Mostly winners, with one notable exception courtesy of Bordeaux, France. Without further ado here is what I tasted (and in some instances, drank) this past Saturday at work and then at Terroir.
WINNERS
Anchor Steam San Francisco
A local classic. Not the best or most exciting beer, but pretty darn tasty.
2006 Domaine de Tournelle Savagnin Arbois
Great acidity and freshness. This one tastes a bit more like white Burg than I remember.
NV Foreau Vouvray Brut
Solid sparkling Chenin. In the realm of Vouvray with bubbles I still prefer Huet when I want richness and complexity, Pinon when I want something bright and delicious, but Foreau is still very good.
2005 Jacques Puffeney Chardonnay Arbois
Classic Puff-puff: very broad, generous, persistent, and Jurassic like 5.
2005 Jacques Puffeney Trousseau Arbois
My sole/soul red for the evening....
2005 Domaine Rollin Pernand-Vergeless "Sous Fretille" 1er Cru
This wine showed better than when I last tasted 5 months ago, less oaky, and better put together. Still not as much to my liking as their 2004 villages, though.
LOSER
1999 Cos d'Estournel St.Estephe
I hereby pronounce this wine dead. Mort. Unfortunately, tasted several times over the past year, with consistent impressions.
WINES IN NEED OF MORE TIME
2000 Chateau Rayas Chateauneuf du Pape
A tough wine to taste, especially after several glasses of higher acid white. I did not find that the wine budged much over the course of an hour. Grenache continues to form a major blind spot in my tasting experience. As I remarked to Jake of Cherries and Clay, who was in SF prior to heading back to his hometown for the Olympics, if I have a difficult time appreciating Rayas then it must be official: I have no love for grenache.
2006 Henri Gouges Cotes de Nuits Village Clos des Porrets St George
Very tight and unyielding right now. I'll check back in on this bottle a bit later this week.
Showing posts with label Terroir. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Terroir. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
The Wine Bloggentsia Meet-up at Terroir
Well, it's 12:25am. Not too long ago, I saw David McDuff and his wife Lorie out the door after a lovely dinner at our apartment. He got the full, dinner at Natalie and Joe's experience: late start, late finish, paper towel napkins, and some simple, humbly thrown together food in between.
As I'm awake and trying to re-instill a sense of diligence and discipline on the blog, I thought I might write up a list of some wines we (McDuff, Slaton, Wolfgang, Emily and, to a lesser extent since they were on the clock, Cory and Dagan) drank on Monday night at Terroir, with brief personal tasting notes occasionally spiced by others' perspectives.
2007 Tavijn Grignolino - There is more soul and Piedmont-ness in this delicious bottle than many Baroli and Barbaresco out there. Serious, broad, earthy cherry aromas lead to a tense, tangy dark cherry, brooding, and, especially for the grape variety, serious mouthful of wine. I love good Grignolino, and this is probably better than my previous favorite by at least 30% or so. I drank the Tavijn with a margherita pizza made outside a local bar in an oven attached to a trailer. Not great, but certainly decent enough for street pizza. Poletana pizza was the name.
2008 Domaine de la Tournelles Poulsard - Reductive and a bit mean on the nose. Flavors were all tart red fruit which went straight to the sides of the mouth and back of the palate, not much of anything on the mid-palate. I'd usually enjoy this, but for some reason various elements were not in particularly good balance. It was a bit funky and sharp, not too pleasant. Slaton and I were chatting Poulsard. How Puffeny makes some great Poulsard from which he somehow coaxes great depth of flavor and texture. Tissot is too pristine and not close to that level for either of us. Tournelles, he was saying, is tempramental and occasionally funky, which I experienced in full force. The wine did settle down and improve somewhat, however. When it comes to world class Poulsard, there is Puffeney and there is Houillon, which Cory was saying could be sold for upwards of $60 to the fervently supportive natural wine drinkers in Japan. Maybe just the Dressner company line, but fuck it - I know how good the wine is and how Japan fetishizes certain things as only Japan can. So tightly allocated Poulsard, here we go. One of my co-workers would really get a kick out of that, allocated natural Poulsard - Champagne Gary, I fucking kid you not, it exists....
2002 Clos Rougeard Saumur-Champigny (opened two days prior)
Thanks to Slaton for bringing the remains of this bottle. He was mentioning a wine with almost Morey St Denis type flavors upon opening. After a few days, the tell-tale cab franc veg notes were there, but so was tasty, savory, dark fruit and a really elegant, silken texture. Would have loved to follow this wine from opening to where it was last night.
