scale

While working the Friday rush hour at my local wine shop this summer, I came to notice the different kinds of buyers and their strategies. There's the browsers, the label shoppers, the knowledgeable folks who want to talk wine and take a recommendation and the folks who buy by the numbers. These wine shoppers limit their choices to the wines that have big scores from the big critics. Robert Parker, Steve Tanzer and The Wine Spectator are probably the most high profile critics in the business and they all use the 100 point scale. Now don't get me wrong, all of these professionals have been reviewing wine for a lot longer than me and they all have impeccable credentials. I follow Parker and Tanzer in particular, the former because he is the most influential and the latter because I love his tasting notes and the fact that he talks to a lot of the winemakers.

The problem I have is that in our numbers oriented society, the 100 point scale can lead consumers to wrong conclusions. These consumers spend their shopping time reading the "shelf talkers" that are put up by the reps for the wholesalers to tout their high scoring products. But there are many different styles of wine. So for example, 88 points for a Beaujolais and 88 points for a California Cabernet are two completely different worlds. A lighter styled and delicate Beaujolais will probably not please someone with a taste for bigger, brawnier Cali Cab, 88 point score or not. It's way more important to actually read the reviewer's comments on the wine than to focus on the number. Foxglove Chardonnay (which I have written up) from California's Central Coast received a 90 point score from Robert Parker for the '09 vintage. The '09 had sold through and the '10 was on the shelf. This one particular customer would not buy the '10 no matter how hard I tried to convince him that there was probably very little difference between the two vintages. California has remarkably consistent weather and thus has very few bad vintages. Factor in a reputable producer like Varner, the winery that makes Foxglove, and you have about a 90% chance of  acquiring a very good to excellent wine. No 90 point score? Sorry, no sale. It's really disappointing to me when I see that. And, the '10 ended up getting a 90 from Parker anyway. Here's another example. A reviewer gives 90 point scores to both a $7.99 Spanish wine and an $80 red Burgundy. The consumer may think that the Spanish wine is the equal of that Burgundy. Not a chance. Again, these wines are from two different worlds. The Spanish wine will be fruity and basic while the Burgundy will have more elegance, complexity and staying power in terms of being able to age, all the while picking up more nuance and smoothing out it's components. Those two 90 point scores are not equal. What the reviewer says about the wine is much more important than the number itself.

In addition, having grown up in an educational system where numbers rule, some of these shoppers think that anything under 90 points is not even worth drinking. Will there really be an obvious difference between an 87 point wine and a 90 point wine? Probably not, and if so would one be able to pick out which is which in a blind tasting? I doubt it. It's sad because consumers consistently miss out on some really tasty juice simply because there is no number at all, or no big number attached to it. For me, wine is a living thing that changes and matures, even over the short term and even in the everyday category. And that means that it just can't be quantified, no matter how hard we try.  Cheers.

Real Deal Oregon - Rascal Pinot Noir

I've always loved Oregon Pinot Noir. It kind of bridges the old world style of Burgundy and the very fruity new world style of California with elements of both. In general, Oregon Pinots are fruitier than the former but sexier and more delicate than the latter and Pinot Noir fans should really experiment with these wines. If you're describing your everyday Pinot as "jammy", then it won't work for me. If your everyday Pinot is opaque, then it's probably too ripe and sweet for me. Pinot Noir should be light colored and translucent.

Which brings me to today's great find, Rascal Pinot Noir 2011 from the Great Oregon Wine Company. This may be the best entry level Pinot Noir I've tasted and at $8.99, it's a steal. Plus it's pure Willamette Valley fruit. Nowadays, the origin designation you get at this price point usually says something like "California", which means you get Central Valley fruit. Classic Pinot aromas of raspberry, cherry and cinnamon spice greet you. In the mouth, it's light bodied yet full flavored with wonderful red berry flavors, excellent acidity and a toasty note on the back end. It finishes a bit short, but all in all, this is a great example of what I think real Pinot Noir should be. This beauty paired perfectly with a simple roast chicken and it's delicate nature should also make it a great fit with grilled salmon. Cheers.

