SPAIN 2011

In about a month, it will once again be time for the annual (hopefully, going forward twice yearly?) trip to Spain. A portion of the trip I will be tagging along with this NC resident's crew, with stops in Jerez, Rioja and Pais Vasco, which will feature a tour of one of my favorite ciders. Swate! (actually, sour, but for me that would be sweet!) Anyway, verbal gymnastics aside, the rest of the time I will be in Rioja for some further wine exploration, as well as outside Girona for a bit more of the same as well as some R&R. And, of course,there will be the big PVN (productores de vinos naturales) tasting in Barcelona, featuring Laureano Serres along with some of his Spanish, French and Italian colleagues. A lot to look forward to this March!

Apropos the upcoming viaje to España, let's take a look at two Spanish wines I enjoyed recently.

La Cigarrera Manzanilla Sanlucar de Barrameda

The freshness, vibrancy and immediacy of this young manzanilla exceeds that of any other I have yet to drink. Now I love manzanilla (the name given to fino sherry aged in Sanlucar), but something about this particular one is so appealing and gulpable. The fruit is very expressive, reminding me of the abundant nisperos (loquats - like tinier, not as fuzzy, tangier apricots) you see in the Andalusian markets. Clearly, these wines were bottled and shipped very fresh. Of course, the requisite slight almond nuttiness also shows on this wine's finish. A real treat that I'll be drinking lots of this year.

2000 Lopez de Heredia Viña Bosconia Reserva Rioja

Though it was initially a bit tight, this one opened up to show all of the succulent warm red fruit one could hope for in a Bosconia, with that distinctive minerality and elegance. I do not recall the average age of barrels used to age this wine, but I bet it is north of 5 years, which is older than those used at most other traditional producers in Rioja. This wine went spectacularly with grilled Spanish style, pimenton laced, garlicky chorizos on its first night open. On the second night, it complemented a vegetarian meal of sauteed cauliflower, parboiled carrots, salad, bread and cheese. On night three, the Bosconia was great with braised chicken.

Hip-Hop Friday featuring Saafir's "Pull Ya Card"

Das Racist at The Independent

This is about the closest a show has ever matched up to my expectations ever (not at all high, in this case). Even when Das Racist is not trying that hard (which I think is all the time) they still entertain and write better raps than most. I've a few questions though:

At this point in their career, why rap to tracks played over a Macbook? What, no DJ?
If the group took themselves just a little bit more seriously, would it make a difference?
Are there enough half smoked j's in a 300 person venue to satisfy Victor Vazquez' need for the weed?

Intriguingly sweet stuff from Barbeito

I bet that I could count on one hand the amount of times sweet wines (not demi-sec or Spatlesen, but full on sweet wines) have received their due here. There's a very good reason for that: most sweet wines (dessert wines, if you must) just don't interest me. Too heavy, too much sweetness, not enough acidity, not enough bottle or barrel aged intrigue to balance out the flavor profile and encourage another sip. Following are examples of sweet wines which generally fit into this category for me:

Ruby port
White port
Tawny port
Late bottled vintage (LBV) port
Vintage port (young, middle aged and 50ish years old - older than that I cannot say)
Pedro Ximenez
Sauternes
Muscat de Beaume de venise
Banyuls
Rasteau vin doux naturel
Australian "stickies"

German Riesling BA's would be an exception, as would good Eiswein and TBA, but given my little tasting experience with them as well as their high prices, I would say that these wines reside in a sort of sweet wine limbo. Oh, and I should mention that good examples of the terrific Hungarian dessert wines, Tokaji Aszu, would absolutely be welcome at my table.

What about great Madeira, though? Somehow, against all odds (southerly lattitude, fortification to 19-20%, popularity amongst rich, silver haired, late 18th-19th c Americans) these are arguably amongst the most intriguing of sweet wines. How could this be? Well, the simple answer would be terrific balancing acidity, even for the sweet Malvasia wines. A more complete explanation could be found in the wine I am sipping (perhaps more honestly, downing, given that I'm considering a third small glass of it this evening), the Barbeito/Rare Wine Company New York Malmsey.