2004 Rollin Pernand-Vergelesses 1er Cru Sous Fetille
To my minimally trained (and minimally appreciative) white burgundy palate, I much preferred this producer's villages, which actually has some Pinot Blanc in the blend, to this 1er cru which I'm assuming has a lot less or none at all. Much more overt oakiness, alcohol, and lack of togetherness in this wine, even as it fleshed out and integrated over the course of a little longer than an hour. It still wasn't doing it for me then, though I stood squarely in the minority on this one. Chalk it up to chardonnay and French oak hating, but I was really disappointed here. On a brighter note, the last sip was nearly enjoyable.
2004 Rollin Pernand-Vergeless
OK, I actually drank this wine at Terroir a week ago, but it made quite the positive impression. Plus, as much as I liked it I did not want to leave on a negative note for Rollin given my experience with his wine above. This wine had everything I was wishing it's slightly fancier sibling had: rich texture, impeccable balance, mouth expansive, delicious stone fruit flavors offset by lightly roasted nuts. The elegance and flavor development in this wine made it one of my favorite chardonnay based wines of the past couple years for me. I'm not much of a chardonnay guy, though, so take that for what it's worth.
2008 Dashe L'Enfant Terrible Zinfandel McFadden Farm Potter Valley
A bit oakier than I remember it, a suspicion that was confirmed when I learned that there were not enough grapes to fill up Dashe's beloved larger foudre. I prefer last year's, though I must say that the last sip o this 2 oz taste, consumed 40 or so minutes after it was poured, was showing very well, drier and more structured than it had showed upon first pouring.
2007 Foillard Morgon "Cuvee Courcelette"
Another wine geek wine. This was peppery and quite reductive initially, showing tense and structured gamay fruit which eventually opened up and softened a bit. It's very mineral and a bit backward out the gate, but really opens up with air. Tasty stuff, and worthy of the bonafide wine geek coveted beaujolais status.
2001 Bunan Bandol "Moulindes" (375ml)
I was joking with DMcD tonight that perhaps this was an ill advised move, to just get one more bottle, or half bottle as it were, after all the drinking which previously took place. A huge departure from the types of wines we had been drinking the rest of the night, this guy showed meaty, dark fruits, black olive, and loads of structure. One for food, not for closing out the wine geek night. Still, decent wine - we could have done worse.
As I'm awake and trying to re-instill a sense of diligence and discipline on the blog, I thought I might write up a list of some wines we (McDuff, Slaton, Wolfgang, Emily and, to a lesser extent since they were on the clock, Cory and Dagan) drank on Monday night at Terroir, with brief personal tasting notes occasionally spiced by others' perspectives.
2007 Tavijn Grignolino - There is more soul and Piedmont-ness in this delicious bottle than many Baroli and Barbaresco out there. Serious, broad, earthy cherry aromas lead to a tense, tangy dark cherry, brooding, and, especially for the grape variety, serious mouthful of wine. I love good Grignolino, and this is probably better than my previous favorite by at least 30% or so. I drank the Tavijn with a margherita pizza made outside a local bar in an oven attached to a trailer. Not great, but certainly decent enough for street pizza. Poletana pizza was the name.
2008 Domaine de la Tournelles Poulsard - Reductive and a bit mean on the nose. Flavors were all tart red fruit which went straight to the sides of the mouth and back of the palate, not much of anything on the mid-palate. I'd usually enjoy this, but for some reason various elements were not in particularly good balance. It was a bit funky and sharp, not too pleasant. Slaton and I were chatting Poulsard. How Puffeny makes some great Poulsard from which he somehow coaxes great depth of flavor and texture. Tissot is too pristine and not close to that level for either of us. Tournelles, he was saying, is tempramental and occasionally funky, which I experienced in full force. The wine did settle down and improve somewhat, however. When it comes to world class Poulsard, there is Puffeney and there is Houillon, which Cory was saying could be sold for upwards of $60 to the fervently supportive natural wine drinkers in Japan. Maybe just the Dressner company line, but fuck it - I know how good the wine is and how Japan fetishizes certain things as only Japan can. So tightly allocated Poulsard, here we go. One of my co-workers would really get a kick out of that, allocated natural Poulsard - Champagne Gary, I fucking kid you not, it exists....
2002 Clos Rougeard Saumur-Champigny (opened two days prior)
Thanks to Slaton for bringing the remains of this bottle. He was mentioning a wine with almost Morey St Denis type flavors upon opening. After a few days, the tell-tale cab franc veg notes were there, but so was tasty, savory, dark fruit and a really elegant, silken texture. Would have loved to follow this wine from opening to where it was last night.