Update - I get a lot of hits on this post so I thought an update was in order. Once the 2011 of this wine sold out, the producers bottled a non-vintage version which probably consisted of 2010 and 2011 juice. Both '10 and '11 were small yield vintages. The bottling was okay but a lot of retailers passed on it as it is harder to sell non-vintage.  It appears that the 2012 Oregon vintage is both better and higher yielding then '10 or '11 and hopefully the 2012 Rascal will be released soon.

Parusso Rosato "Paruss" 2011

The Armando Parusso Estate in Monforte d'Alba, Italy is one of the most well known and highly regarded wineries in Piedmont. Known for their high end Barolos made from the Nebbiolo grape, they have been turning out world class wines for a long time. Nebbiolo is absolutely one of my favorite grapes and can be found not only as Barolo, but as Barbaresco and the entry level Nebbiolo d'Alba as well. It's also found in the wines of more out of the way places such as Ghemme and Carema as well.

Here however, we focus on the everyday wine for everyday consumption so when Nebbiolo roses started showing up on retailer's shelves a few years ago, I took note. This summer has been brutally hot here on the east coast and we have been drinking a lot of chilled wine. The Nebbiolo rose called "Paruss" from the Parusso estate is a fantastic $11.99 value. It's got big aromas of watermelon and light red berries along with floral and mineral notes. The flavors are just as big with the berries in the lead, notes of honey and a slight peppery quality. The bright, balancing acidity makes this a great food wine. Imported by Montecastelli, don't hesitate to pick up a bottle of this great summer quaffer. We drank this with a fantastic Mario Batali dish - chicken thighs with saffron, green olives and mint. Cheers.

A Break From the Heat & Back to the Reds - Ch. Beauchene Cotes du Rhone

There was actually something cool feeling in the air tonight and it felt great to sit out on the deck, lingering with dinner and the juice of the vine. After all, neither man nor woman can live with whites and roses alone. Variety is key. So when we decided on some pasta with a raw sauce of avocado, tomatoes and garlic, I just had to open a Cotes du Rhone. It had been awhile. This recipe is a house favorite and comes from Viana La Place and her wonderful Italian cookbook "Verdura". The sauce prior to adding the pasta is pictured here.

Wine is what we are all about here though so here I go. The 2010 Cotes du Rhone from Chateau Beauchene is a perfectly delicious $10.99 red. This cuvee is comprised of 60% Grenache, 27% Syrah, 10% Carignan, and 3% Cinsault from stony, alluvial soils. It's got raspberry compote and bright red cherry on the nose along with typical black pepper and Provencal herb accents. It's fairly generous of mouth feel with red berry and red plum flavors, bright acidity and some lightly dusty tannins on the finish. Though not the most intriguing Cotes du Rhone around, this is none the less a wonderful mid-week bottle. Imported by Regal Wine Imports. Cheers.

Case Ibidini Nero d'Avola 2009

Nero d'Avola, Sicily's most important grape, is often compared to Australian Shirazes. And while they share a warm climate with plenty of sun and little rain, this comparison usually doesn't work for me, especially at the everyday level. I find most Nero d'Avolas more balanced and food friendly than the aforementioned Australian wines, whose flavors run much more to raisiny over-ripeness and high alcohol. This version, another fine product of Polaner Selections, cost me an affordable $11.99. Produced by Valle dell'Acate, a winery now under 6th generation management, this graceful red delivers the goods. A beautiful translucent ruby color yields delicate raspberry, maraschino cherry and a stony minerality on the nose. The mouth filling yet somewhat high toned medium-bodied flavors run toward tart cherry and pomegranate with bracing acidity and a long, smooth finish. This paired very well with pasta with escarole and basil from the garden and cannellini beans. I'll take this over Australian Shiraz any day. Cheers.