Barbeito's Ricardo Freitas, as far as I'm concerned, is a winemaking genius. Surely the peculiar terroir of the island of Madeira is contributing something, here, but terroir and estufagem (slow heat exposure method critical to the creation of Madeira) can only give you so much. Having tasted some other blended, non-vintage Madeira, none are as complex, classy, and acid driven as those of Barbeito. Currently I'm drinking the sweetest of Rare Wine Company and Barbeito's Historic series blended Madeiras, the New York Malmsey. Containing wine as old as 50 years, there is little here to suggest a wine this old, the flavors are so vibrant. Sure, the wine is initially cola sweet. Pay attention, though, and there is a wonderful spicy quality, old wood aromas and flavors, and a truly bright, candied orange peel character to the finish. This tastes traditional and authentic, if I may be so bold as to say so (and if you will indulge me the right to describe wines I already know to be this way).

I'm about to pour one more (small) glass. Right about now I should stop....

3 One Line Resto Reviews

Live in SF and looking to try some new restaurants? Visiting town and don't want to be disappointed by any of your precious few meals? Here are three more (very) brief reviews to consult.

Starbelly (16th/Market, Castro)

Location, location, location. Floppy greasy pizza, mediocre food, comfy patio.

Mission Beach Cafe (14th/Guerrero, Mission)

Bright. Tasty, somewhat expensive, egg dishes good, huckleberry pie, superb.

Ichi (Mission/Godeus, Mission)

Cozy, but energetic, good sushi, beautiful plating, wagyu - yes. VALUE.

Verses from a blogger

NEW FEATURE ALERT:

Every now and again, as the feeling strikes me, when the moon shines just so, casting its strange yellow-white light down upon San Francisco, I'm going to provide a lil' internet rap for you (by the way, much has already been made of the "internet MC" phenomenon - I'm cool with being called that since, for now, that is essentially my brand of MCing, and yes - I'm aware that the MC nomenclature for such MCing is dubious). If you rap, or are into hip-hop, and want to constructively comment, then feel free to do so. If neither of the above applies to you, please know that there is a certain rhythm with which these verses need to be recited, rhythm which you probably do not possess. Therefore, while you may be fit to critique it as poetry, you definitely cannot comment on its qualities as hip-hop verse.

We'll see if this new feature joins the growing list of other features which have since disappeared into the blogging ether or, perhaps, if it actually has some legs.

Here are my 8 bars. Enjoy.

I'm from the town of McNulty, red checkered cloth, gnocchi
Mochi, Benkyodo, pre-packaged? Out my dojo
Always free, not for dough though For real? Yep, for real though
Too much gimme, too much sponsors, too much whoring, no responses
I'm contrarian, antiquarian, surge like Tankian
Bubble like Mittoo, you a musician, oh me too
An artist, a drinker, hyper link linker
Real sick thinker, relaxed like the south of France

Grenache, take 3

Grenache made well is a beautiful thing. A fruity, spicy, rich yet simultaneously fresh, sappy, scruffy mediterranean herb tinged beautiful thing. Unfortunately, I don't get most, or even some, of these personal palate memory descriptors in most grenache based wines: not in Cotes du Rhone, Gigondas, Chateauneuf du Pape, nor in California's central coast. Burgundy is often described as full of landmines for those seeking authenticity and value, but how about Chateauneuf du Pape? Rare is the CdP which balances the generously spicy, savory and tangy qualities of a classic grenache driven blend.

Rather than dwell on what I hate (always good fun, but rarely constructive), I have decided to focus on what is good. Instead of focusing on how disappointing that 2000 Rayas, or 2000 Vieux Telegraphe, was, I'll opt to remember the 2001 Fonsalette, or most Gramenon and Texier grenache based wines I have drunk.

And here are two more wines to add to the steadily burgeoning list of grenache I actually like.

2005 Chateau Montfaucon Cotes du Rhone

A blend of grenache, syrah, cinsault and carignane, co-fermented and aged for 18 months in concrete. I would not be surprised if the somewhat rustic, spicy, and surprisingly fresh qualities on display here have something to do with the contribution of the latter two grapes. Also, the winery only uses estate fruit, organically farmed, from lower yielding vines. According to the website, organic compost consisting of sheep manure and marc is used, native grasses are grown between rows, and plowing is only done when necessary in very dry vintages. This wine manages to show both ripeness and delicacy, intensity and nuance, spicy herbs and higher toned fruit. Delicious wine and a real keeper, if only I had another bottle to keep.

2008 Qupe Sawyer Lindquist Grenache Edna Valley

All I remember about Bob Lindquist’s new, younger vine grenache (I was about 40 wines in prior to tasting it) is the beautiful, translucent, light ruby color, and the tangy red fruit. A delicate side of grenache, courtesy of a winemaker who clearly values both grenache and delicacy.