2004 Rollin Pernand-Vergelesses 1er Cru Sous Fetille
To my minimally trained (and minimally appreciative) white burgundy palate, I much preferred this producer's villages, which actually has some Pinot Blanc in the blend, to this 1er cru which I'm assuming has a lot less or none at all. Much more overt oakiness, alcohol, and lack of togetherness in this wine, even as it fleshed out and integrated over the course of a little longer than an hour. It still wasn't doing it for me then, though I stood squarely in the minority on this one. Chalk it up to chardonnay and French oak hating, but I was really disappointed here. On a brighter note, the last sip was nearly enjoyable.
2004 Rollin Pernand-Vergeless
OK, I actually drank this wine at Terroir a week ago, but it made quite the positive impression. Plus, as much as I liked it I did not want to leave on a negative note for Rollin given my experience with his wine above. This wine had everything I was wishing it's slightly fancier sibling had: rich texture, impeccable balance, mouth expansive, delicious stone fruit flavors offset by lightly roasted nuts. The elegance and flavor development in this wine made it one of my favorite chardonnay based wines of the past couple years for me. I'm not much of a chardonnay guy, though, so take that for what it's worth.
2008 Dashe L'Enfant Terrible Zinfandel McFadden Farm Potter Valley
A bit oakier than I remember it, a suspicion that was confirmed when I learned that there were not enough grapes to fill up Dashe's beloved larger foudre. I prefer last year's, though I must say that the last sip o this 2 oz taste, consumed 40 or so minutes after it was poured, was showing very well, drier and more structured than it had showed upon first pouring.
2007 Foillard Morgon "Cuvee Courcelette"
Another wine geek wine. This was peppery and quite reductive initially, showing tense and structured gamay fruit which eventually opened up and softened a bit. It's very mineral and a bit backward out the gate, but really opens up with air. Tasty stuff, and worthy of the bonafide wine geek coveted beaujolais status.
2001 Bunan Bandol "Moulindes" (375ml)
I was joking with DMcD tonight that perhaps this was an ill advised move, to just get one more bottle, or half bottle as it were, after all the drinking which previously took place. A huge departure from the types of wines we had been drinking the rest of the night, this guy showed meaty, dark fruits, black olive, and loads of structure. One for food, not for closing out the wine geek night. Still, decent wine - we could have done worse.
Sunday, July 19, 2009
I'm posting on a Sunday (yeah that's right, I did it)
It was another wine filled evening last night at Terroir with a few 31 Days of Natural Wine contributors, 31 Days planner Cory Cartwright, Spanish importer José Pastor and assorted other fans of the fermented grapes of the world all in the house. We enjoyed a good variety of wines, some of them humble and tasty, others of fancier pedigree and unmistakable quality. Here's a rundown:
Equipo Navazos La Bota de Fino No. 15
I've been meaning to try one of Equipo Navazos' sherries for a while now, and thanks to José Pastor I had the opportunity to do so last night. Likening it to the Jacques Selosse Cuvee Substance of the sherry world, José explained to me how this is a negociant selection of a few of the finest barrels (averaging 10 years of age) of Valdespino Fino. It is bottled unfiltered, a rarity in Jerez. Think of your favorite fino. Intensify and amplify the unmistakable sea salt, nuts and fruit aromas. Add a significant amount of weight, richness and texture to the palate, but do no subtract any of the grace and elegance which typify good Fino. There you have it, my new favorite fino sherry. Rare and tough to find, though I have every intention to track some down to have around home. It's that simple, I got to have it.
2007 Becker Landgraf Riesling Feinherb
Satiny texture, bright and clean stone fruits, well made Rheinhessen riesling. This is a great accompaniment to most (if not all) of the Chinese dishes at Heaven's Dog, where José and I loaded up on some tasty veges and a bit of pork prior to drinking.
2006 Les Cretes Petite Arvine 'Vigne Champorette'
Waxy textured, with plums, yellow fruit skins, and a ripe, plump, juicy yet still fresh flavor profile. Fun.
2006 Franck Peillot Bugey Mondeuse
Gritty cherry fruits, with some minerals, moderately assertive tannins and a bitter snap to the finish.
1978 Lopez de Heredia Viña Bosconia Rioja Gran Reserva
Soft, very savory, earthy, slightly smoky and reminiscent a bit of aged Cote Rotie. If this bottle is any indication (and given the variation, this is not necessarily any indication) then this wine should probably be drunk within the next several years. It's very good, for sure, though not nearly as wound up, high toned and high acid as the '81. While I really enjoyed this '78, it did not really remind me of Bosconia's typically Burgundy-like flavors and textures.