Marques de Riscal Rueda Blanco 2010

I've become a big fan of many of the Spanish whites I've tasted over the last couple of years. Many of them are light and easy to drink and are the antithesis of many of the large scaled, heavy handed Spanish reds in the entry level category. Marques de Riscal is a winery that was founded in 1858 and there is a long track record of success. From the Rueda DO in Northwestern Spain, a high plains plateau, this everyday white wine is a blend comprised of mostly Verdejo with a small amount of Viura, both indigenous grapes. Somewhat nutty, leesy aromas are buoyed by pineapple, green apple and grassy notes. In the mouth, the somewhat oily texture yields medium bodied flavors of apple, melon and mint. There is excellent balance and crisp, vibrant acidity which makes this a refreshing, delicious summer drink. It finishes slightly tart and long. For the $9.99 price, this quaffer is hard to beat. Cheers!

Poderi Colla Dolcetto d'Alba - "Pian Balbo" 2010

The Piedmont district of northern Italy is home to some of the worlds most famous and long lived wines. Barolo and Barbaresco, made from the Nebbiolo grape, usually need 10 to 15 years to begin rounding into shape and then last even longer than that. Producers like Gaja, Conterno, Voerzio and many others are known the world over. But even in Piedmont, when it comes to everyday drinking, Dolcetto rules. Cultivated since the middle ages, this early ripening varietal, although found in a few other places in Italy (such as Oltrepo Pavese near Verona) does best in the cooler, hillier areas in Piedmont. Here, the extra hang time contributes to more even ripening.

Poderi Colla has been around Piedmont since the 18 century and the current generation makes traditionally styled wines that complement food in every way. This bottling is from a single vineyard planted at 885 ft. in altitude with southern and western exposures. Slow to open aromas gradually reveal beautiful bitter cherry, clove, nutmeg and floral notes. This is one of those wines I could sit and sniff for a long while. In the mouth it's a bit less complex than the aromas and light to medium in body with the bitter cherry flavors dominating and vibrant acidity giving it lift. A little like pinot noir in flavor, it finishes with some dusty tannins. This is a great weeknight wine that is fresh and lively and sees no wood at all. A selection of the wonderful broker Neil Empson, this lovely $12.99 Dolcetto went great our hometown pizza from Nomad Pizza. Cheers.

Off the Beaten Path Italy - Terredora Dipaolo Falanghina 2010

Southern Italy boasts a huge number of overlooked, under appreciated  and downright ignored indigenous varietals. Names like Gaglioppo, Cannonau, Fiano, Piedirosso, Negroamaro and Grillo are just a few of the grape names that make southern Italian wines. As a fan of the local varietals, nothing is more interesting to me than delving into wines derived from this fruit. In the southern Italian region of Campania, several white varietals make wines that some of us are familiar with. Names like Fiano di Avellino, Lacryma Christi and Greco di Tufo are fairly common in the American marketplace. Falanghina on the other hand, is less well known. And, for everyday purposes like mine, those more well known wines are most likely going to cost more than $15 and more often approach the $20 mark.

Not so with Terredora Dipaolo's wonderful $13.99 Falanghina. This virtually unknown varietal makes a wine that is a crisp, refreshing everyday white that will work well with all your fish dishes, grilled shrimp and even simple grilled chicken. I tasted the 2010 for this post but with the consistently nice weather in this part of Italy, vintage is less important than with other wine regions. This tasty wine has some typical hot climate white wine aromas of candied apple and white peach along with apricot and floral notes. In the mouth, it's fairly fat and fruity with apple, peach and citrus flavors, but it is still balanced out with bright acidity. It finishes with toast and honey notes. Aged for a time on it's lees in stainless steel, this refreshing wine sees no wood whatsoever. It's imported by one of my favorites, Vias. Also, one of my favorite wine writers, Tom Hyland, has a couple of reports on Campania whites on his blog, learnitalianwines. Be sure to check him out. Cheers!