2000 Pierre Overnoy Arbois Pupillin Blanc
The unbelievably high acidity in this wine made up for what I perceived as an acid deficit in the Bosconia drunk before this. For a grape I love so much, I have such a tough time describing savagnin sometimes, especially when it's as piercing, cutting and chiseled as this. At this moment, the only thing I can liken the sensation to is listening carefully to how the high hat cymbals were mixed in many mid 70's Jamaican recordings.
Big thank you to Cory for organizing the party. It's always fun to see familiar faces while meeting some new folks as well.
Equipo Navazos La Bota de Fino No. 15
I've been meaning to try one of Equipo Navazos' sherries for a while now, and thanks to José Pastor I had the opportunity to do so last night. Likening it to the Jacques Selosse Cuvee Substance of the sherry world, José explained to me how this is a negociant selection of a few of the finest barrels (averaging 10 years of age) of Valdespino Fino. It is bottled unfiltered, a rarity in Jerez. Think of your favorite fino. Intensify and amplify the unmistakable sea salt, nuts and fruit aromas. Add a significant amount of weight, richness and texture to the palate, but do no subtract any of the grace and elegance which typify good Fino. There you have it, my new favorite fino sherry. Rare and tough to find, though I have every intention to track some down to have around home. It's that simple, I got to have it.
2007 Becker Landgraf Riesling Feinherb
Satiny texture, bright and clean stone fruits, well made Rheinhessen riesling. This is a great accompaniment to most (if not all) of the Chinese dishes at Heaven's Dog, where José and I loaded up on some tasty veges and a bit of pork prior to drinking.
2006 Les Cretes Petite Arvine 'Vigne Champorette'
Waxy textured, with plums, yellow fruit skins, and a ripe, plump, juicy yet still fresh flavor profile. Fun.
2006 Franck Peillot Bugey Mondeuse
Gritty cherry fruits, with some minerals, moderately assertive tannins and a bitter snap to the finish.
1978 Lopez de Heredia Viña Bosconia Rioja Gran Reserva
Soft, very savory, earthy, slightly smoky and reminiscent a bit of aged Cote Rotie. If this bottle is any indication (and given the variation, this is not necessarily any indication) then this wine should probably be drunk within the next several years. It's very good, for sure, though not nearly as wound up, high toned and high acid as the '81. While I really enjoyed this '78, it did not really remind me of Bosconia's typically Burgundy-like flavors and textures.
2000 Pierre Overnoy Arbois Pupillin Blanc
The unbelievably high acidity in this wine made up for what I perceived as an acid deficit in the Bosconia drunk before this. For a grape I love so much, I have such a tough time describing savagnin sometimes, especially when it's as piercing, cutting and chiseled as this. At this moment, the only thing I can liken the sensation to is listening carefully to how the high hat cymbals were mixed in many mid 70's Jamaican recordings.
Big thank you to Cory for organizing the party. It's always fun to see familiar faces while meeting some new folks as well.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Minimal slacking on the wine drinking recently
On assignment for the podcast, I bellied up to the bar at Terroir recently and, in between interviewing a few patrons as well as the owners, I drank some wine. Here are the highlights, or at least what I remember well enough to briefly describe.
Domaine Vigneau-Chevreau Vouvray Petillant NV
Decent, fresh, chenin sparkler, if a little lacking in excitement. Obviously this does not show the depth of flavor of the best ('02 or even '01 Huet). But, to me it also doesn't have the fruit purity and immediate appeal of the Pinon ('06 is so good, and the '04 out of magnum is stellar as well). May be more interesting with another year in bottle, employing the British style of cellaring a bubbly a year before drinking?
2006 Francois Mikulski Bourgogne Blanc
Based in Meursault, Mikulski has made one of those rare chardonnays not from the Jura or Champagne which I find to be both interesting and pleasant to drink. Fresh pear flavors, some subtle white flowers, and ripe warm vintage palate weight balanced by fresh acids and lovely lifted elegance.
2006 Occhipinti Il Frappato
Pretty, tiny red berry fruit on a relatively tight and light frame, but still somehow ripe, exuberant and Italian all the same. Does that make sense? And if yes, other than Cos (a bit controversial as some of you surely disagree here) and Gulfi do others make this style of wine in Sicilia? Let's not get into Etna reds, as they can be impressive but also a lot more mineral and intense as well. I'm just looking for the pretty berries, acid and drinkability, here.
2005 Quintarelli Primofiore
Corvina, Molinara, Rondinella, and a splash of Cab Franc (?) Very much the opposite of the wine above. Big, foresty, dark fruited and exotic as well. This wasn't so overblown and lacking interest as to be a struggle to drink the glass, though I definitely would not order a full bottle even to split 3-4 ways. Guess that for Quintarelli, one ought to go all in and splurge for the valpo or amarone experience.
2005 Jo Pithon 'Les Pepenieres' Anjou Blanc
Thanks to Michael for buying this one and suggesting the mini vert which followed. Big, ripe Chenin from this popular producer of generally rich, weighty, oaked chenin. While I thought the wine would be too much for my easily bullied white wine palate, I actually found the wine to be rich, flavorful, palate coating and still easy to drink.
2004 Jo Pithon 'Les Pepenieres Anjou Blanc
A more mineral and nervous version of the above. While I expected to enjoy it more, if anything it seemed a bit more closed. Though, as far as these mini verticals go, a big, powerful vintage that manages to retain its balance will often times outshine the more classic vintage, so I'd be curious to try each of these again on their own. Unfortunately, I suspect that the bottles of '04 are in very short supply.
The aforementioned Michael also brought these two wines from his cellar - very generous, thanks again, Michael.
2001 Vincent Dauvissat Chablis 'Les Preuses' Grand Cru
Really classic, creamy Chablis minerals here. Decomposed marine organism minerality (yes, I have had many decomposed marine organisms in my time) dominated the flavors of this wine. Not sure if I'd want to drink in another few years, but it tastes pretty good right now.
2001 Henri Gouges Nuit St Georges 'Le Vaucrain' 1er Cru
Seemed very firm, tight, and unwielding for an '01 burg around this level, but hey, it's burgundy so what do I know? And for that matter, it's red Burgundy so what does anyone really know about these wines?
Domaine Vigneau-Chevreau Vouvray Petillant NV
Decent, fresh, chenin sparkler, if a little lacking in excitement. Obviously this does not show the depth of flavor of the best ('02 or even '01 Huet). But, to me it also doesn't have the fruit purity and immediate appeal of the Pinon ('06 is so good, and the '04 out of magnum is stellar as well). May be more interesting with another year in bottle, employing the British style of cellaring a bubbly a year before drinking?
2006 Francois Mikulski Bourgogne Blanc
Based in Meursault, Mikulski has made one of those rare chardonnays not from the Jura or Champagne which I find to be both interesting and pleasant to drink. Fresh pear flavors, some subtle white flowers, and ripe warm vintage palate weight balanced by fresh acids and lovely lifted elegance.
2006 Occhipinti Il Frappato
Pretty, tiny red berry fruit on a relatively tight and light frame, but still somehow ripe, exuberant and Italian all the same. Does that make sense? And if yes, other than Cos (a bit controversial as some of you surely disagree here) and Gulfi do others make this style of wine in Sicilia? Let's not get into Etna reds, as they can be impressive but also a lot more mineral and intense as well. I'm just looking for the pretty berries, acid and drinkability, here.
2005 Quintarelli Primofiore
Corvina, Molinara, Rondinella, and a splash of Cab Franc (?) Very much the opposite of the wine above. Big, foresty, dark fruited and exotic as well. This wasn't so overblown and lacking interest as to be a struggle to drink the glass, though I definitely would not order a full bottle even to split 3-4 ways. Guess that for Quintarelli, one ought to go all in and splurge for the valpo or amarone experience.
2005 Jo Pithon 'Les Pepenieres' Anjou Blanc
Thanks to Michael for buying this one and suggesting the mini vert which followed. Big, ripe Chenin from this popular producer of generally rich, weighty, oaked chenin. While I thought the wine would be too much for my easily bullied white wine palate, I actually found the wine to be rich, flavorful, palate coating and still easy to drink.
2004 Jo Pithon 'Les Pepenieres Anjou Blanc
A more mineral and nervous version of the above. While I expected to enjoy it more, if anything it seemed a bit more closed. Though, as far as these mini verticals go, a big, powerful vintage that manages to retain its balance will often times outshine the more classic vintage, so I'd be curious to try each of these again on their own. Unfortunately, I suspect that the bottles of '04 are in very short supply.
The aforementioned Michael also brought these two wines from his cellar - very generous, thanks again, Michael.
2001 Vincent Dauvissat Chablis 'Les Preuses' Grand Cru
Really classic, creamy Chablis minerals here. Decomposed marine organism minerality (yes, I have had many decomposed marine organisms in my time) dominated the flavors of this wine. Not sure if I'd want to drink in another few years, but it tastes pretty good right now.
2001 Henri Gouges Nuit St Georges 'Le Vaucrain' 1er Cru
Seemed very firm, tight, and unwielding for an '01 burg around this level, but hey, it's burgundy so what do I know? And for that matter, it's red Burgundy so what does anyone really know about these wines?
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Good ol' Tasting Notes...in three words or less
Some more quality time spent at Terroir last night, with my Birminghamian (England) co-worker, her husband, one of her friends (also from Birmingham) visiting San Francisco, as well as everyone's favorite San Jose based wine/food/music blogger, Cory Cartwright, with his lovely wife Emily. Incidentally, Cory has some very interesting things planned on his blog to celebrate natural wines in June. It's a growing list of slated contributors, including myself, Dr. J, Natural Process Alliance's Kevin Kelley, and others. As Kurt Loder used to say on MTV news, 'Do try to catch it.'
Last night, I was also spinning some records, often times letting a few tunes run in a row as there is only one turntable set up in a tiny area towards the back of the bar. Assuming the powers that be enjoyed the change of pace, I might do this again, in which case I'll publicize beforehand next time. If you enjoy the more than occasional youtube clips I post here including (but not limited to) the likes of Mobb Deep, Black Uhuru, Steel Pulse, Gangstarr, Kraftwerk, Mad Professor, etc, then you might enjoy checking it out.
And now, les vins...
'07 Marc Ollivier 'Clos de Briords' Muscadet- Crispy entree
NV ('95, not labeled as such) Renee Collard 'Cuvee Ultime' Champagne - lees, spice, broad
'07 Thierry Puzelat Le Brin de Chevre Touraine - Squeaky clean, focused
'08 Jean Foillard Gamay (forget exact name on label) - beaujo light
'07 Jean Foillard Morgon - now we talkin'
'06 COS Cerasuolo di Vittoria - cherriesburntbrownsugar
05 Eric Texier St Gervais - needed more decanting
'04 Domaine de Belliviers 'Hommage a Louis Derré' Coteaux du Loir- crack cocaine production
Last night, I was also spinning some records, often times letting a few tunes run in a row as there is only one turntable set up in a tiny area towards the back of the bar. Assuming the powers that be enjoyed the change of pace, I might do this again, in which case I'll publicize beforehand next time. If you enjoy the more than occasional youtube clips I post here including (but not limited to) the likes of Mobb Deep, Black Uhuru, Steel Pulse, Gangstarr, Kraftwerk, Mad Professor, etc, then you might enjoy checking it out.
And now, les vins...
'07 Marc Ollivier 'Clos de Briords' Muscadet- Crispy entree
NV ('95, not labeled as such) Renee Collard 'Cuvee Ultime' Champagne - lees, spice, broad
'07 Thierry Puzelat Le Brin de Chevre Touraine - Squeaky clean, focused
'08 Jean Foillard Gamay (forget exact name on label) - beaujo light
'07 Jean Foillard Morgon - now we talkin'
'06 COS Cerasuolo di Vittoria - cherriesburntbrownsugar
05 Eric Texier St Gervais - needed more decanting
'04 Domaine de Belliviers 'Hommage a Louis Derré' Coteaux du Loir- crack cocaine production
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Eric Asimov likes Terroir Natural Wine Merchant and blogs about it
Big up to Cory Cartwright for bringing this one to my attention.
And a huge congratulations of course to Dagan Ministero, Guilhaume Gerard and Luc Ertoran, for conceiving of and building up the coolest damn wine shop/bar in the United States. What I have learned from these guys by spending time drinking in their wine bar over the past year and a half or so has been invaluable towards adding to my understanding, and appreciation, of all things wine.
Authentic, confident, fiercely opinionated. That's how I'd describe these folks and their wine bar and shop. It's clearly more than a business for them; it's a vocation and a life's pursuit. That cannot be overstated and I have nothing but respect for these three.
So guys, keep that in mind when I start grumbling about how there is not enough room to even stand and drink after you earn your first print mention in the New York Times.
Here's the link to New York Times wine critic Eric Asimov's praise for Terroir in The Pour.
Friday, March 13, 2009
Two from the Arbois at Terroir
(fun Dive Bouteille promo image, yes?)Last night I accomplished what had previously been considered impossible (well, at least by the girlfriend anyway): go to Terroir Natural Wine Merchant and Bar, consume a couple of glasses of wine, and then leave after about an hour and a half. Since I seldom go out drinking, when I do, I usually like to hang out for a while. Last night, however, was a successful experiment in the quick stop-in at Terroir, and since it worked out great I plan on future visits of shorter duration, combined of course with the occasional all nighter.
After being gently chided by Luc for my extended absence from San Francisco's greatest wine bar, coolest low-key hangout, and home of a few champion arbiters of vinous and musical taste, I settled in with a welcome glass (thanks, guys) of Vouvray Petillant from Catherine & Pierre Breton - crisp, appley, with great earthy and mineral Vouvray typicite, while still coming across clean and focused. Next was an '04 Domaine de la Tournelles Poulsard. Bright, red fruits, just a shade animale on the mid-palate and finish. A nice quaff, but enough complexity to make it more than just 'nice.' Sorry, it's clearly a limited vocabulary day here for me. Next, an '04 Savagnin (the Fleur de Savagnin, I believe) from the same domaine, run by Evelyne and Pascal Clairet. Luc told me that the whites are where it's at with these guys. They are more serious, more chiseled, more nervous. Well he didn't say all of those things, but it is what I inferred and he is definitely correct. The wine, especially for a not so pricey ($12 or $13) glass pour, is off the charts, ridiculously good. Lemon oil, green figs, excellent texture and structure on the palate, with just the barest oxidative nuttiness perceptible on the finish.
Now let me pause for the cause here a moment, to quickly editorialize. Savagnin is better chardonnay than chardonnay. Now, I recognize that I'm generally a huge hater of chardonnay, but even white Burgundy fans must admit that good Savagnin can deliver the goods in a way Chardonnay often can't, for much less money.
Let's see...oh I tasted the '06 Binner Pinot Noir (if you're counting, I'm up to two and one half glasses, the Binner was just what my girlfriend was drinking). Very nice. Sort of like a lighter Hautes Cotes de Nuits or Fixin. There was good cherry PN fruit, damp earth, a touch of a floral aspect. Surprisingly good, well actually not so surprising as the other wines I have tried from this Alsace producer have been pretty solid, lively, interesting efforts.
Happy Friday everyone, and thanks Guillhaume and Luc for the continued good times.
Monday, January 12, 2009
Celebrating 30 years of me at the wine bar
I spent yet another great evening at Terroir (from here on out I'll refer to it as 'the wine bar,' since I really don't go out drinking wine anywhere else). This time I was lucky to share the good times and natty vin with friends, family (i.e., my brother Michael - yes, wassup Michael!) former and past co-workers, a few tasting group members, and even a few readers of this blog. Yep, two of you actually came out and celebrated with some random blogger. So a special thanks to frequent commenter Steve L (great to finally meet, thanks for your continued feedback and contributions on this site) as well as fellow blogger Cory Cartwright of Saignee. Given Cory's enthusiasm, knowledge and facility with writing literate, down to earth wine prose, I had thought that he was in the wine business. If you ever were to need a break from your current gig, Cory, I suspect you'd be able to find a wine job in no time. It was wonderful to meet Cory and his wife, who also happened to stop into K&L yesterday on their way back to San Jose. Hope you two enjoy the Hauth Kerpen.
And les vins? To start, my co-worker and K&L Champagne buyer Gary Westby bought a bottle of Larmandier Bernier Terre de Vertus Blanc de Blancs. No dosage, native yeast, biodynamic, 100% chardonnay based champagne here from two vineyards in the 1er cru rated village of Vertus. It was bright and classy, though a lot more ripe, soft and playful than I remember it. Very little of the austere cote des blancs acidity and chalkiness, just a delicate, but full flavored, blanc de blancs from this southernmost 1er cru village in the CdB. Maybe this is based primarily on '05 juice? (just checked the Polaner website, and it is in fact all '05)
I really enjoyed some La Cigarrera Manzanilla. This is a producer previously unknown to me, but making some serious manzanilla. A bit fleshier than the La Gitana (my,and most sherry drinker's benchmark for everyday manzanilla), but still with terrific saline tang and satisfactorily savory walnut flavors on the finish. As usual, not many people were drinking sherry which left much of the 500ml bottle for me. No me quejo - no complaints!
Kiralyudvar's '06 demi-sec Tokaji was its usual stunning, vivid, fruity, precise self. 11.8% alcohol, 19.1 g/l rs, 7.6 g/l acidity - I like these numbers. In a pretty strong line-up of wines this was probably my favorite. Think of something akin to cantaloupe and lime juice, with the sort of purity and sugar/acid balance that only a drink made from top quality white wine grapes fermented into wine can deliver, and then drop that thought and just buy a bottle to experience yourself.
2006 Alice & Oliver de Moor Chablis Bel Air was pure and kinda tasty, if a little bit unexciting, overly soft, lacking in acidity and missing something. Oh yes, it's made from chardonnay grapes. Oh chardonnay, yet again you show your deceit.
At some point mid-late evening, Cory generously poured me some Antoine Arena Vermentino. Very dry, very textural, very mineral on the palate.
Now a pair from 1979. Heitz's Napa Cabernet Sauvignon (no vineyard designate, just a Napa bottling) was fading. Ripe napa style cherry fruit with some green vegetal hints, a bit of green peppercorn, and a fairly hollow mid-palate. Not much of a finish to speak of. As promised, I opened one of my most memorable from '08, a magnum of 1979 Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon. According to their website, this one is a drinker indeed. The site recommends that you 'create a special dinner around this one.' Maybe one day I will, provided that the French portion of the ownership at one natural wine bar in the city by the bay are not present. Cabernet from a particularly ripe vintage in sunny California would be two strikes against this wine for these two particularly discerning palates. I enjoyed drinking this. It tasted just how I remembered, of sweet, ripe dark fruit. And hoisin sauce. And cola. Now what decent, God fearing, red blooded American doesn't like the occasional cola? Though a few folks enjoyed various aspects of this wine, I did not enjoy it as much as when I first tasted it six months ago. Definitely not a repeat purchase, though SCMV's library pinot noirs could well be worth further exploration.
There you have it. Five hours of steady drinking at the wine bar. Now the various birthday celebrations are officially over, and there is much work to be done. Will keep up things on this here site and hopefully even add a few new wrinkles in the coming week, probably including more original photos and maybe even some audio/video.
Peace and out.
And les vins? To start, my co-worker and K&L Champagne buyer Gary Westby bought a bottle of Larmandier Bernier Terre de Vertus Blanc de Blancs. No dosage, native yeast, biodynamic, 100% chardonnay based champagne here from two vineyards in the 1er cru rated village of Vertus. It was bright and classy, though a lot more ripe, soft and playful than I remember it. Very little of the austere cote des blancs acidity and chalkiness, just a delicate, but full flavored, blanc de blancs from this southernmost 1er cru village in the CdB. Maybe this is based primarily on '05 juice? (just checked the Polaner website, and it is in fact all '05)
I really enjoyed some La Cigarrera Manzanilla. This is a producer previously unknown to me, but making some serious manzanilla. A bit fleshier than the La Gitana (my,and most sherry drinker's benchmark for everyday manzanilla), but still with terrific saline tang and satisfactorily savory walnut flavors on the finish. As usual, not many people were drinking sherry which left much of the 500ml bottle for me. No me quejo - no complaints!
Kiralyudvar's '06 demi-sec Tokaji was its usual stunning, vivid, fruity, precise self. 11.8% alcohol, 19.1 g/l rs, 7.6 g/l acidity - I like these numbers. In a pretty strong line-up of wines this was probably my favorite. Think of something akin to cantaloupe and lime juice, with the sort of purity and sugar/acid balance that only a drink made from top quality white wine grapes fermented into wine can deliver, and then drop that thought and just buy a bottle to experience yourself.
2006 Alice & Oliver de Moor Chablis Bel Air was pure and kinda tasty, if a little bit unexciting, overly soft, lacking in acidity and missing something. Oh yes, it's made from chardonnay grapes. Oh chardonnay, yet again you show your deceit.
At some point mid-late evening, Cory generously poured me some Antoine Arena Vermentino. Very dry, very textural, very mineral on the palate.
Now a pair from 1979. Heitz's Napa Cabernet Sauvignon (no vineyard designate, just a Napa bottling) was fading. Ripe napa style cherry fruit with some green vegetal hints, a bit of green peppercorn, and a fairly hollow mid-palate. Not much of a finish to speak of. As promised, I opened one of my most memorable from '08, a magnum of 1979 Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon. According to their website, this one is a drinker indeed. The site recommends that you 'create a special dinner around this one.' Maybe one day I will, provided that the French portion of the ownership at one natural wine bar in the city by the bay are not present. Cabernet from a particularly ripe vintage in sunny California would be two strikes against this wine for these two particularly discerning palates. I enjoyed drinking this. It tasted just how I remembered, of sweet, ripe dark fruit. And hoisin sauce. And cola. Now what decent, God fearing, red blooded American doesn't like the occasional cola? Though a few folks enjoyed various aspects of this wine, I did not enjoy it as much as when I first tasted it six months ago. Definitely not a repeat purchase, though SCMV's library pinot noirs could well be worth further exploration.
There you have it. Five hours of steady drinking at the wine bar. Now the various birthday celebrations are officially over, and there is much work to be done. Will keep up things on this here site and hopefully even add a few new wrinkles in the coming week, probably including more original photos and maybe even some audio/video.
Peace and out.
Monday, December 29, 2008
These fine folks want you to come out to Joe's Birthday Espectacular at Terroir: Saturday January 10th
Here's the promised birthday bash announcement. Anyone who reads this, who plans on being in or around San Francisco the evening of January 10th and would like to check it out, feel free to do so. We'll get going around 8pm and likely hang out at Guillhaume, Luc and Dagan's bar/shop until they close it up.
Should be one for the ages.
Here is the Terroir website for the uninitiated.
See you there!
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